I just wanted to update everybody on my ethernet connection to my mill using a Windows 10 laptop with a built in ethernet NIC and WiFi.

It still works most of the time. I have stopped using the USB NIC. I now plug the crossover ethernet cable from the mill directly into the NIC that is built into my laptop. It works exactly the same except in the configuration screens above you of course would be selecting the built in NIC.

To reiterate, there are two network connections active on the laptop at the same time. Both can see the same shared folder on the laptop C: drive. The Wi-Fi on the laptop is connecting to the house WiFi so it can see all the other computers and access the internet, it is set as a normal local private network with a firewall. For the other network the laptop NIC connects with an ethernet wire to only the mill. It is listed in Windows configuration as an unidentified public network.. Windows will let you turn off the firewall on the public ethernet network while still leaving the firewall enabled on the private Wi-Fi network. The network to the mill is without a firewall and that is why it works.

This configuration connects to the mill most of the time but you do have to deal with the DOS batch file prompt, selecting reconnect with a yes when you first turn the mill on. I find I have to wait 5 seconds or more before answering the prompt. One other minor issue is that after a period of time of inactivity, the network to the mill will time-out and you will have to reslect Menu >> Drive >> F: , fortunately it will wake and be immediately ready for you to use again with the Run, Prog or Verf command. Example: Run >> Menu >> scroll up and down >> select NC file by pressing Enter and you get a file listing right on the mill that is of the files that are in the shared folder on the laptop,


Chees

SF