Control of the H4 is performed via a web browser or the pendant. Before you can use your web browser to control the H4, you will need to connect the machine to your local network and find its IP address.
If your H4 machine is equipped with an ethernet control board, simply connect an ethernet cable to the top of the control board. The ethernet cable wire can be threaded through an opening in the electronics enclosure:
Determining the IP Address of your H4 Machine
Once connected and powered, your H4 machine will attempt to automatically obtain an IP address from your local network. In order to connect to the web control software, you will need to identify which IP address has been assigned to your H4 machine. There are several ways you can accomplish this:
Pendant
If your H4 is equipped with a pendant, the IP address can be found by selecting the bottom navigation buttons "Panel" > "Setup". The IP address will appear on the bottom of the screen:
Serial Connection via USB
- Connect a computer to the H-Series machine on the left side of the electronics cabinet with the USB cable included with your printer,
- Open Simplify3D (Or Prontrface, as an alternative), and go to Tools > Machine Control Panel and connect to the machine.
- Under the Communication tab, enter the following command in the dialog box and click "Send"
M552
- The H4 machine should respond with the status of its network connection which includes the assigned IP address.
Network Router
Most network routers provide a web interface from which you can see the devices connected to your network and the IP addresses that have been assigned to them. The network name of your H4 machine will be its serial number which is which is located on the rear of the electronics cabinet (e.g. H4054).
Connecting to your Machine
Once you have identified the IP address assigned to your H4 machine, you can now connect to the web control interface. Entering the IP address into the address bar of your preferred web browser address bar and the control interface should appear. It is unlikely that the IP address of your H4 machine will change, so you can safely bookmark the page for easy access to your machine in the future.
Older Machines
H4 serial numbers below 50 use a Duet WiFi controller and can be connected by following the instructions below. Detailed connection instructions (from the manufacturer) can be found here. The description below is the recommended procedure for the H-Series.
- Connect a computer to the H-Series machine on the left side of the electronics cabinet with the cable included with your printer,
- Open Simplify3D (Or Prontrface, as an alternative), and go to Tools -> Machine Control Panel (or press Ctrl+P) (or use whatever serial connection interface you normally do), and connect to the machine.
- Under the Communication tab, enter the following commands in the dialog box, substituting your actual network name, password, and Machine Name in the appropriate spots
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M587 S"your-network-name" P"your-network-password"
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M552 S1
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- After a few seconds, the IP address of your name should be displayed in the Communication box. If not, send "M552" to see what the WiFi status is.
- You can now connect to your machine via WiFi by copying the IP address into a web browser address bar. You can also go to http://YourMachineName or http://YourMachineName.local
- You can bookmark this page to access your machine easily in the future
To connect your tablet to your machine, you will need to configure WiFi in the tablet settings (Settings -> WiFi). Then run the H-Series app from the homescreen. If the tablet is on the same network as the machine, then it will find and connect to the machine automatically.
Once you have connected to the WiFi, it would be good practice to update your firmware to latest revision.
Troubleshooting
- If you can't see the machine over USB, make sure you have the correct drivers installed. (Step 2 here with instructions, direct link, and also located on the machine SD card)
- Connect via USB and confirm that the machine is connected to the correct network (has an IP address):
M552
- If not, toggle the WiFi chip:
M552 S0
M552 S1
- Make sure the computer is connected to the same network
- IN A WEB BROWSER, navigate to one of the following addresses to connect to the machine:
- http://IP Address of machine found in previous step
- http://YourMachineName
- http://YourMachineName.local