This only applies to the buildbotics controller.
If your going to use a usb stick to load your gcode files, make sure your usb stick is either partitioned in the NTSF or FAT32 format. Using any other file type may not show files on the controller.
USB sticks must be 2.0. USB 3.0 sticks may not be detected. Some USB sticks larger than 32GB may not work with the raspberry pi.
We recommend using a USB stick, 32gb or less. We do not recommend using an SSD.
File names must not include the . (decimal point or period or ] or } or spaces ) characters or other ‘special’ characters _=+*{:>? etc. Your file will not show up if it includes this special character. (decimal point will work as long as it’s not the very first character of the file name.)
Warning: Formating your usb stick will delete all files on the usb stick
In Windows:
Step 1: Connect your USB drive to the device and click on Open folder to view files option.
Step 2: Right click on your USB drive and click on Format option.
Step 3: From the window, select FAT32 OR NTFS from the drop down bar under File system .
Step 4: Click on Start and OK to commence the formatting process.
Step 5: Once the formatting is completed click on OK.
In MAC:
Step 1. Connect the SD card to the Mac OS X computer.
Step 2. Search for Disk Utility in Launchpad and open it.
Step 3. Select the Drive and click Erase.
Step 4. Enter the new name (OPTIONAL).
Step 5. Select MS-DOS(FAT) for Format.
Step 6. Select Master Boot Record for Scheme.
Step 7. Click Erase. (Depending on the USB Drive size, the operation might take some time.)
(Windows Example Below)
FILE TYPE:
Important note file type:
The controller can only open/see a few file types. Ensure the file your trying to open is gcode and ends in .ngc , .nc , or .gcode . The controller will not recognize non-gcode files, such as the CAD (design) file you make gcode with (for instance, If you are using Vectric VCarve and you hit save in the upper left, it creates a file ending in .crv . This is the design file not gcode and the controller will not recognize it.
Another note is to keep special characters (ie: ._+=/$ (spaces), etc.) out of the files names. The controller cannot see files with these characters.
Any time you plug in your usb stick into your windows based computer it will warn you to ‘scan and fix’ the drive. This is because the Onefinity controller is a linux based computer and it writes a linux ‘code block’ to the drive that windows thinks is ‘dirty’. There is no issue with the usb drive and you can simply ignore the warning or ‘scan and fix’ every time.