The main reason I have not decided to upgrade to the Elite machine is…well, I’m lazy (and probably stubborn too). The project files for all my CNC machines (Onefinity, CO2 laser, and plasma) are stored on a local TrueNAS appliance and are accessible through SMB share. I’m simply not willing to haul a USB back and forth between my PC and Onefinity, nor do I like the sound of uploading files over Masso Link from the wrong end. I want to be able to walk up to my Onefinity and pick any file from my network, the way I have always done. I know, my problem.
I am curious whether anyone has attempted to use a Raspberry Pi to emulate a mass storage device with a mounted SMB share. I understand that this should be possible on the some versions of the Pi (Zero, 4, perhaps some later models of the 3). And while I believe getting one set up should be relatively straightforward, I have no guarantee it would actually work to my expectations with the Masso. So if anyone else has already gone through the process, I’d love to hear how it worked out for you.
that is one of the reasons that despite the Masso G3 being good CNC controller, I will never buy one: It is proprietary and closed-source. The simplest way to implement a solution for your problem is to make a network interface accessible from the firmware, but no chance to change something on this controller firmware.
What you mean is a single-board microcomputer behave as a USB client. A Raspberry Pi is a USB host, and USB is a host/client architecture. But with the advent of smartphones, there came up the desire to have a device that is at same time a client (so you can download files to it like onto a mp3 player by connecting it to your PC as a mass storage device) and a USB host (so you can connect a keyboard, a mouse, or a mass storage device to the smartphone). Therefore, USB On-The-Go (OTG) was invented. But I have no experience with it.
USB On-The-Go (often abbreviated to OTG) is a feature that allows supporting USB devices with an appropriate OTG cable to configure themselves as USB hosts. On older Raspberry Pis, a single USB 2 controller was used in both USB host and device mode.
Raspberry Pi 4B and Raspberry Pi 400 (not CM4 or CM4IO) add a high performance USB 3 controller, attached via PCIe, to drive the main USB ports. The legacy USB 2 controller is still available on the USB-C power connector for use as a device (otg_mode=0, the default).
otg_mode=1 requests that a more capable XHCI USB 2 controller is used as another host controller on that USB-C connector.
NOTE Because CM4 and CM4IO don’t include the external USB 3 controller, Raspberry Pi OS images set otg_mode=1 on CM4 for better performance.
I previously scoped out several articles that make me optimistic about creating the smart USB device. The first MagPi link you posted is actually one of them.
My main concern is that I’m not sure how the Masso controller will actually handle a dynamic USB device.
Will it recognize new/updated files immediately?
Will it only refresh files upon changing folders?
Will it only refresh the USB contents when first initialized?
Will there be other, unanticipated issues?
Some of these outcomes are better than others. Unfortunately, these are things I cannot test without having the Masso controller, creating a circular problem.
At the end of the day, I really like my Onefinity as it is, so I am not going to be upset if I can’t upgrade. But I figured posting this here might get a lucky response from someone who is also lazy and stubborn , or potentially inspire someone else to give it a try.
You have no use for a Pi Zero anyway, should it not work? But I think it will work, I see no reason why it should not work.
And you surely know how to use samba, the smbfs/cifs filesystem, and smbclient on the Raspi to make the files from your NAS accessible somehow on the new smart stick.
I looked into this as well a few years ago when I first got my Masso G3. I have a NAS for my home network security, automation, and file storage, etc, so the functionality was something I was interested in.
I found a discussion from that time - see below - where it was discussed. Someone had a solution they were going to try out using a WIFI SD card, but I am not sure if they were successful. I had asked about a future ‘Masso G4’ with hardware updates/grades - more memory, RJ45 connection, etc. - and was told by forum members not to hold my breath waiting The Masso Link is too slow for me when transferring larger NC files, so for me with my basement setup, I have gotten into the routine of just transferring from PC to USB and walking it back and forth when required.
Thanks. I actually remember coming across this post some months back when I was originally looking into this topic but I was having trouble finding it again. I had considered a WiFi SD card (or WiFi USB storage device) and looked into these, but the issue seems to be that it still requires uploading files from the “wrong end” — as in, from the computer instead of from the controller.
The original guide URL from the video is dead, but it’s still available from Wayback:
There are three ways that you can configure the connection to your SD card – AP mode, STA mode, and Internet pass-thru mode.
AP (Access Point) mode makes the SD card behave like a normal wireless access point, although with no direct internet access. This means that you need to connect to the SD card every time that you want to transfer files, which isn’t really ideal but its the easiest to set up.
STA (Station) mode allows your SD card to act as a LAN client and connect to your existing access point, meaning that you won’t need to change networks when you want to transfer files. This is generally the most desired mode of operation.
Internet pass-thru mode allows you to connect to the SD card but also have a connection to the internet at the same time. This isn’t ideal as the card acts as a bridge for all your internet traffic, forwarding it to your access point.
BUT, if I can find someone who has tried this method, they could likely answer my prior questions about how the Masso behaves with dynamic USB contents. So that’s at least a lead.
I would have been surprised if you did . I understand, it’s rather the time and the effort. You rather want to see if you can avoid the time and effort by looking for someone who has already succeeded with this – how I know this. And today, often, this is the case fortunately, and you find it thanks to the www.
Time and effort, yes I know it’s limited! I wish I could multiply it, every day seems to be too short
, or potentially inspire someone else to give it a try.
The Masso Link is too slow for me when transferring larger NC files, so for me with my basement setup, I have gotten into the routine of just transferring from PC to USB and walking it back and forth when required.
. I understand, it’s rather the time and the effort. You rather want to see if you can avoid the time and effort by looking for someone who has already succeeded with this – how I know this. And today, often, this is the case fortunately, and you find it thanks to the www.