Stitch America - How to Network Embroidery Machines

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Why network?

     Tired of chasing floppy disks around your facility? Sending and receiving your designs with e-mail? The double density 720K disks used by embroidery machines are being replaced by other media in the general computer world and are becoming harder to find. By connecting your machine(s) directly to your design computer, you eliminate the need to maintain a floppy disk library and all the hassles that go with it.
     We decided to network our machines for the reasons listed above. As we started planning the process, we were unable to find a comprehensive source of information about how to accomplish our objective. As we went through the process, we discovered a few critical elements that caused us needless expense and frustration.
     The purpose of this article is to share our experience so others may avoid the pitfalls we encountered. The specifics in this article apply to Tajima embroidery machines and Wilcom digitizing software, but the principles will be similar for other machines and software. Our network consists of ten Tajima machines but the technology works with just one embroidery machine (actually it's easier).

Planning

     Like most other projects, the more time spent planning, the less time spent implementing (and correcting problems you didn't anticipate). First, determine the length of the cables needed. Allow at least an extra 5' beyond the minimum length required. Order the cables as soon as possible.
     If there is more than one machine to network, decide how to provide the number of serial ports needed. If the number of machines to connect is small, use a PCI card that plugs in a slot in your computer and provides multiple serial ports. For 4 or more machines, a Comtrol multi-serial port device is recommended. Order any hardware needed to provide the necessary serial ports.
     Review your software or contact your vendor to see if additional licensing is needed to network machines. In our case, we had to purchase an additional license from Wilcom to control 8-16 computers. Wilcom allows you to control up to 4 machines without additional licensing.

Putting it all together

     Now it's time to connect the serial cable(s) to the design computer or serial hub and then to the embroidery machine. Make sure each machine is turned off when connecting the cable.
     You'll most likely need to configure your machine in your design software. Use the serial port data listed above if you're asked for that type information. After successful configuration, send a design to the embroidery machine.
     At the embroidery machine, enter the command to accept a file from the serial connection. On our machines, we use a 3 or 4 SET instead of the 5 SET we used with floppy disks. After receiving the file, control will be returned to the operator and it's time to enter your needle sequence. Consult your operator's manual for the specific sequence to use to accept a file over a serial connection.

Troubleshooting

     Wait long enough for the design to transfer. If you're using a baud rate of 9600 it can take several seconds (or minutes) for a design to transfer, depending on the stitch count of the file. During the transfer process, our machines don't give you any feedback that the transfer is taking place.
     Be certain to have the serial port settings identical in the computer, design software and the embroidery machine. See the settings above for Tajima machines.
     If using a Comtrol hub, make sure it's operational. There are several utility programs included with the Comtrol software to verify that it is working properly. Be certain the Comtrol serial ports are visible in the Control Panel of the design computer.
     You may need to enable networking on your embroidery machine, either using DIP switches on the main board of the machine or using the control panel of the machine. Consult your machine manual or equipment vendor for details.

What do you need?

Embroidery software capable of networking
Embroidery machine(s) with serial connection (RS232)
Serial cable(s) to connect the machines
Multiple serial ports (for more than one machine)

>Who from?

Resources we used to obtain the equipment we needed:
Pin Point International - serial cables
Wilcom International - digitizing software
Page Computers - Comtrol Ethernet serial converter
Other Sources:
Hirsch International - serial cables, Tajima embroidery machines
Tajima West - serial cables, Tajima embroidery machines
Comtrol - multiple serial port devices

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