TinyG Sending Files with CoolTerm

Summary:

If you want a no frill easy to setup and send files quickly sort of solution then CoolTerm is a good choice.
If you followed the instructions in the connecting and tuning sections of the wiki then you already have it install too.

Pros:

• Very easy to start sending files quickly.
• Cross platform.

Cons:

• Asynchronous Commands are not available during a file send.
• No GUI Preview. *If you cancel a job in progress, unsent code in the send buffer could crash your machine. See below.

Summary:

1. Make sure you have CoolTerm installed and you are able to connect to TinyG. See Connecting to TinyG for complete instructions on how connected to TinyG with CoolTerm.
   
2. If you are now connected to TinyG with CoolTerm, disconnect. We need to change one value in the Options of Coolterm BEFORE we connect to TinyG. Now that you have clicked the options button you should see something like this:

   

Notice that the XON is checked. **This is VERY IMPORTANT. Please make sure CoolTerm has XON checked!**

3. Once you are done checking XON go ahead and click OK. Now click the Connect button. As long as you have the right port selected and the right baud rate set, you should now be connected to TinyG.
   
4. Technically, we could send a file to TinyG now. However, we need to make sure XON is enabled on TinyG. It IS enabled by default, but it is always good to make sure before sending files that will depend on XON. To check this you will need to click in the text input box in CoolTerm. It is at the very bottom of CoolTerm. Once you are able to type into the input box issue a XON query by sending:
   $ex then hit enter. You just issued getter command in TinyG for the XON enabled property. If XON is enabled, you should see something like this:
   $ex 1 - Paste this in.
5. Now you are ready to send a gcode file. Just to re-cap...
   You are sure you....

• Checked to make sure CoolTerm was connected with XON checked.
• Checked to make sure TinyG has XON enabled on the hardware.

Now to send a file (assuming your tool is at the desired X,Y,Z coordinates) click on the Connection menu and then select the "Send Text File". From here you will be asked to select a text file.

**WARNING:** when you click the selected file and hit open you file is being send to TinyG instantly!

About Canceling

Be cautious about canceling a gcode file you have sent to TinyG. You may want to cancel, for example, to change a broken bit or to modify your gcode. When you press 'cancel' in the Send Progress dialog, CoolTerm stops sending midway through what it is sending. The partial command is still in the send buffer. If you press return, either alone or with a new command, you will add the new command to what is already in the send buffer, and CoolTerm will send it all. This has an excellent chance of crashing your machine. (For example, say your TinyG is routing a hole at Z-15X33Y99, and you send X32Y099. But part-way through you hit cancel. If CoollTerm only sent "X32Y9" (missing the last 9) then your machine will try to go to Y9, even though the bit is z-15 down a hole, which will crash.)

The "clear send buffer" would appear to solve this problem, but doesn't seem to work. Be ready with the emergency stop if you kill a partial job with the CoolTerm "cancel" button.

NEED TO FINISH