Summa S2T160 and Onyx

[mdjamesd]

So we finally got our new plotter set up and running. But I'm trying to find if anyone has any experience with Onyx Cutserver and Summa Barcode Scanner. We were told by our sales rep from Grimco that we could use the barcode scanner on the Summa, but now I'm finding out that it won't work with xml files.

Has anyone found a work-around to make the 2 play nice?

 

[Bly]

We have the same setup and it works fine.
In fact we print from Cutserver to a remote pc near the cutter that has Barcode Server running on it.
Not sure exactly what you need to know.

 

[mdjamesd]

Are you able to print multiple jobs, and once setting up the first job to cut, it will automatically continue through the remaining jobs on its own?

 

[Bly]

Yes it will scan and cut the first job then look for any others on the roll afterwards and cut them too.

 

[FrankW]

From Onyx (I guess) 10.2 to Onyx 12.2, you need to set up the plotter connection in the Cutserver to „file“ or „folder“ (not shure about the correct name, I’m not in the workshop), what saves PLT-files. Then start summa cutter control, click on the „Barcode Server“-Button, set the folder you have saved the PLT-Files into as the working directory, activate the barcode server and click on the barcode Icon (or start it from the plotter).

If you use Onyx 18, the barcode server is integrated in the Cutserver itself. There is an option to check in the plotter configuration window to activate it (not shure about the name). If correctly configured, you can start barcode reading at the plotter.

The last time I have checked it (with a beta of Onyx 18), barcode was supported only if the plotter was connected to the network, not USB. Could be that it have changed until now. Summa cutter control works with network and USB.

Onyx (around) 10.1 or older does not support OPOS Barcode at all.

Sorry for typing errors, I wrote that on a cell phone.

 

[mdjamesd]

You guys are awesome! I'm going to hopefully get a few minutes to attempt this tomorrow.

 

[Bly]

We're on Thrive 12. Barcode server doesn't work on a network connection, only USB.

 

[Bly]

Actually we have the camera version S2T - I think that's the issue with network connection.
The standard opos version may work fine.

 

[FrankW]

Actually we have the camera version S2T - I think that's the issue with network connection.
The standard opos version may work fine.

Yes. OPOS-CAM needs an USB-Connection because of the camera driver software which is integrated in Summa Cutter Control.

 

[Modern Ink Signs]

You can connect your cutter via network with OPOS. Ours is and we are using Onyx and the Summa Barcode.

There is a simple setting in Cut Server. I’m not in front of my RIP right now but I will post the setup.

When you send your job to print (with cut info of course) it creates your file that Cut Server uses. Inside Cut Server you tell it to save to file. It does this automatically. You simply start your barcode reader, load the machine, tell it where the first barcode is and you are off and running. We cut up (6) 50 yard rolls today and only thing we had to do was load new rolls and take the pieces out of the basket. We have ours set to cut off in between each job.

 

[FrankW]

Attached screen dumps how to configure it.

By the way: it would be really helpful if telling the software version used. Could save work and time. Attached screendumps from Onyx 12 and 18.

In Cutserver of Onyx 18, you need to check "Enable Roll Server" to let CutServer be your active Barcode Server. You don't need to use Summa Cutter Control (tested with network connection only, during tests with a beta only network connection works, could be with USB too since release of 18.5).

When using Onyx 12 and Summa Cutter control, setting "Auto-forwarding" to "Automatically Cut New Files" will automatically save cutting files as soon as they arrive in the CutServer (as long as CutServer is open).

 

[Modern Ink Signs]

Franks got it

 

[mdjamesd]

FrankW, We're running Onyx12, soon Onyx18. Trying to work out the kinks with the S2T before I get the barcode server up and running. Having timeout issues with the Summa and/or the Summa cutter control which runs the camera.

 

[FrankW]

Do you use OPOS-CAM? Do you know that OPOS-CAM requires a USB-connection to the PC and Summa Cutter Control running? Will not work if connected to the LAN.

Sounds like a stupid question, but you have written that the cutter is new. And you would not be the first one who do this mistake. Cutting only is no problem, but contour cutting with OPOS-CAM will run with USB only because the camera driver software is integrated in Summa Cutter Control.

Could be an explaination for timeouts.

 

[mdjamesd]

It's connected via USB. Why they didn't put a gigabit ethernet port on the Summa is beyond me. According to a tech guy we hired, the USB connection is just fast enough for the camera, an that the 10/100 (?) ethernet on the Summa isn't fast enough.

The time-out I was referring to is when you have cut a job or two, then walk away for 15-20 minutes and go back to cut another job, and the "screen saver" is showing on the Summa. At that point, Manually set the origin point, open the job in cutserver, and send it, the Summa will be waiting for camera control forever.


I'm waiting patiently for Summa to call me for a 1:00 service call today, and it's mow 2:03

The other day, this error code popped up

 

[mdjamesd]

"couldn't attach an image to an edited post"

 

[FrankW]

I don‘t think that it is a problem of the speed of the network connection that the camera works with USB only. The USB-Connection is v1.1, with a maximum speed of 12 Mbit ... the network connection is 100 Mbit.

Regularly, cutting plotters don‘t need high transfer speeds because the plotting data is very small, and the processing speed of a cutter is very slow. For a long time, cutting plotters had serial connections with mostly 9600 baud ( ca 9 Kbit) per second, and it works too. For my opinion, it would need the camera driver and a camera server on their mainboard to let it work through ethernet, and that would need a complete different design of the mainboard dor the camera model.

How long is your USB-connection? USB-connections could run into problems if the cable is longer than 5 meters.

 

[mdjamesd]

Finally figured out the issue. After spending some time on the phone with Dave from Airmark, we discovered that the Microsoft Camera app was interfering with the OPOS cam. So, after disabling the camera app, everything works. Odd quirk though....Onyx Cutserver and Summa Cutter control are both open on the computer, SCC will show that it has communication with the Summa, but if you send a cut job from cutserver, SCC ill be stuck waiting for camera control. Figured out that before sending a job from cutserver, hit the refresh icon in SCC, and wait for it to recognize the connection to the Summa