Keep Multiple Designs on Multiple USB Sticks

Note: Due to the unreliability of USB sticks I now use multiple SD Cards for my designs instead of USB sticks.

Use multiple USB sticks to transfer files to your Laser Engraver.

I currently have my laser engraver in my garage where the smoke it generates isn't a problem. This has the downside that I have to walk to the other side of the house and it's surprising how often I do that as I make minor changes to my designs.

My first laser engraver, the Creality Falcon 2, does not have a display. This makes it a really simple device. To start an engraving you copy a single file onto the card or stick, insert it into the machine, and press the play button to start. It will load the first gcode file on the card or stick.

There are times when this simple interface is limiting. For example, I have a design for a cardboard storage box that I plan to cut from small scrap material. To accomplish that I have the design broken into several separate files. One for the bottom, one for the sides, and one for the front and rear. In most cases I want to cut each of them one after another. In order to do that I use a set of USB sticks labeled one to three. I put the bottom on the first, the sides on the second, and the front and back on the third. With those in place I can run stick #1, then #2, and finally #3. All without walking back to my laptop.

It's also possible to connect the Falcon 2 to your laptop with a USB cable, but many jobs can take multiple hours and I'd rather not have my machine tied up while I run projects. So this multi-stick work-around works for me.

USB sticks might make a fun engraving project if you want to permanently label them too.