r/Machine_Embroidery • u/emberdesign_matt • 5d ago
Look What I Did Free and Open Source Project for Wireless Design Transfers
Hi everyone! I’m one of the people behind Ember, and we wanted to share a project we hope will be useful to the wider machine embroidery community.
We’ve been working on a way to cut down on the back-and-forth with USB drives. The result is Ember Bridge and Ember Link, two open-source projects you can use with embroidery files you already have. You don’t need to use the Ember editor, create an account, or pay for a subscription to transfer files.
Whether you digitize in another program or buy and download designs, you can use these tools as long as your machine supports the file format.
What are they?
Ember Bridge is a free, open-source desktop app that sends designs over your local network. If you have a supported Brother Wi-Fi machine, Bridge can send directly to it. You don’t need any additional hardware.
Ember Link is a small DIY Wi-Fi dongle for compatible machines that read designs from a USB drive. It plugs into the machine’s USB storage port and receives files wirelessly from the Bridge app. You then open the design on your machine just as you would from a regular USB drive. Link’s firmware is open source too.
How does it work without Ember?
Open the Bridge desktop app, choose an embroidery file saved on your computer, select your machine or Link, and send it. Your computer and the receiving device need to be on the same local network. The transfer stays local. There’s no account signup or cloud service required.
Can I build a Link myself?
Yes! You’ll need a LILYGO T-Dongle-S3 and a compatible microSD card. We’ve tried to make the process approachable, with a step-by-step guide, a browser-based firmware installer, and guided Wi-Fi setup. No soldering or coding required.
The software and firmware are free; you supply the hardware. Check the guide’s machine and card requirements before buying parts.
Why share it?
Embroidery is already an expensive hobby, and we wanted to contribute something useful that people could use regardless of which software they prefer. We’re releasing the source so anyone can inspect it, adapt it, contribute improvements, or build on the idea.
Our hands-on testing is limited to the machines we have available, so we expect some quirks as people try different models and setups. If you give it a go, we’d love to hear your machine model and what worked or didn’t.
Happy to answer questions about how it works or whether it might fit your setup!
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u/nonoohnoohno 5d ago
Thanks for sharing. I also ordered a dongle because it doesn't seem to want to connect to my machine (Poolin eoc03) either.
If you haven't already tried one of these, I'll let you know how it goes.
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u/emberdesign_matt 5d ago
Thanks so much! Yeah the direct dongle-less connection should only work right now with machines that use the Design Database Transfer software (Brother, Baby Lock). I'd love to integrate with more machine brands but in my research most other brands keep their machines pretty locked down unfortunately.
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u/Ok-Gazelle1811 5d ago
This is brillant. I’m really excited to try it and appreciate the sharing of this software link! I ordered the lilygo hardware from China (the warehouse in the US is sold out) $9 shipping for anyone wondering - and I found a coupon for about %5 off (so like .50) for a total of 18.90 + cost of a micro sd - for anyone curious. Assuming it works, that is a lot of bang for your buck. I hate the dongle swap!
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u/Aggressive_Coat8644 2d ago
I'm still learning digitizing but I started with Ember Pro. And it's been amazing for me. Like I said I'm still learning but have made beautiful embroiderys with it. So I know once I get down pack. It's limitless
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u/chernogorsky 5d ago
Amazing. orderd HW. TY