Heidelberg Eye Explorer Bridging Instructions

Owned by Dylan Nigh
Oct 16, 2023
3 min read

Requirements

The MacPractice Heidelberg Eye Explorer bridge must be purchased. 

Purchasing the Attachments and/or the Imaging ability is optional.

-VMWare or Parallels-Windows-Heidelberg software

Optical Bridge Install and Setup

This installation is intended to work using a mapped network drive.
Note: These instructions are written with the understanding that the PC you use to take images is on the same subnet as your Mac. If you need to communicate across subnets, please contact a local networking professional for assistance.
Step 1

Make a new folder called “HeidelbergBridge” and place it on the desktop or in the documents folder.

Step 2

Go to the System Preferences, then select Sharing pane. Make sure File Sharing is enabled in the Sharing list and click the plus button below the Shared Folders list to add a new shared folder (name this something unique like “HeidelbergBridge”.) then ensure all users are set with read/write privileges. Alternatively, right click the folder that was created and select Get Info. In the Get Info window under General, click on the shared folder checkbox. It may be necessary to go to the Sharing and Permissions section located at the bottom then unlock the folder to make it possible for all three groups set to read/write.

Step 3

On the PC, it is necessary to map the drive to the shared folder located on the Mac computer.

MacPractice Support cannot assist with this portion of the configuration. For instructions on mapping a network drive, please visit Microsoft's support site: Windows help and learning
Step 4

The Mac must be setup with a manual IP address. It is strongly recommended that an Apple/Windows Network Technician is consulted for assistance. However, the following method listed below may be attempted.

Go to the Apple menu > System Preferences > Network and select the Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection that is active. It is preferable to be on a wired ethernet connection for best results. Make a note of the IP Address.

Next, under the configure IPv4 drop down menu click and select “Manually” and enter the IP Address noted earlier.

Click the advanced button then go to the DNS tab. Under DNS Servers, click the plus button to enter in ISP DNS numbers (both a primary and a secondary). Try 208.67.222.222, and 208.67.220.220 and see if they work, then click OK. The last screen is the Network main screen. Click Apply to save the changes.

If the open DNS numbers do not work then please consult the ISP to get recommended DNS numbers.

Step 5

On the PC, go to the Start Menu > Computer. In the Menu Bar go to Map network drive. Under the Drive letter drop down menu select the H: drive. Under the Folder menu enter in the manually setup IP address of the Mac and the path to the shared folder you made on that Mac (\192.168.1.125\ HeidelbergBridge).

Next, click the reconnect at logon and the connect using different credentials checkboxes and click finish. Now the drive is mapped to the shared folder that is on the Mac computer and is seen on the PC.

Step 6

Go to the MacPractice Preferences > Optical Bridges. In the Bridge Import Folder use the Choose button to navigate to the shared folder created on the Mac and has been mapped to from the PC side.

Alternatively, if it is decided not to use the naming convention of “HeidelbergBridge” it is possible to use the existing volume that MacPractice calls WindowsBridge. The path is /Users/UserName/Library/Application Support/MacPracticeClient/Databases/macpractice/WindowsBridge. Make sure the WindowsBridge folder in the system preferences located on the Mac with the same steps listed previously for the HeidelbergBridge folder sharing.

Step 7

Remaining in the Preferences, go to the Install Bridge button and extract it to the PC. The extracted bridge will now extract over to the “WindowsBridge” folder. Take the bridge out of that folder and put it on the folder that is on the desktop called “HeidelbergBridge”. Run the installer.

In the event of the use of “WindowsBridge” instead, just keep the installer there and run it.