HelioCAD Bridge
A tiny free app that connects your browser to laser controllers it can't reach on its own — Ruida DSP machines over Ethernet, and serial machines from any browser. It runs locally, pairs with a one-time token, and never talks to the internet.
Using Chrome or Edge with the laser plugged into this computer? GRBL and Ruida machines connect directly over USB — no bridge needed.
Windows
64-bit · .exe · v0.2.0 · ~10 MB
Coming soonFree, open protocol relay. Runs only on your machine, listens only on localhost.
Set up in a minute
- 1
Download & open
Grab the build for your platform. macOS: unzip and double-click heliocad-bridge. Windows: run heliocad-bridge.exe. A terminal window opens — that window is the bridge; keep it running while you cut.
- 2
Note the pairing token
On startup the bridge prints a 6-digit pairing token. It changes every launch — the token is what stops other websites from reaching your laser.
- 3
Pair from HelioCAD
In HelioCAD open Laser → Control, choose “Connect via HelioCAD Bridge…”, enter the token, then pick how the bridge reaches your controller: the machine's IP address (Ruida Ethernet) or a USB serial port on this computer.
First-run security prompts
The bridge binaries aren't code-signed yet, so your OS will warn on first launch. That's expected — here's how to get past it:
macOS (Gatekeeper)
Right-click heliocad-bridge → Open → Open. Or from a terminal: xattr -d com.apple.quarantine ./heliocad-bridge
Windows (SmartScreen)
Click “More info”, then “Run anyway”.
Linux or another platform?
The bridge is a small Python app and runs anywhere Python 3.10+ does — contact us and we'll get you set up. For pairing details and the per-machine connectivity matrix, see the bridge documentation.