Hi
i have just recieved my pokeys 56u device and downloaded the latest drivers and installed- copied the dll in the plugin folder. but  on running mach3 (latest version 043. 066) get the 'defective pokeys plugin -ignoring)
have tried on more then one pc running windows xp
can someone please advise?
thanks

Hello Alan:

I just got my 56u working, so this might help.
1. Get the "Activation Key" from Polabs. Email them your device serial #, and they will send the key. It is a code like
    this dummy example: EE60-GH9E-DD49-AAB1
2. Download the two files from Polabs
    productattachments_files__p_o_pokeys_setup_12, or the newest beta file;
    productattachments_files__p_o_pokeys_setup_19
3. Connect the Pokeys to the USB port.
4. Run the file. They are application files. I ran the _19 file and have no problems so far.
4. Enter your activation KEY when the program prompts you.
5. The lights on the Pokeys will flutter as the program runs. It takes a little while. It automatically puts all the
    files needed in the Mach folders.
6. When it finishes, it will open a window posting the Pokeys specs, firmware version, install date, serial # etc.,
    and all the latest firmware updates in a list.
7. Close the info window.
8. The next window will ask you to select the device. There is space in the window for 4 Pokeys ID's. There will
    only be the one you installed, already Hi-lighted.
9. Click the box "Connect".
10. The first Pokeys menu screen will appear, ready to enter I/O data.
11. Run (load) Mach3

The Pokeys should be running in Mach3 now. Open the dialog box at the top of the screen "PlugIn Control", and your Pokeys
serial number in brackets preceded by "Configure Pokeys 56u[*****], your serial number.
If you click that filename, the Pokeys menu will open to the first page.

When you run the Pokeys install file, it will put a blue Icon with two gears in the box, on the Desktop. Clicking
this Icon will run the Pokeys "Dashboard" menu. It is slightly different from the menu inside of Mach.

If you start Mach3, and then plug in the Pokeys to the USB port, the config file will say the Pokeys is not connected.
Apparently, the Pokeys must be plugged in first.

Have fun

John

       

Also, pay attention to the following:
- Activation code is needed only for Pulse engine operation. If only IO (digital, encoders, analog, LCD, PoExtBus) is used, no code is required.
- do not run PoKeys software in parallel with Mach3 - one can disturb the other
- use Mach3 plugin configuration dialogs to setup the IOs
- on first usage of PoKeys device in Mach3, go to plugin configuration dialog of Mach3, click Configure on PoKeys plugin and click 'Add device'
- device must be connected before starting Mach3. This is due to Mach3 requiring that some parts are initialized during Mach3 startup and can not be changed later while the software is running

thanks for the help!
well i have run the 19 file again and it updated the firmware ok. but it never asked for the activation key - not that i need it anyway as i only want the basic i/o. plus the device seems to be 'unlocked' and in the reply i got back from polabs they never mentioned any of what has been said to me here! only that i need to run the development version of the softeware

i then had to copy the pokeysdevice_dll.dll file manually in my plugin folder as it never did it automatically
i exited the pokeys software and ran mach- still refused to load the plugin!

What i will do is start over and uninstall mach and pokeys and try again - with a fresh mach install first- in case its my existing setup thats causing problems- then reload my mach cofig files etc

Hi, Alan

Is your Mach3 installation in the default folder (C:\Mach3\)? If not, then I will need to send you the Mach3 plugin to copy it there manually. The plugin version available as a separate download is not up to date.
Anyway, you can find all the instructions stated above in the document 'PoKeys Pulse Engine and Mach3 plugin manual' available at http://www.poscope.com/productattachments/index/download?id=77
Follow the steps there and you should have the functioning plugin.

Regards,
Matevž

hi matevz
all ok now thanks!
think i now know where i may have gone wrong. the documentation says to copy the dll manuallly so i copied the only dll i could find- pokeysdevice_dll.dll and that may have caused my problems!

anyway thanks again
Alan