Machsupport Forum
Third party software and hardware support forums. => PoKeys => Topic started by: Chaoticone on August 10, 2008, 08:49:51 PM
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An inexpensive usb device for adding up to 55 I/O.
PoKeys link
www.poscope.com
Plug-Ins Page
http://www.machsupport.com/plugins.php
Brett
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At the moment the PoKeys plugin by Art is only for digital Inputs and Outputs. Art has said if enough interest is shown the Analogue Inputs and Outputs may be added to the pplugin. Also there is mention of Boris (Mr PoKeys :) ) adding encoder type inputs which hopefully will also be added to the plugin.
There is a page on the PoKeys website that shows how to connect various devices to the digital I/O, here is a link http://po.labs.googlepages.com/Peripheral.jpg
This device will be excellent for using to connect button panels, activating various things like coolant relays etc
Time critical use such as connecting an axis is not possible but hopefully if the encoder Inputs are a success then MPG connection may be possible. I have tested the Pokeys with external buttons and it works very well, I have also connected LEDs to outputs as a means of confirming they work and they too have worked flawlessly.
Art, if you are reading just to let you know again I am definitely wanting the Analogue and if possible the Encoder added to the plugin :)
Hood
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Yes incremental encoders inputs will be added (It is under work now). When they will be published, all existing users could download software and upgrade PoKeys for free.
regards
Boris
www.poscope.com
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Hello Boris,
This is great to hear and I look forward to receiving the PoKeys unit. :)
Dave-
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Good to hear Boris, lets hope the timing is sufficient for Mach, if it is then the PoKeys will be ideal for fitting in a pendant.
Hood
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Just ordered mine, looking forward to getting it.
Graham.
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Hi All,
my PoKeys board came today, man that thing is small and so neat, can't wait to play.
Graham.
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Good for you Graham, I'm still pondering on my setup and how I'm going to "house" it. I'm thinking a plastic project enclosure with it mounted upside down to the lid so when removed, it will be easier to add and remove wires to the terminal screws rather than down deep into a box where you have to be a contortionist to connect anything, :D
Anybody else got an enclosure setup for theirs as of yet?
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yes Graham they are nice and compact :)
budman
mine is going in this, have actually modified it a bit since that pic, now have two pots, one for FRO and the other Spindle override.
Hood
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Aha, very slick, thanks for sharing-
Mine will be more of a "stationary" device as I use the shuttle pro for the mpg type schtuff.
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can we control axes motors using this?
is it like smooth stepper(not with 2 ports) thru which one can control the whole machine.
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No, the timings are too slow for an axis. At the moment it is strictly digital inputs and outputs for controlling Non timing critical operations, hopefully soon the analogue inputs will be added to the plugin, this will allow FRO and SRO pots to be used. Also in the pipeline are encoder inputs which should allow a MPG to be used.
Hood
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Hi everybody ; My emulator just arived in shanghai customs and should recieve tomorrow , Im hoping to put 3 mpgs on, one for each axis on mach3 retrofit mill with 5m by 2m table with 22kw spindle . Would it help If I use encoder counter interface LFLS7183 if its a input line timing conflict ,and use one line for count up and one for count down on each mpg . what is the minimum pulse width for input capture?
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Hi!
Incremental encoder and macro support software/firmware is just released. All PoKeys users can download it for free from: www.poscope.com
It is renamed to PoKeys55.
Minimum pulse is 32ms.
regards
Boris Zalokar
PoLabs
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Borisz
I have tried 4 times to update the firmware it goes through the first two stages fine but then on the third part it stops at 70 seconds left and then comes up with "Communication Error Occured (113)"
Any ideas?
Hood
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OK 6th time lucky, 5th got to 2 seconds and I thought it was going to happen again but it completed the 6th time :)
Hood
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Yep, even the first installation of the previous version it took me 5 or 6 times to install it correctly. Possibly the installer package is not functioning properly? I haven't installed this update yet but will soon.
Thanks as always, Boris! :)
Dave
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I have the MPG working throughthe PoKey55, will have to wait for Art to do the Plugin to get it into Mach. If I wind really fas then some pulses are missed but dont really think that would be a problem as I certainly dont count clciks as I wind the MPG along.
Hood
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Do I smell a tutorial from Mr. Hood in the near future?
I'm sure a lot of us would love to know how to, and what we need to set up an MPG? ;)
Dave
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Just connect the A and B channels of your MPG (encoder) to 2 pins on Pokey, select one of the pins in the Pokey panel and choose digital Input then select encoder and A, do the same for the next pin but select B. Get your power source hooked to the encoder and tie the 0v line of this to the Pokey grnd pin and thats it. You can watch the pulses count up and down as you turn one way then the other in the Pokey tool then encoder. Gets real exciting watching the numbers count up and down ;D
Hood
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lol! Exciting indeed. :)
So you're just using a store bought encoder or did you get some sort of cheap substitute replacement somewhere? (Thanks for the help)
Dave
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I am using a Nemicon manual pulse generator the same as I have on the Mill and Lathe, see pic below. Any TTL output encoder would work, even the scroll wheel of a mouse I suppose.
Hood
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even the scroll wheel of a mouse I suppose
Exactly- ;)
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Hi Hood,
Is you Lathe screen available for download. :)
Cheers,
Peter.
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afraid not Peter, its just a cobbled together adaption of my Mill screen and has many things that are not right or named wrongly etc.
Hood
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Just curious Hood, did you choose to modify a Mill screenset for the lathe because of the problems with trying to modify a lathe screen with Screen 4?
Thanks,
Dave
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No, just liked my screenset for the mill and when I got the Lathe running I figured I would just alter my mill screen to suit the Lathe.
I dont have any problems with Screen4 now, did in the very early days and that is why I have a stuck and expanded background image on the Diagnostics page, just cant get rid of it and would have to redo the whole sceenset and I am too lazy to do that ;D
Hood
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Ah, thanks for the screen info - :)
Just connect the A and B channels of your MPG (encoder) to 2 pins on Pokey, select one of the pins in the Pokey panel and choose digital Input then select encoder and A, do the same for the next pin but select B. Get your power source hooked to the encoder and tie the 0v line of this to the Pokey grnd pin and thats it. You can watch the pulses count up and down as you turn one way then the other in the Pokey tool then encoder. Gets real exciting watching the numbers count up and down
Hood
Hood, are you getting your 5 volt power from the PoKeys device?
Thanks,
Dave
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No, was using a bench power supply but when I am ready to set this up for good I will use power from a BOB or the computer powersupply, USB could probably stand the draw no problem but dont like loading the USB if not needed..
Hood
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Does anyone know if this gizmo works OK with the smoothstepper on the same system.?
Phil_H
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I am sure Art said he was running both together with no issues. I will try and remember to bring a SS home tomorrow night and do some testing.
Hood
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Hi Hood and thanks
I have looked at the manual seems to be a great product.
Sorry to be nosey but can you tell me why/what reason you need analogue in the plugin ?
Phil_H
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If there are analogue inputs you can then wire up a few potentiometers and have real FRO and Spindle over rides etc With Pots you can wind down to minimum feed or up to max feed in a split second, you can fine tune the feed or spindle or whatever.
Hood
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Thanks Hood
I also need analogue if you are reading this Art ;D
Phil_H
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Does this board only run whit emulated keys?
i tried a input pin -port10 pin1- to for example Z home, when i connect this pin to GND nothing hapens the Z home led does not lid and the window Pokeys data diagnostics don't reflect any change.
if i configure this input in the pokeys board as emulated key then work ok.
Josep
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No it works like any other digital Input or output would work such as the parallel port.
How were you setting up the Input? To have an external button work a function such as Z Home you would either need to use an OEM trigger and then set the OEM trigger up to the OEM code for thast button or you could use a general purpose Input and use a brain to operate the button when it sees the input coming active.
To use an output on the Pokey you need toi asign it in the Pokey software first as an output and then save it to the device. You can then use it as an output similar to above for inputs.
Hood
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Sorry but i need a Little help more.
how i assign the Oem trigger to any input of the pokey board.? or
how i assign the "general purpose" input in brain tho the pokey board.? in brain inputs i don`t see any reference tho this board !!!
Josep
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Instead of setting an input to Port 10 pin 1 set up an OEM trigger for these pins, then go to the config menu and down to System Hotkeys. When that window opens enter the OEM code for the button you want to operate in the box for the OEM Trigger you have the pokeys set to.
The OEM code for the Z Ref button is 1024
You can do similar in a brain, it would look like this in the Brain.
Hood
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I have a problem !!!
I tried the two ways you explain me but my board only run in keyboard emulation. port #10 pin 1 don`t work in any way
I use the plugin downloaded from pokeys page and Mach3 V3.041. Hood do you see activity in Pokeys data diagnostics mach3 window??
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Did you install the Pokeys software? Did you open their software and did it ask to upgrade the firmware? You need to open the software and upgrade the firmware and then save to the device, it will then be set to device zero and unless you need to reasign pins in the pokeys as outputs you wont have to go back into the pokeys software. If however you dont do that then Mach will not be able to see the Pokeys as it has not been configured.
Hood
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OK i installed the pokeys software V1.8 and i can configure any pin i like. then send the config pins to the board. Of course i manage it but if configure a pin as input and click the key mapping window asigning a keyboard key to this input pin then mach3 recognizes it when i short this input to ground.
i reseted the board "pin 54 to ground and connect the usb cable" reconfigured a only one pin input and don`t work.
Josep
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OK just looked in the latest control panel, you asign the pin as an input, you then make sure that None is clicked for the mapping and then save to device. You should now be able to shut down and open Mach and see the pin toggle in the PokeyDiags page.
You actually dont even need to set it up for inputs, the reason I said to is just in case it was set for some other form of input or output etc and that would have overwritten it.
If you have done that and it doesnt work then maybe you need to get in touch with Borisz.
Hood
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No don`t work..
Hood are you running the last version? if negative can you send me the version you are running?
i can see how the pin status change in pokeys software but never in Mach3 i think is possible software failure because under pokeys software control all is OK.
Josep.
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I think I am using the latest firmware, software band plugin but will have to wait until I get home this evening to check for sure as the Pokeys is at home.
Hood
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I have just looked, Ver 2.61 of the plugin, ver 1.7 of the firmware
Have you made sure you have the device set as Device 0, if you go to Tools in the Pokeys control and then show device details you can make sure its set as User ID 0, if not change to 0 and press change ID.
Hood
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Ok Hood many tks for your help. I received my pokeys board two days ago and i am unable to setup it.
Sure i have Device ID set to 0 i think is the default.
Josep
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Can you attach the xml of the profile you are using for Mach and I can check here to make sure my Pokeys is working with it.
Hood
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Just tried your xml here and it works fine with my PoKeys, I first looked at the Pokeys Diags page and shorted out the first 8 inputs and they all showed as working. Next I looked at Mach Diag page and X Home was lit, shorted Pokeys to ground and it went out so that is working as well.
Next thing you might want to do is save your PoKey config and attach it and I will load it to my PoKeys and see if it works.
Hood
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Just loaded it and its working fine with your xml so afraid I dont know what to suggest :(
Hood
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Hi, are there any updates yet about the analog inputs? What's the status?
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No news yet :(
Hood
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Hi!
It should be in a week or two.
Please be patient. We want to deliver bug free version.
regards
Boris
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Hey guys, just wondering how close the plugin is to having the analog/mpg inputs functioning properly? Any news? The plugin I have has the inputs working but they have a bit of a delay. Thanks!
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No news yet as far as I know, hopefully soon.
Hood
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From the "Other " forum.
"Hi Guys:
The reports fromthe latest PoKeys update showed a slow responce bogging down
Mach3.
A new plugin has been uploaded to my files section on Yahoo.
The problem is due to the PoKeys sending a large poacket of information whcih
contains all
inputs and encoders. This takes time to get once requested and the previous
plugin was waiting
after the request until it got the responce. This was taking to long, so this
version incorporates a
high speed threaded timer that works at 100hz, its only job is to look to see if
a packet is waiting, and if so translate it, if not ..exit from the routine. In
this way packet waits are eliminated and mach3 doesnt bog down. It simply
request a new packet at 10hz, and the 100hz timer finds the
responce when it comes.
I uploaded the new test a few minutes ago..
Thanks,
Art"
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I have just tried the latest plugin and although I dont seem to get the hangup when starting Mach now that I sometimes got before, I still have a delay when using the MPG. If I turn the MPG the DRO in Mach doesn't respond until around 1 second later.
Anyone else confirm this?
Hood