Hello, first a big thanks for the nice product, I have a Pokeys 56E. I am still configuring it for my pendant here.

I have some questions though. Firstly what is the difference between the USB and the LAN version in terms of stability/speed of operation? My MACH3 system works without gliches so far, I want it to stay that way. I am planning to put 2 pokeys devices in future.
I see there is a newer device 57E, but what is the difference with the 56E ? Once I read the 57E is the same, but with more memory to handle the Poblocks schematics. Will there be updates for the 56E, or the device will be left as is eventually, replaced by the 57E ?

Another interesting thing, I haven't tried out yet. Can I use Pokeys as a standalone controller without the PC connection? Like in a car for example, handling various things, made in Poblocks.

Thanks !

Hi

The selection between USB and ethernet is mostly the users preference. Since PoKeys56U was not originally designed to handle high-levels of electrical noise (this is changing with new devices we are preparing), most choose ethernet version that proved to be very reliable also in such environments.
PoKeys57E is an upgrade to PoKeys56E. We are working on a new (series 57) firmware that is already available, but is limited to 57 series of PoKeys devices. This means that PoKeys56 series will get mostly bug fixes in the upgrades, while new features will be presented mostly in PoKeys57 series (because we hit the limits on how many features can be implemented into the 56 series).

And regarding your last question - yes, PoKeys, programmed using PoBlocks, can be used as a standalone controller.

Regards,
Matevž

I am still confused about the crossed lan cable configuration. Now, I am using only 4 pins for it (1,2,3,6), the other 4 will be +5V external power and hardware emergency stop button.

Is this going to be correct, I thought 8 pins were necessary only for gigabit LAN ? Will I benefit from using shielded lan cable, connected in one end only ?

PoKeys57E is using two twisted pairs of the ethernet cable, so the other two pairs can be used for other purposes (as for power supply in your case), just make sure that you don't apply any DC voltages to PoKeys ethernet connector (power supply pairs must be connected to power supply input of the PoKeys device).
We would suggest additional low-pass RC filter for the emergency stop button signal in this case directly onto PoKeys pins (e.g. 1k resistor and 100n capacitor).

My E-stop is hardware wired at 24V with relays, I cannot rely on any OS or software to do the thing.

Anyway, I am now using 2KW DIY spindle regulator off the 220V line, with IGBT output stage and hall effect feedback. I am planning on transferring its power stage to be controlled from Pokeys. My hall effect sensor outputs around 1KHz at max spindle speed /duty cycle around 20%x80%/.

What is the maximum frequency for a regular Pokeys input pin ?

Usually PoKeys input pins are scanned as fast as possible by Mach plugin, but it is really hard to define what the scan rate actually is - something between 50 and 500 Hz.
However, some PoKeys pins support 'Digital counter' option, which is capable of counting the signals with frequency up to a couple of 100 kHz.
The values of these, however, are not accessible from Mach3 directly, but can be routed through PoIL shared data using PoBlocks (make sure to use 'Digital counter' block from 'IO' section). Using PoBlocks, you can create a closed-loop control of the spindle directly with Mach3 only setting the reference value via PoIL shared data slots.