User Manual

PoKeys user manual
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www.poscope.com
1. Introduction
PoKeys products line consists of simple, easy-to-use USB and network devices with the extended list
of features making them powerful input/output devices. PoKeys57CNC features both USB and
Ethernet connectivity, giving user an option to select the preferred connection for the application.
The device is highly adjustable and as such requires no complex knowledge on device programming.
PoKeys57CNC is a blend between general purpose PoKeys device and motor controller. The device is
targeted primarily for controlling up to 8 STEP/DIR signal driven motors (stepper motors, servo
drives, etc.) in various applications with the addition of powerful PoKeys device features. Device
contains dedicated connectors for connections with motor drivers, pendants, (HD44780-compatible)
LCD module, etc. In addition, 5 analog inputs with 12-bit resolution are available. The device also
features four galvanically-isolated open-collector outputs and 0 to 10 V analog output.
The device runs the PoIL core and is fully compatible with PoBlocks graphical programming software,
bringing Programmable Logic Controller to a motor controller board. PoBlocks can be used to simply
automate different peripherals and interchange data with other software applications that are using
PoKeys57CNC device.
PoKeys USB products integrate support for virtual USB keyboard and USB joystick, which can be used
to emulate a standard USB keyboard and joystick. Digital input pins can be mapped to virtual
keyboard and joystick keys, while analog inputs can be mapped to virtual joystick axes. Configuration
is simple by using our intuitive graphical PoKeys configuration application, where each function can
also be tested.
A dedicated PoExtBus/PoNET connector can be used to extend the number of digital outputs for
additional 80 outputs in the form of either relay outputs or open-collector outputs. It can also be
used to connect various additional peripherals (e.g. PoKeysKBD48CNC pendant) and I
2
C sensors.
Third-party application developers that are adding the support for PoKeys devices, are encouraged to
use the supplied communication DLL that can be simply used in the different .NET framework based
applications and various other programming languages that provide support for ActiveX interface.
There is even an open-source cross-platform C library available at https://bitbucket.org/mbosnak/pokeyslib.
To aid developers that are communicating with PoKeys devices on the low-level, the extensive
documentation on device communication protocol can be downloaded free of charge from the
product webpage.