PoLabs PoNET kbd48CNC v2 CNC Keyboard for PoKeys Devices User Manual

PoNET kbd48CNC v2 CNC Keyboard for PoKeys Devices
User Manual

SAFETY INFORMATION

This product is intended for integration by the user into a computer numerical control (CNC) machine. It is the user’s responsibility to assess the overall system design and address all safety considerations that affect the users and equipment. The user assumes all responsibility for system design, including compliance with regulatory standards and codes issued by the applicable entities. PoLabs do not make any claims as to the suitability of this equipment for the user’s application. Serious personal injury or equipment damage can occur from the improper integration, installation, or operation of this product.

This product is not guaranteed to be fail-safe. The system that this equipment is used with shall be fitted with a separate means of fail-safe protection, emergency-stop capability, and/or system power removal. This equipment may be connected to dangerous power sources, including electrical power sources. Dangerous voltage levels may be present on this equipment or at connected devices. Measures must be taken to prevent persons from contacting voltage sources that may be present. Equipment should be housed inside an enclosure suitable for the intended environment. Safety interlocks should be provided to prevent any and all dangers to personnel.

CNC machine tools are inherently dangerous and can cause injury to operators and maintenance personnel. Operators and maintenance personnel shall be properly trained in the safe use, operation, and maintenance of such machines. Automated machines that this equipment may be used can move at any time. All persons exposed to such machines must understand the dangers that are present.

Description

PoNET kbd48CNC v2 is a new upgraded version of the PoNET kbd48CNC keyboard, an excellently machined extension keyboard for PoKeys devices in CNC machines. The keyboard has 48 buttons with graphics that are equal to the most commonly used symbols and functions of a CNC machine. For providing additional feedback functionality, each key is equipped with a red LED backlight, which can indicate various states of the CNC machine. The upgraded version improves the reliability of the operation in machining environments and allows longer connecting cables to be used. PoNET kbd48CNC v2 can be directly connected to PoKeys57CNC v2 via the CAN bus connection. The keyboard can be customized and used as a general-purpose matrix keyboard without any additional software. However, applications that are aware of the keyboard (e.g. PoKeys Mach3 or Mach4 plugins) can make full use of its functionality. Two LEDs on the keyboard are used to indicate power supply and device status. »Power LED« (red color) switches on  immediately after the power supply is connected, while »Status LED« (green color) signals the current status of the device:

• Solid On: device is connected and working normally
• Slow blinking: no connection to Pokeys device
• Fast blinking: bootloader operation
• Solid Off: device disabled

The keyboard is also equipped with a light sensor, which can be used to monitor the level of the ambient light and adjust the brightness of the LEDs.

Specifications

output diodes)
A number of keys/LEDs:| 48 arranged in 3 groups of 4×4
Interface:| PoNET via adapter (supported by PoKeys57 devices), maximum cable length: 3000 mm

Front panel cutout dimensions

What is included in the package

The kbd48CNC v2 comes packaged with a cable pack and adapter board. The adapter board enables the connection between the keyboard and adapter board to be extended beyond the 300 mm limitation of the original kbd48CNC device. The connection between the keyboard and the adapter board is made either with a supplied 6-wire flat cable or can be custom-made using the provided set of connectors.

Contents of the package:

• kbd48CNC v2 keyboard
• adapter board (PoNET_I2C Extender)
• 1000 mm 6-wire flat cable with attached connectors
• 100 mm 10-wire flat cable with attached connectors (for use with extension bus)
• 200 mm 5-wire PoNET connection cable
• 2x 6-pin Micro-MaTch red connector (part number 215083-6) for custom cable crimping (for cable length exceeding the included length of 1000 mm)

Connecting to PoKeys device and configuration

The device supports both the PoNET connection and direct CAN bus connection with the PoKeys device (if firmware version 6 or higher is installed on the kbd48CNC).

Connection using PoNET interface
First, make sure that the configuration switch on the back of the device is in position 1, as indicated below.

Then, connect the keyboard with the provided 6-wire flat cable with the adapter board and install the 5-wire PoNET cable, as indicated in the picture below. The cables provide both power and communication.

Then, connect the PoNET cable to the 5-pin PoNET connector on the PoKeys device.

PoKeys configuration software must be used to initialize the connection between kbd48CNC and PoKeys device. Run PoKeys configuration software, connect to PoKeys device, and go to Peripherals > PoNET menu. The following dialog will appear:

On the left, all PoNET devices are listed. Unconfigured PoNET devices will be listed as illustrated above. To configure the new device, double click on Unconfigured device icon and press any key on the device that you want to add (you have a 10 seconds time window to do that). If the configuration process for a device was successful, the green »status  LED« will stop blinking and will be constantly lit. The device will also be listed as a» configured device« in the dialog.

To change the settings of the device, click on the configured device in the list on the left. If you will be using the kbd48CNC with a PoKeys Mach3 or Mach4 plugins, see detailed step-by-step instructions in the latter part of this user manual. Close the dialog and click the button ‘Send settings to device’, which will save the configuration.

Firmware update via PoNET interface
If a firmware update is available for your kbd48CNC device, the ‘Update’ button will appear in the PoNET dialog when the device is selected (as shown in Figure 3). Click the button to start the update procedure, which should take 10-60 seconds.

Note: after firmware update, re-initialize the PoNET settings (click the ‘Re-initialize’ button).

Connecting kbd48CNC to the PoKeys device and configuring it in Mach3/Mach4

1. Connect the kbd48CNC to the PoKeys device as described in the previous chapter

2. Connect the PoKeys device to the PC

3. Open PoKeys configuration software and connect to your device
   

4. Go to Peripherals > PoNET settings…
   If the ‘Unconfigured device’ display is not present, please check the cable connections and click the ‘Refresh’ button.

5. Double click on the ‘Unconfigured device – double click to add’ entry and press any key on the kbd48CNC within 10 seconds. If the device was recognized, the following will  appear and the green LED on the kbd48CNC will stop blinking
   

6. Check the ‘Assigned I2C address’ display. If it does not display 1, click the ‘Re-initialize’ button and repeat step 5.

7. When using kbd48CNC with Mach3/Mach4, ‘Enable mapping to matrix keyboard’ should not be checked. In the bottom part of the dialog, various test modes are available to test the keyboard (these will function only when the ‘PoNET settings’ dialog is open).
   a. LED test mode: any key press will start a wave-like pattern radiating from the key that was pressed
   b. LED test mode 2 (random): LEDs will be randomly blinked
   c. Backlight test: the ambient light sensor is used to set the LED brightness
   d. Light sensor test: (light) displays the amount of ambient light detected

8. Close the PoNET settings dialog and click the ‘Send to device’ button to save the settings. Then close the PoKeys application.
   Figure 3: Settings for a configured device

Connection using CAN bus
When using the kbd48CNC device with PoKeys57CNC with hardware revision 2.0, a direct CAN bus connection can be used instead of the PoNET interface. CAN bus is an industrial communication standard and is more robust to electrical noise in the environment. Moreover, longer cable connections are possible without sacrificing reliability. CAN bus is selected by moving the switch on the back of the device to position 2, as indicated in the picture below.

Note: firmware version 6 or higher needs to be installed on the kbd48CNC device for the CAN interface to be enabled. If the device does not respond to the initialization as described below, use the PoNET interface first to update the firmware of the kbd48CNC device. Once the firmware is updated, proceed with the use of the CAN bus.

Note: once connected to the PoKeys57CNC device over the CAN bus, make sure that option ‘Enable PoCAN’ in the Peripherals > PoExtBus Smart / PoCAN is enabled (if you check this box, click on ‘Send to device’ on the main screen to configure the device). The kbd48CNC device is automatically detected by the PoKeys57CNC and configured accordingly. The device will appear both in the PoNET devices list and the PoCAN devices list.

The kbd48CNC will appear both under ‘Peripherals > PoNET’ and under ‘Peripherals > PoExtBus Smart / PoCAN’, as shown below.

Standalone operation as a matrix keyboard

If you wish to configure the keyboard manually without the use of the ‘kbd48CNC aware’ application, check the option Enable mapping to matrix keyboard option in the  PoNET device settings. Then, close this dialog and click the ‘Send to device’ button and restart the application.
Open the Peripherals > Matrix Keyboard menu, where you can track your keyboard actions and define key mapping options.

The following naming scheme is used for buttons on the kbd48CNC

Matrix keyboard key indexing:

Configuring the keyboard with Mach4

The easiest way to configure kbd48CNC with the Mach4 plugin is to enable ‘kbd48CNC’ as one of the peripherals in the ‘New device wizard’ when adding the PoKeys device to the plugin configuration. If this configuration is being done afterward, follow these steps:
1. Open PoKeys plugin settings and double-click on the PoKeys device with the kbd48CNC device attached.
2. Switch to the ‘Pendant’ tab and enable ‘Enable pendant mode’, ‘Map pendant signals to Mach4’, and ‘kbd48CNC’ options.

This will configure the plugin with the default functionality of the kbd48CNC device. Note that some functions may not be available in Mach4.

Default functionality in Mach4

This is the default functionality supported:

• Cycle start: start the cycle
• Feed hold: pause
• Stop: stop immediately
• Reset: enable/disable function
• Optional stop: enable/disable optional stop feature
• Close: close the current file
• Rewind: rewind the current job to beginning
• Block delete: block delete function in Mach4
• Goto 0’s: move to position 0 started if pressed for 1 second
• Spindle CW, Stop, CCW: start/stop the spindle
• Spindle speed adjustment: increase/decrease or reset (100%) the spindle speed
• Feedrate adjustment: increase/decrease or reset (100%) the federate
• Jog On: enable/disable jogging
• Jog speed adjustment (Jog+/Jog-): increase/decrease jog speed
• Jog mode selection: switch between Continuous, Incremental, or MPG jogging modes
• Jog axis selection: select between axes X, Y, Z, A, B, or C
• Jog step selection: switch between preset step sizes in incremental or MPG jogging modes (configurable in Mach4 config)
• Jog action (+ / – keys)
• Rapid jog (between + / – keys): enable/disable rapid jog function

Other functions can be customized – to customize the behavior of the kbd48CNC device, IO signal mapping or LUA scripting can be used – keyboard key statuses and LED  indicators are available via the ‘PoKeys_[serial number]_kbd48CNC’ device.

Configuring the keyboard with Mach3

1. Open Mach3 (it Mach3 PoKeys plugin is not yet installed, follow the steps in ‘PoKeys Mach3 plugin manual’ to install it.
   

2. Go to Config -> Config plugins… and click the yellow ‘CONFIG’ button for the PoKeys plugin
   

3. Select your PoKeys device and click Configure
   If no device is displayed, follow the steps in the ‘PoKeys Mach3 plugin manual’ to add it.

4. Go to the ‘Import/Export tab’ and select kbd48CNC mapping. Then click Import and select the kbd48CNC.xml file that is available as file kbd48CNC_SettingsNew.xml in the package ‘kbd48CN CMach3 plugin’ from polabs.com (please download the file and use WinZip or a similar program to extract the contents of the file).
   

5. The previous step will load the default configuration for the keyboard. To change the default setup, go to ‘PoKeys mapping’ tab and find kbd48CNC. This section is used to set up the buttons in all three sections of the keyboard. Function of a button is simply changed by selecting a different LED or button mapping from the list of available  OEM LEDs or buttons.
   

6. To set up the keyboard LEDs under the keys, go to the ‘kbd48CNC LED’ section.
   

7. To save the settings, click OK.

Please read the following notes

1. All information included in this document is current as of the date this document is issued. Such information, however, is subject to change without any prior notice.
2. PoLabs does not assume any liability for infringement of patents, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights of third parties by or arising from the use of PoLabs products or technical information described in this document. No license, express, implied, or otherwise, is granted hereby under any patents, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights of PoLabs or others. PoLabs claims the copyright of and retains the rights to, all material (software, documents, etc.) contained in this release. You may copy and distribute the entire release in its original state, but must not copy individual items within the release other than for backup purposes.
3. Descriptions of circuits, software, and other related information in this document are provided only to illustrate the operation of the products and application examples. You are fully responsible for the incorporation of these circuits, software, and information in the design of your equipment. Polabs assumes no responsibility for any losses incurred by you or third parties arising from the use of these circuits, software, or information.
4. PoLabs has used reasonable care in preparing the information included in this document, but Polabs does not warrant that such information is error-free. PoLabs assumes no liability whatsoever for any damages incurred by you resulting from errors in or omissions from the information included herein.
5. Polabs devices may be used in equipment that does not impose a threat to human life in case of the malfunctioning, such as: computer interfaces, office equipment, communications equipment, test, and measurement equipment, audio and visual equipment, home electronic appliances, machine tools, personal electronic equipment, and industrial robots.
6. Measures such as fail-safe function and redundant design should be taken to ensure reliability and safety when Polabs devices are used for or in connection with equipment that requires higher reliability, for example, traffic control systems, anti-disaster systems, anticrime systems, safety equipment, medical equipment not specifically designed for life support, and other similar applications.
7. Polabs devices shall not be used for or in connection with equipment that requires an extremely high level of reliability and safety, for example, aircraft systems, aerospace equipment, nuclear reactor control systems, medical equipment, or systems for life support (e.g. artificial life support devices or systems), and any other applications or purposes that pose a direct threat to human life.
8. You should use the Polabs products described in this document within the range specified by Polabs, especially with respect to the maximum rating, operating supply voltage range, and other product characteristics. Polabs shall have no liability for malfunctions or damages arising out of the use of Polabs products beyond such specified ranges.
9. Although Polabs endeavors to improve the quality and reliability of its products, semiconductor products have specific characteristics such as the occurrence of failure at a certain rate and malfunctions under certain use conditions. Further, Polabs products are not subject to radiation resistance design. Please be sure to implement safety measures to guard them against the possibility of physical injury, and injury or damage caused by a fire in the event of the failure of a Polabs product, such as safety design for hardware and software including but not limited to redundancy, fire control, and malfunction prevention, appropriate treatment for aging degradation or any other appropriate measures.
10. Usage: the software in this release is for use only with Polabs products or with data collected using Polabs products.
11. Fitness for purpose: no two applications are the same, so PoLabs cannot guarantee that its equipment or software is suitable for a given application. It is therefore the user’s responsibility to ensure that the product is suitable for the user’s application.
12. Viruses: this software was continuously monitored for viruses during production, however, the user is responsible for virus checking the software once it is installed.
13. Upgrades: we provide upgrades, free of charge, from our website at poscope.com. We reserve the right to charge for updates or replacements sent out on physical media.
14. Please contact a Polabs support for details as to environmental matters such as the environmental compatibility of each Polabs product. Please use Polabs products in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations that regulate the inclusion or use of controlled substances, including without limitation, the EU RoNS Directive. Polabs assumes no liability for damages or losses occurring as a result of your noncompliance with applicable laws and regulations.
15. Please contact a PoLabs support at support@poscope.com if you have any questions regarding the information contained in this document or Polabs products, or if you have any other inquiries.
16. The licensee agrees to allow access to this software only to persons who have been informed of and agree to abide by these conditions.
17. Trademarks: Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. PoKeys, PoKeys55, PoKeys56U, PoKeys56E, PoScope, PoLabs and others are internationally registered trademarks.

www.polabs.com

References

• PoLabs web store - Polabs
• PoLabs web store - Polabs

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