FB4 and estop over cat5

N

norty303

Member
This thread is an offshoot from a thread on Photonlexicon where we'd been discussing the forthcoming FB4 and the protocol over cat5.

Bill responded with the following to one of my questions:

Hi Norty,

FB4 uses network cable, and broader TCP/IP for communications. What I meant by "protocol" was just something that sits on top of TCP/IP and allows us to get the level of smoothness we get. However, with that having been said (that is uses network cable), I will also say that we use network cable in a different way compared to how it is classically used. You can use FB4 with regular old network cables connected to your PC, or you can "do something else" (like a twist) and get even further functionality from FB4 and network cables.

Bottom line -- you will get more functionality from an FB4 and network cables than was classically and historically available. So -- same old network cables, but more functionality.

ESTOP is indeed an important requirement. I'd recommend you bring this discussion to the Networking section of the Pangolin forum, where I'll have folks like Hugo comment on how he does it, since he's been using network cables along with our QM2000.NET and ESTOP for the past ten years.
Click to expand...



Ultimately, I want to know if there is a spare pair in the FB4 implementation to carry my estop signal.

I currently run my estop over pins 4/17 of the ILDA cable, and each projector has relays connected to the safety board and also onto the pass through connector, so I can have a single estop work effectively on a chain of projectors. I have 7 projectors with this configuration and I'm not looking to change it.

If I can run my estop over spare pair on the cat5 I can break it out at the stage and build an ILDA breakout box for each DAC output, which has a separate relay on each output, controlled by the single input from the cat5.


As I stated in the thread on PL, I'm only really interested in FB4 for cat5 at all if I can utilize the cat5 for estop. I don't really want to swap multiple ILDa runs for multiple cat5 runs.

I've looked at the Startech USB extenders but I believe they use their own proprietary protocol which leaves no pair spare.
 
This is a great question.

Since the topic was brought up on PL we've come up with a really clever solution for this. The new solution does not require a separate pair and works with normal hubs/switches and ethernet equipment. Once FB4 is released we'll present more details on what we've come up with.

I'm sorry we can't give more information now, but what tends to happen is we release information about our clever techniques, then competitors implement them and pretend that they developed the techniques independently, and then when our products come out with the feature we discussed our competitors claim that it was we who copied them...


Best regards,

William Benner
 
The Ethernet connection of the FB4 conforms to the default Ethernet standard.

Which means it can use all 8 wires of the cat5 ethernet cable. However this is not a requirement. It can run on multiple speeds.

The current models of FB4 are intended to be used Inside of a projector.
So the question of leading the interlock through pin 4 and 17 becomes irrelevant as there is no Ilda cable in play.

When the ethernet connection is broken, physically cut, network error or something else.. The Shutter (if installed) will close and output stops.

The power supply of the laser is not being turned off by the FB4.
The FB4 it self needs power from the power supply to operate.

You can power the FB4 by anything from 5 till 30Volt.
 
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