Half step/ Full step switching mid traverse

[Doug Fortune <pentam-at-home.com>]

This may be a silly question.

I have read or assumed that EMC on a 500 Mhz
processor can do upwards of 100,000 steps/sec
Is this correct?

However, reading the docs on my newly arrived
Superior Electric Slo-Syn 230-T  bipolar driver
module reveals it can do a max of either 10,000
full steps/s or 10,000 half steps/s.

Presumably if 100,000/s is possible, and 10K is
my limit (assuming I am in halfstep mode for
higher resolution), then I could possibly increase
the speed (up to double that) by switching to
full step mode mid-movement.  Of course EMC
will have to control this, because as soon as it
commands full step mode, it will have to instantly
halve the rate of pulses it is putting out.

So my questions:
#1  - is 10,000 pulses/sec a real limitation? (I don't know
         my final ratios of motor to traverse yet).   In any case,
         for non-cutting rapids presumably you want it as fast
         as possible.

#2 - are other motor drivers (servo, uni/bi polar stepper) limited
         to rates MUCH  less than what EMC can emit?

#3 - if so, can the performance of these systems be doubled
        by the use of the above algorithm (if the motor drivers
        support both full & half step)?

#4 - How difficult/feasible is the modification to EMC?

Regards,
Doug Fortune
pentam-at-home.com