The following are designed
to provide bits of practical advice and programming tips that
will help our customers maximize the productivity of their Motoman
robots and are normally featured in Motoman
Direct. If you have learned
a tip or trick that you have found useful, please send
it to us and we'll consider adding it here.
| Problem |
How do I access the Reserve Display on the NX100 controller? |
| Solution |
Reserve display no longer has a dedicated key like it did in previous generation controllers. To utilize reserve display you must set up Key Allocation. From the Main Menu, Touch [Set Up], Touch {KEY ALLOCATION}. Touch {DISPLAY} at the top of the screen. Select {ALLOCATE EACH KEY} Move the cursor to "FUNCTION" of the key to be allocated and press [SELECT]. Select "DISPLAY." Move the cursor to "ALLOCATION CONTENT" and press [SELECT]. Input a name for the reserved window and press [ENTER]. (This could be what ever you want to call it). Go to the page you want to Reserve. Press [INTERLOCK] key and the allocated key at the same time. A message "Reserved window registered" appears, and the window is registered. Due to the fact that you have to use the Interlock key to register the screen, you lose the Sim Key functionality for that particular key. To use the Reserve display, simply press the key allocated for the window allocation and the allocated window appears. You may use more than one key and have multiple displays reserved. You cannot go from one reserved display to another without canceling the first. Also if you have a dual application controller, you must press the page key and set the second application's key to display as well. |
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| Problem |
There is a star in place of my data on the Home position screen.
Possible causes of this could be if the motor became disconnected or if the battery was changed with the power off. If the encoder of the motor ever loses power, it will reset. |
| Solution |
Both XRC and NX100 have a function called Home Recovery Function. On previous generations, if we lost data there was no recovery. We had to recalibrate the home position, possibly affecting job data. The Home Recovery Function allows the operator to easily restore the accurate "home position." This function is enabled only when Alarm 4311 "Encoder backup error" occurs and home position has not been restored or re-entered yet.
Resetting the Alarm
- Move the target axis to the "tentative" home position. This is within 400 pulse counts from the original home position. Use home position arrows or positioning
pins to ensure the axis is close enough to the home position.
- Select robot - home position on the pendant menu. (This must be performed in management security level).
- Select utility, and select restore backup alarm in pull-down
menu. Then, only the axes that need to be recovered are
displayed with the original home position pulse).
- Select the axis with the cursor
key, push "select" and
select "yes" option.
- Repeat the same operation for all the remaining axes
until the menu system automatically returns to the normal
home position menu.
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| Problem |
I got an alarm 4107 Out of Range (Absolute Data) alarm. Does this mean I have to recalibrate my robot? |
| Solution |
No, often times, people mistake this alarm for lost calibration. This alarm simply means that the robot, at boot up, is not at the exact same position as it was when it was shut down. This deviation can be as little as a single pulse count.
To recover from an Out of Range condition, first reset the alarm. Then, from the pendant menu, go to the Robot icon, then Second Home Position. You will see three columns of data. The left most is the Specified position. This position is settable to any location we choose, so this column could be populated with data. Default setting is the zero position of the robot. The middle column is the current position, and the last column is the difference between the specified and current positions. With the servo's on, press and hold the FWD key on the pendant. The robot will move at the selected jog speed to the Specified position. If needed, you may jog the robot manually to avoid collisions with equipment. Continue holding the FWD key until the robot stops, the difference column will be all zeros. Visually inspect the position of the robot. If the Specified position is all zeros, the arrows should line up. If all checks out ok, pull down the Data menu at the top of the screen and choose Confirm Position. You are now ready to return to production. If the position does not look correct, or you have any questions, call the Motoman Hotline (937) 847-3200 for assistance. |
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| Problem |
T-Axis Alignment Issues on UP165 XRC
A customer notified us that they could not set the home position for the T-axis of their UP165 robot (XRC controller). They would drive the T-axis to its alignment mark and calibrate the home position. Once the T-axis was moved, it would not return to the alignment mark when they would drive the T-axis back to zero pulse counts (using CURRENT POSITION display). |
| Solution |
In order to set the T-axis home position, THE B-AXIS NEEDS TO BE AT HOME POSITION AS WELL. Since the wrist unit is using bevel gears, every time the B-axis moves, the T-axis will also move. In order to compensate for this, Yaskawa Electric Corporation (Motoman's parent company) incorporated what's called "B/T-Axes Compensation." This means that as the B-axis is moved, the T-axis motor will be moved in such a way that the T-axis bevel gear will "walk" around its mating gear to allow the T-axis to maintain its orientation in reference to the B-axis. |
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| Problem |
XRC Robot Detachment
A customer had major alarms on an external axis and needed to move the robot arm into a more suitable orientation to allow repairs. |
| Solution |
The XRC controller will allow you to detach a given axis group. For example, if there is a problem with major alarm on an external axis, it is possible to boot up the XRC in maintenance mode and "detach" that axis group. This will allow the controller to return to the normal operating mode without any alarms. While in normal operating mode, the affected axis group is ignored by the XRC controller. This allows us to move the robot out of the way of production or to a more suitable orientation for making repairs. The advantage of using this feature over just reconfiguring the system is that the programmer does not have to enter the configuration data for the affected control group. |
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| Problem |
T-Axis Drive Failures Related to Programming
Recently we have seen failures on T-axis drive assemblies related to improperly programmed pick and place points that caused undo wear and tear. The problem usually occurs when the robot is programmed in such a way that the end-of-arm tool is forced into compliance. A good example of this is a press loading application where the robot uses a long tool (long lever). |
| Solution |
Please be aware of this potential problem. Watch the pick and place points and watch for any flex in the tool. If you see any flex in the tool, you should minimize the potential problem by adjusting the programming point(s). |
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