transfering error messages from bot to pc in real time

[canyon]

 

Has anyone ever been able to transfer the error messages shown at the top of an RJ3 teach pendant to a PC in real time to display on a RSView screen or equivalent,,,

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Controller: RJ3
Software: Spottool 5.2
Bot: 430iw
PLC: SLC-5/05

Greg

[jaraviensis]

Hello,

there are two software options that could be somehow useful to you:

a) Data Transfer Function, J501
The robot send alarm information (i.e. PROG-003, SRVO-052, etc) through RS-232C interface. This function also allows to inquire and change the content of registers, PRs, transfer files from/to the controller, and program call, start and delete.

b) Error Code Output, J527
This function is useful to output Error (Alarm), which occur on Robot, as Digital Output(DO) to PLC.  It requires 33 DO and 1 DI.
Every time DI specified is set to ON, an error code is output to DO.

Meaning of DO:
1 bit for strobe
8 bits for severity (warning, pause, stop, abort, servo, system, ...)
8 bits for error ID code (cmnd, prio, srvo, syst, ...)
16bits for error number

I haven't used any of these, just know the facts.

V.

[murrellr]

If you can use any Windows programming language that support ActiveX (Visual Basic, VC++, .NET languages, etc.), you can purchase the PC Developer's Kit (PCDK).  This kit includes the Robot Server Object, which objectizes the robot and exposes much of the robot's functionality through a Window's COM interface.  Its a little like an OPC server but with a proprietary interface.  Alarms are thrown as object events as they occur.  It works with all V5.xx through current controllers.  The controller needs the PC Interface Option.  I don't know if your version of SpotTool comes with that option standard.

I also seem to recall that you could write a KAREL program to respond to alarms through a condition handler and send a message out a serial port, but I haven't written a KAREL program in a long time.

[canyon]

Thank you jaraviensis, this sounds like what I'm looking for, it would allow me to use indicators in RSView based on I/O from my PLC's.


Thanks murrellr,  I'm not sure how I would retrieve this data into Rockwell software, knowing Rockwell this would be another piece of high $$$$$$ software I would have to buy.

Thanks again to both of you for the help.