READ FIRST...

how to post correctly:

1. be a good citizen and follow common sense. this includes no sharing or asking for copyrighted material. such posts will get you banned (because we don't want Kuka legal team stepping in and request ban on all manuals). an example of something that will get you in trouble is any material from Kuka College.

1.5 make SURE to post in the right forum section (manuals in manuals section, IIWA and Sunrise topics in IIWA section). see attached example for IIWA... sigh..

Please do not send me personal messages or start private conversations unless you agree to pay me (which is in full and in advance and i set the rate). Many suggest that they do not know how to create new thread and use that to send me PMs. Please READ first...

2. read your own question before posting - make sure it makes sense and contains sufficient info (KSS version, controller type, robot type etc.). do not truncate version numbers - for example mentioning only major version such as "KSS8.3" is often not enough. in fact KSS8.3 has more than 30 releases and there are some significant changes among them. be specific and ask for one thing... if you have multiple questions, consider creating separate topics. Do not duplicate posts or topics, help us keep this site clean.

3. when asking programming question, consider including brief(!) code sample. use code formatting tag.

4. screenshots should cover entire display area of the teach pendant. it may be important to see more than message text. i like to see message display scrollbar as well because it helps me determine how many messages are there and if particular message is near top or bottom of the list (older messages are on the bottom).

5. we had space issues before so... PLEASE.... when posting attachments, be mindful of file size. please resize your screenshots to something reasonable (see below). this will also be appreciated by other forum members, specially mobile users - small image files load much faster.

6. you are here because of ROBOT so... please ask robot related questions in the FORUM. do NOT send me personal messages with questions about robot, let entire community engage and benefit from discussion... I may try to help (in FORUM of course) but I am not your personal goto guy so don't send me PM or ask for my email.

7. many of you don't seem to understand meaning of "Report to moderator" link. It is used to alert moderators about INAPPROPRIATE content that may violates site rules and need to be deleted. use it responsibly or ... your account my be considered for removal.
other:
- research topics of interest before asking questions. most things have already been answered many times. check download section too, specially if looking for manuals.
- consider taking training. while this forum is a great place to exchange information, it is not a substitute for formal training.
- consider hiring someone competent, specially in challenging applications, safety etc.

Some users seem to have trouble identifying software versions so here is a bit of help:

Since not everyone is going to read manuals or take training, at least be aware of few things that can and will definitely ruin your day:

1. Assigning IP address to KLI port - make sure to not use an IP address from one of three reserved subnets or you better have working HDD image and USB recovery stick.
Note, mentioned subnets are 172.16.x.x, 172.17.x.x and 192.168.0.x. Last one is very common on LANs, so... you have been warned!

2. Do not disconnect smartPad or power down controller if you see message telling that smartpad update being in progress (version with German message is shown below). in some cases this may take a second run (updates?) so be patient. only power down or disconnect pendant if white screen stays on for several minutes (normally this is completed in one minute or so, it does not hurt to give it 5-min before giving up). failure to follow this advice will likely ruin firmware on your smartPad and you will have to send it back to Kuka.

3. replacing robot or external axes in WoV project using wrong catalog (incorrect supply voltage) can of course damage drives. Most of the world uses 400VAC for three phase supply but in Americas higher voltages are common (Brazil 440, USA 480, Canada 600). be specially careful when bringing second hand robots from other countries.

....and .... quit your whining about not being able to find documentation. You always knew what to do, just did not bother to do it... (including calling Kuka). yes, everyone else knows you are a crybaby.

well... there is a portal with various resources (including documentation).

http://my.kuka.com
or
https://my.kuka.com/KUKA_communitiesSelfRegPage?

basic access is free and it requires registration but i think it is worth it
one can also pay to unlock more options and get access to more resources

if you don't know how to convert, resize or resample images - try https://www.irfanview.com/
It is small, fast, reads and writes tons of file formats, has batch conversion, command line options and much more.

To resample image (change resolution): CTRL+R
To crop image, select area and CTRL+Y
To rotate left: L
To rotate right: R
To do a fine rotation: CTRL+U

To hide something sensitive, select area and use menu Image>Effect>Pixelize (just an example).
To edit: F12
etc.

For compact files, save images in compressed format (JPG or PNG for example).

Few more handy resources (other than this forum). Listed in no particular order.

I probably have missed many so feel free to chime in and add things you find productive or handy. My goal is to travel lite and have things in a tiny package. So some things get modified to become more compact.

1. USB Recovery stick (backup and restore HDD of KRC4)

2. External monitor, keyboard and mouse (preferably wireless combo)

3. regular USB stick (so you don't start backup or restore when rebooting and cheap to replace if you leave it in controller)

4. LogViewer (you can get it from the robot, checks messages in archives and KrcDiags). You can use latest LogViever (more features) even for older controllers. Just need older data that matches the KSS of that older controller.

5. 7zip (extracting files from WIM)

6. Some Grep tool like AgentRansack or similar (searching inside files)

7. some compare tool (KDiff, Beyond Compare or similar)

8. Offline editors (NotePad++ with KRL UDL, OrangeEdit, WoV)

9. Documentation. Normally included with robot (schematics, Parts and Docs etc.). Lately available online through KUKA Xpert portal (manuals etc, Basic version is free but registration requires "real" email address from company, not some generic webmail).

10. Mastering tool (this is pricey one but - very very good to have)

11. set of jumper plugs (to be able to troubleshoot or try moving robot when cell is not complete). on KRC4 not too important thanks to StartUp mode

12. external HDD (to store all projects, and certainly backups, specially HDD images)

13. encryption software. i like to keep my files safe from prying eyes. external HDDs allow encryption but usually quite rigid. i like to expose small part without encyption and encrypt the rest (TrueCrypt, VeraCrypt)

14. Simulators:

* OL or OfficeLite (REALLY nice to have if you are programming), very portable since loads on your PC.

* OPS or OfflineProgrammingStation (more capable since some hardware integration is possible such as I/Os). not too portable since it is a desktop machine, you need to add monitor, keyboard and mouse.

* 3D sim (SimPro or whatever) can be used for planning (cell design, reach check, animation, programming etc.)

15. for older controllers, PS2 & USB keyboard-mouse combo with DIN adapter.

16. USB HDD interface PATA/SATA

17. Multimeter (indispensable, even cheap one is better than nothing)

18. universal cabinet key (opening of various panels and junction boxes)

19. backup teach pendant keys (rarely needed but when you do need them - priceless)

20. Basic hand tools (flashlight, couple of pliers/screwdrivers, measuring tape, sharpie and masking tape)

21. Ethernet Router/Switch, couple of cables.

22. Everything (little file finder, very fast) helps locate files on your PC if you know parts of file name.

23. button neodymium magnets and few paperclips (accurate and flexible pointers)

24. Canvas zipper bags (to organise tools)

25. Few spare fuses. You know you will need them when none are around.

27. Robot calculator http://www.windsortech.eu/en/downloads/robot_calculator.html

28. https://college.kuka.com/ offers certified KUKA training. also there are couple of free beginer e-learning modules (mastering, smartPad, basics of robotics). you do need an account (same one as for Xpert so it is free )

Some terminology....

KCB = Kuka Controller Bus ... (drives network), EtherCat

KSB = Kuka System Bus ... (system options network, smartPad, SIB, roboteam), EtherCat

KEB = Kuka Extension Bus ... (user network, I/O), Ethercat

KLI = Kuka Line Interface ... this is multipurpose interface. Windows interface (filesharing, WoV, etc.) a well as ProfiNet or EthernetIP and communication options like OPC, EKI, RSI... This is NOT an EtherCat interface

KSI = Kuka Service Interface ... allows WoV connection if your computer is setup to get IP address automatically. only meant as direct connection. do not connect this to a network switch since it acts as DHCP server and will clash with your network or other robots.

KONI = Kuka Options Network Interface (high speed) ... Vision

Some German terms that keep showing up in documentation (manuals, schematics, messages):

German - English

ZH = Inline Wrist (zentral-hand)

SAK = BCO

BoF = HMI (bediener-ober-flaeche)

SPS = PLC (speicher-programmierbare-steuerung)

RDW = RDC (wandler= converter)

NotHalt = EStop (not = emergency)

IBN = Startup Mode (in-betrieb-nahme)

VL = Advance run (vor-lauf)

SAW = block selection (satz-anwahl)

so in message programming

VL_STOP means message will cause advance run stop

CLEAR_P_SAW means clear (this) message if program block select is used

CLEAR_P_RESET means clear (this) message if program is reset is used

EN: to register you just need a proper email address (no Gmail or Yahoo)

PT: para se registrar, você só precisa de um endereço de e-mail adequado (sem Gmail ou Yahoo)

ES: para registrarse, solo necesita una dirección de correo electrónico adecuada (no Gmail o Yahoo)

29. C3Bridge a is new way to communicate with KRC. similar to KUKAVARPROXY but with more features. i am just starting to play with it but it looks great

30. C3Easy is a ready to use application that connects to C3Bridge. it is a simple program allowing to deliver SRC file to/from a robot controller - without Directory Loader.