Hello All,
First off...
KR150L120SP/2
KSS 4.1.6 SP03 V2.4.8 SP04 (KRC2)
Windows 95
KR90 Quantec KRC4
Background: I am tasked with a simple integration of two old GM robots. I basically have to implement 2 each of DI, DO, ANIN, ANOUT and also reconfigure the statkeys in way that makes sense for our application. (I've done this on our KRC4 machine) Our application is very slow and does not require tremendous accuracy. Work envelope, degree of freedom and low cost are important and that is why we are attempting to re purpose these bots.
My robots came from the Shreaveport plant and are able to be run from either KRC1 and KRC2 so long as those controllers also came from that plant. My cabinets are KRC2(non-05 ed.).
I have primarily worked with KRC4 but so far I have installed both robots and done a basic jumpered-safety install (mastered, taught a tool and base, got around some GM-specific software intricacies etc.) and the robots seem to be mechanically and kinematically fine for our purposes. I don't even mind Windows 95 that much. While I expect more hassles to get around the GM nonsense it seems like these robots are not as bad as many people think (fingers crossed).
As I read through the forum there is definitely some handy information but not a great deal. It seems to me that if we compiled useful start-up and trouble shooting info these robots might prove useful to more folks. I would be happy to share my experience as I go through this process if that is useful for others. I also have a pretty good GM produced manual for my robots.
Now to my questions....
Does anyone have a lot of experience with these GM bots, specifically the Shreaveport welding robots listed above?
Is it better to try to get rid of the GM specific software and update to standard KRC2 or 05 edition? Remember, I only need a simple I/O setup so I would prefer not to.
Does anyone know what the hardware/software differences are between GM spec and standard KRC2?
Does anyone know of any specific pitfalls when using these robots?
Any other words of wisdom to share?