Kuka KRC4 Pendent blacks out and E stops, Multiple robots have same issue. Help!

    Please :help: : this Kuka Nubie!


    We have multiple KRC4's KR 240 R2900 ultra C4 FLR that shut down and fault out to a "Trying to connect" screen. We have replaced the pendent because its almost like the pendent lost connection. We have to reboot files, cold start to reset the issue. We have noticed that the KCB cable to the CPU is pulled Banjo Tight on all of our systems. Any suggestions? We cant afford any down time and only get two 10min windows along with a 30min lunch to inspect! The line is running 6 and sometimes 7 days a week.


    If anyone can help out in the matter it will be appreciated!

    When your SmartPad loses its connection, does that safety-stop the robot? If not, can you use the hot disconnect/reconnect option without halting the robot? That might at least let you recover without stopping the production line.


    I don't know about the KCB cable -- that would be a question for KUKA Service. In the meantime, you could try (as a stopgap) deliberately disconnecting your SmartPads and letting the robots run "headless." You can use Remote Virtual Pendant, or just hot-plug the SmartPads when you need to check the robot status. It's not a great solution, but it might help you keep going until the root cause can be determined.


    You might want to check your KSS version with KUKA Service, as well -- I've seen a few versions that were buggy enough to really need an upgrade. Firmware upgrades for your SmartPads are another, though less likely, possibility.

    Yes Skyefire, we get the Safety stop and cant recover until we reboot files or cold start! We removed the smart pad but it faulted about 1 hour after running "headless". Our old service tech said to look into a firmware update as well before he passed, but this was due to a issue we had with Axis 3 dropping calibration all the time and our brake test failure issues. I guess we only updated a few of the robots, from what I am being told! Kuka service replaced the complete harness and this corrected the Axis 3 issue ( Break test is still a problem ).
    Last night we ran with the cabinet door open and we had no issues! The KCB cable is pulled tight with the door closed. We may try to make up a new one (just for S-N-G's). I will have to research type of cable it is, Cat. 5 or 6 and what wire combo in the RJ45. Thanks for your help SkyeFire !
    I wish I had this resource when I started! This is amazing!!! :beerchug: Thanks Mr. Drew from Helix Sys!

    At this point, I think your best bet is to take a KRCDiag immediately following one of these incidents, and pass that on to KUKA Service.


    Running with the cabinet door open is a bad idea, long-term -- I've had controllers catch fire that way, due to airborne contaminants accumulating until they made some of the high-voltage contacts arc. I'm also at a loss as to why running with the door open seems (maybe?) to help -- are you running these robots in a very hot environment?


    As far as I know, all the RJ45 connections inside the KRC4 use ordinary Cat-6 (possibly even Cat-5) cable. You don't want to use cheap cable, due to the realtime signal needs, but I believe KUKA avoided using proprietary cables where possible.

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