Auto Load Files From External Storage

You could use a PC Program to monitor for which program is in use and handle the delete/load....that would be my direction to take.
- TASK or WHICHTASK should be used to monitor the status of the stepper (motion program in use).
- You can use DELETE directly in the motion program or a derivative of this MC DELETE in a PC Program.
- NLOAD command will automatically load files from the USB (E Controller) or PCMCIA (C/D Controller) into the Robot Memory.....reals, locations, programs etc.

Have a read of those........I know the NLOAD command works as I have used it before.
Hope this helps.............

Please take a look at this short example:

.PROGRAM main
   FOR pgnumber = 1 to maxpg
      wait existreal("pgexist"+$encode(/k3,pgnumber))
      twait 0.5
      scall "machining"+ $encode(/k3,pgnumber)
   END
.END
.PROGRAM pc
  while true
     chkpg = pgnumber-1
     if chkpg>0
       if existpgm("machining"+$encode(/k3,chkpg))
          call delprog(chkpg)
       end 
     end
     chkpg = pgnumber+1
     if chkpg>0 and chkpg<=maxpg then
       if not existpgm("machining"+$encode(/k3,chkpg))
          sload 2 = "file"+ $encode(/k3,chkpg)+".as", ret
          if ret<0 then ; when loading with error, do something else
             twait 5 ;  
          end
       end 
     end
  end
.END
.program delprog(.nr)
; unfortunalty can't delete a program defined by a string (as far as I know)
  case .nr of
    value 1
      delete machining001
    value 2
      delete machining002
    value 3
      delete machining003
    value 4
      delete machining004
....
....
  end
.end

Your file file001.as should contaiin the pgexistxxx = 1 at the last line. To make sure the program will be executed when loading has finished.

.program machining001()
pgexist001 = 1
... machinecode...
.end
.joints
.... your joints
.end
.reals
... your reals
pgexists001 = 1
.end

Nice example.......

Hello,

Nice idea. But, where can I place the file to load? Where is the 'external storage'?

Thank you.

'External Storage' is memory external to the Controller.
- E Controller has USB connections for external use such as file/data saves or screen dumps.
- C/D Controller only have PCMCIA Slot for external use for file/data saves only.

By use of NLOAD/SLOAD commands, data can then be loaded from external storage to controller via program instructions.

Hello,

It does not work.

We have an F controller.
I wrote a little test program like this:
NLOAD 1=lt1.as, result
PRINT "file loaded, result is: ", result

I put 'lt1.as' file on PC (connected on ethernet) and on USB drive too. The file is not loaded, neither. The 'result' variable was some negative number and an error message appeared.

Is there any software switch have to alter to enable this functionality (NLOAD, SLOAD instructions)?

Thank you!

Quote

'External Storage' is memory external to the Controller.
- E Controller has USB connections for external use such as file/data saves or screen dumps.
- C/D Controller only have PCMCIA Slot for external use for file/data saves only.

No mention of PC via Ethernet.................

Try and provide specific errors also, just saying 'the file is not loaded' could be down to many problems:
1. File to load in is incorrect.
2. Data on the file to load in is not correct.
3. Command to load in is not structured/formatted correctly.

Read the NLOAD and SLOAD commands in the AS Manual - I suspect you're written code is incorrectly formatted.

Hello,

So, I put one program on the USB drive and one program on the PC. The program named as lt1.as both.
On the USB:

.PROGRAM lt1() #0
  PRINT "hello USB"
.END

On the PC:

.PROGRAM lt1() #0
  PRINT "hello PC"
.END

I wrote a little test to load the program:

.PROGRAM ltest()
  NLOAD 1= lt1,result
  PRINT "Program loaded, result is: ", result
.END

In monitor I type: 'load lt1', : the program loaded from the PC. I type: 'usb_load lt1', the program loaded from the USB drive without error.

Executing ltest: 'execute ltest' (motor power and run is on), the motors turns on, the program executed but the file is not loaded. The result variable is -12016.

With the USB inserted into the Controller.
Execute your program as a PC Program, this will allow you to run it independently as a standalone program without cycling the robot.
PCEXECUTE 1: ltest

Try altering your program to:
.PROGRAM ltest()
NLOAD ltl,result
PRINT "Program loaded, result is: ", result
.END

Hello,

I tried it. The result is the same -- program not loaded.

From teach pendant:
$ usb_load lt1
Loading... (lt1.as)
Program lt1()
File load completed (0 errors)

$ pcexecute ltest
$ Program loaded, result is: -12016
PC program completed. No=1001

The program was not loaded of course.

Btw: I saw somewhere can save screenshot of the teach pendant. I can't find it how now.

Thank you.

You can save the screenshot from the teach pendat by pressing A+R. You need to have a usb plug in, in order to save the picture.

Hmmmmm, just noticed you are using F Controller.....with this having multiple USB, it is possible the specific USB port may require addressing in the code, but I cannot see any information for this in AS Manual.
I shall try myself when I get the opportunity and see if this is the case.

Dear Kwakisaki and everyone,

I know and im sorry that i did not keep my promise which is put the robot project to sleep....but i could not get it off my head with 1 problem and that is External Storage.

When we all saying External Storage meaning any kind of storage you can have with your robot like Personal Computer, USB, Floppy Disk ( for my vintage robot UX 150 ) or even PLC ? I do not clearly understand, are we meaning when we excute the Coding ( which make our robot moving according to our plan our draw or even our GCode ), the robot's controller will extracting or reading the Step or Line ( cnc ) DIRECTLY from our Storage which does not have to copy the Code to Controller's CMOS RAM ( Flash RAM ) which is very limited only 10mb max for new version and 1mb max for my vintage ?

If my theory above is correct then our first need is USB owner and Floppy Disk Owner ( me ) need to make sure our external storage is Formated as our Robot Required ! ( i need abit explain here from expert because my UX150 required me to but Floppy Disk in and excute Format from Controller ).

And somehow both my guess above are correct then we need to tell the Robot that the CODE is PC program.....

What about PLC ? Can it help ?

Anyway, all the best to everyone.

Trung

Hello,

Yes I have an F controller. And I have AS Language Reference Manual for the E controller only. Is this matter?

I tried "NLOAD lt1,result" in a motion program (without the "1=" pre) and the controller waits forever for something.

I see the handling of the USB drive is very lazy. I removed the USB drive and deleted some files and replugged it. The 'usb_fdir' command shows the deleted files in the list too. I made a screenshot with A+R, then the new 'usb_fdir' command shows the correct list.

Thank you

When you create these programs 'offline', I assume you are using a text editor?
- Are you pressing 'enter' after the .END before saving the file prior to loading in, if not try this.

Quote from kwakisaki

You could use a PC Program to monitor for which program is in use and handle the delete/load....that would be my direction to take.
- TASK or WHICHTASK should be used to monitor the status of the stepper (motion program in use).
- You can use DELETE directly in the motion program or a derivative of this MC DELETE in a PC Program.
- NLOAD command will automatically load files from the USB (E Controller) or PCMCIA (C/D Controller) into the Robot Memory.....reals, locations, programs etc.

Have a read of those........I know the NLOAD command works as I have used it before.
Hope this helps.............

Please correct if i am wrong. PC Program is an commmand which telling robot to run the Code from external Storage or is it a funtion I have to manualy choose the list of command in it ? Could we make it more simple as making the robot run from External Storage and the CMOS Ram will act as the bridge which feeding step to CPU and planning next step ready for CPU ? Our only problem is Limited internal Storage, I really want to make the Internal Storage stop storing Code File. Are we call this action is " Online Movement " which the robot get feed directly from External Storage, no External no more run.

PC Program is a completely independent program that can be executed irrespective of whether the robot is executing motion instructions.
- It is referred to generally as 'asynchronous', and in simple terms it is like your antivirus on a PC (it operates in the background, independent to your main motion programs, but programmed to do a task).
- An basic example would be, constantly monitor for a button to be pressed and if that button is pressed - turn on a light on/off.
- This could be executed on power up of the Controller, even though the robot is not moving or even if it is under emergency stop.

If you 'drip feed' commands from an external source, you will always introduce latency during the process, so until Kawasaki increase the internal storage, this will always be a question I think.
- Most standard industrial processes, do not require substantial amounts of memory to achieve the result and I think the Kawasaki's are more engineered to this whereas in comparison to other Manufacturers (Kuka come to mind) have a more broad application base for what they produce.

Regarding this specific problem with the F Controller, I have tested it also and receiving the same results, on E Controller there is no problem.
I think you need to contact your distributor as it appears either:
- This is a software bug.
- Or there is a new command structure, which has not been included in the latest revision of AS Manual.

Hello,

Thank you for testing it.

I tried to use the drive name 'USB1\' in the file name, same result -- file not loaded.
Removed all other files from the drive, could not help.
I made a screenshot before load to activate the USB drive (I noticed the screenshot is made on USB1 always.) -- file not loaded.
It seems like an sw bug or the 'external storage' is something else.

Thank you Kwakisaki,

Now i know that Pc Program command will not help anything on large code file. Back to our problem, the code file is too large to be saved on internal storage and we can not drip communication ( online feed code machine like mach3 ), or DNC - MME box ( live feed data to vintage fanuc cnc system ). We only have solution is divide large file to many small parts save on external storage such as usb or FDD and manual load-delete on internal storage...is there an command at the end of part 1 to tell it auto delete part 1 and load part 2 and auto execute?