FANUC Image/MD Backups

    I am having consistent problems making IMG and MD backups on both Rj3i and R30iA controllers for various robot arms. I'm told these robots have been backed up before and I have some documentation from both manuals and 'employee written directions'.


    The steps are very easy to follow, however, there is always some kind of problem I am unsure of how to navigate around.


    For example, on one R30iA controller I have tried to make an MD backup, the teach pendant will indicate "Directory not found" when trying to make a directory to save the files (pressing 'Enter' when I've typed in the name of the directory I want to create). In similar cells which are meant to be replicas of the same system the controller will allow me to make a directory but say "Cannot save to this device". On some controllers the teach pendant does not acknowledge insertion of the USB stick at all.


    I feel like there is something very simple I am missing here.


    In another case, an Rj3i controller, the file directory reads "UD1:\BACKUP\*.*" which indicates to me that the controller is accessing a file that does not exist as the stick I inserted was blank.


    Basically what I'm asking is does anyone have some concrete and detailed documentation of the robot IMG/MD backup procedures? I am fairly new to this area as you may gather :face_with_tongue:

    Are you using the same USB stick on all these robots?


    What is it storage capacity?


    I had problems trying to perform backups on USB sticks in the past, and some rules of thumb:


    1) NTFS formatted devices sometimes have problems.

    2) the smaller is the capacity of the stick, the better it will work.

    3) sometimes is good use the format device option on FILE screen. So, try to format the USB stick on controller itself


    In the case of the RJ3 robot, I think it is showing the last valid accessed device, not Your device.

    Thanks for the quick reply massula.


    No a different USB stick for each controller, but the same manufacturer (SanDisk) and size (16GB).


    I believe I saw the option to 'Format FAT32' under the select device option in |UTIL| or UTILITIES.


    "In the case of the RJ3 robot,.."

    Yes, that's what i thought of the Rj3 too, do you think that a format will solve the problem in this case?


    Also, I'm just assuming if the controller does not acknowledge the USB insertion, then the port is faulty, as I encountered this in one of the cells.

    Not sure if it will be relevant, but an issue i ran into on R-30iB in the past.


    The robot had been backed up to UT1 before, but when that was done, it was in a deep directory, 4 or so folders deep on the flash drive. This was successful, but when i inserted a clean USB, it had saved the path from the previous, rather than automatically putting back at the root of the USB. When trying to create a directory there, it would give the same error of directory not found, because it is trying to create the new location inside of a location that does not exist.


    The solution was to use the Up One Level option until i reached the root. An additional issue i encountered here was that too many Up One Level actions seemed to crash the controller. This occurred multiple times, but not verified enough to say if it is a certain number of levels, or if i was issuing the commands too quickly.

    Quote from MajorMac

    "In the case of the RJ3 robot,.."

    Yes, that's what i thought of the Rj3 too, do you think that a format will solve the problem in this case?

    I think this is a good try.


    Since R-J3(iB, i presume) are older controllers, they maybe refuse to "see" bigger external storage devices, or devices formatted as NFTS.

    The issues I was having were resolved by massula's suggestion of formatting the USB stick after 'Select Device' which I did on the teach pendant.


    However, I also pressed 'generate directory' (DIR) and used the 'up one level' to exit the file directory that came up. So really it could be either point that solved the problem.


    I was still unable to 'make a directory' to use as a folder to hold the backup as it kept saying "invalid directory name", but the USB was blank anyway so I just backed up 'all the above' to the USB openly.


    Thanks for all the responses.

    Hi All,


    Has anyone seen the 'permission denied' message when trying to make program (MD) backups? Program backup will start and fail on each individual file with the option to SKIP or CANCEL.


    I was attempting to take updated backups from an R30iA controller (which I have been able to backup before) by USB on a short visit to a site.


    Although it wasn't absolutely necessary, I'm wondering if there is a configuration that has been changed since I was there last, to restrict copying/saving to USB or backing up in general.


    The format FAT32 function worked for me in another issue previously and I did not try it this time.


    I am just curious if anyone has seen this before and dealt with it?

    HawkME,


    Yes every file. It started backup (MD) and failed on 1st file, I pressed F4 to skip and failed on the next and so on. I've never heard of it before.


    --Forgot to add that 'permission denied' message appears on bottom left and only when CANCEL (F5) is selected.

    I am having trouble with an image backup. I start the image backup by cycling power, and the backup starts. Then within the first 10 backup files, the backup fails and no image is backed up.


    I have tried it with empty flash drives and part full ones. I was able to backup 3 robots before this one.

    Is there an alternative port you can try? Some have a port on the pendant and on the controller.. assuming you're using usb.


    To be honest I doubt its backing up the 1st 10 files if its failing and leaving nothing behind. Sounds like it doesn't know the storage is there.

    Quote from MajorMac

    Is there an alternative port you can try? Some have a port on the pendant and on the controller.. assuming you're using usb.


    To be honest I doubt its backing up the 1st 10 files if its failing and leaving nothing behind. Sounds like it doesn't know the storage is there.

    Sorry I may have been a bit unclear.


    It is backing up a portion of the files. For example my last backup only saved the first 6 files then failed. I tried again today and it failed at 3 files.


    This was happening on some other robots I was backing up as well. The backup would make it to around 50 or 60 files, and the next time I would try to backup it would get them all.


    For some added info the robots that the image backups are failing on are LR Mates and the robots that I was able to backup are M20s. All controllers are all the same R 30IB.

    Quote from MajorMac

    Do those files still exist on your flash drive after it fails?


    And so you're trying both an 'All the Above' backup with 50-60 files which fails and also an image backup with fails too?

    Yes the files still exist on my flash drive. I have multiple image backups where it is getting 3/127 or 6/127 files backed up.


    I have tried both All of the Above backup and IMAGE Backup. I am able to completely backup over 100 files for AotA, so there is no issue there. My Image backup is failing still. This time getting 8/127 files backed up before failing.

    Given you still have files left over I think maybe the permissions are stopping your backup.


    Controller reads and writes files 1,2,3.. and so on until it gets to one it is not allowed to copy or change. (Probably something related to system parameters or DCS).


    Check if there are user levels to your controllers (login and password), otherwise a system variable you need to enable/disable to allow the controller to access those files. Not 100% familiar with R30iB but there are definitely some access parameters in the older models.

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