Good afternoon.
So, like many shops we use offline programming software to quickly create weld paths for the myriad parts that come through here - custom work, revisions, it's always changing. If you've had the pleasure (ahem) of posting code with an OLP solution, then you're more than likely familiar with the process of getting the code to work on a Motoman unit. It's a huge timesaver, of that there is no question - but, if you're not dealing with alignment issues or crashes, then you're dealing with code output that won't even load on the controller due to various errors - the most common in my experience being 3220, of which its most common subcode generally tends to be [58]. Syntax. Okay, fine, easy enough to fix - but the problem line it gives you is based on what the pendant displays, not what your code editor displays. And even when you think you've figured out what it skips and what it doesn't, sometimes it makes you want to pull out any remaining hair when you spend an hour searching and come up with squat.
MotoSim, as an OLP, is rather lacking - but what it does do better than anything else is emulate your robot. So - how does this help you debug faster?
JobPad! Alright, so - just like the controller (as it basically... is reading what it thinks is the controller) you can't outright open a job in it that isn't on there already. However, you can start a new job with a similar control group, paste your problem job code in as if its a program you just made and subsequently click the check button, and...
Voila! Now, you're gonna see a ton of 3190[4]s because you don't put your command positions in (your C000xxx and EC000xxx values), just your instruction data. So ignore those. But woven between all of those, hey! The same error that the controller and the virtual controller were giving you, with the same wrong line number except that now you can double click that error in the log and it highlights the problem within the code.
Wow. Do note, that in order for your pasted code to populate JobPad properly you must first click the 'full mode' box, and then click the 'Show Log' box so that you can see all the errors. Then, you can correct them and paste it all back into your jbi file.
This may be common knowledge, but if it is - I have not come across it. I do however wish I had known this last year, as it would've saved me so much tedious "is it this?" work and countless cycles of edit, save, load, note error, revert edit, find new possible problem, repeat that can just drain your day dry.
Have a good day!
