Simple external HMI without PLC?

    Hey, all. Quick question: does anyone know of a small, low-end HMI that can be connected directly to an R30iB controller as if it were a simple Ethernet/IP slave I/O device? I need to add a cheap, simple HMI to my robot, and for various reasons I can't use any of pendant-based options. I also need to avoid adding any new options to the R30 if possible -- the robot is already configured to act as an EIP Master.


    I've tried searching various vendors, but I get swamped in false positives for HMIs that require full Rockwell or Siemens software stacks, or are built on the assumption that you're buying an HMI and PLC matched pair.

    I know you said no new options, but...


    Proface HMIs plus the SNPX protocol (which Fanuc calls Basic HMI) worked pretty well for me in the past. We outfitted an entire plant in that maner. No plcs involved. It was great.


    You can access virtually everything in the robot, from the active alarm, to the current position, to all IO and data registers.

    Check out the Fanuc position converter I wrote here! Now open source!

    Check out my example Fanuc Ethernet/IP Explicit Messaging program here!

    Thanks 1
    Quote from Nation

    Proface HMIs plus the SNPX protocol (which Fanuc calls Basic HMI) worked pretty well for me in the past.

    Sounds like a possibility. What's the learning curve like? And what are the setup software requirements? If I have to buy a $5000 piece of software to set up a $500 HMI, that probably won't fly with my budget people. :winking_face_with_tongue:

    I've never used one without a PLC, but Maple Systems makes an inexpensive but capable HMI. Supports Ethernet/IP, but the unknown here is how it would interface to the robot controller.


    Another possible option is Turck, they make an HMI/PLC combo that I believe supports E/IP. Again, not sure about interfacing it with the robot, the only one I ever used was the master on the network, and communicated with a Motoman robot configured as adapter.

    Quote from Nation

    I know you said no new options, but...


    Proface HMIs plus the SNPX protocol (which Fanuc calls Basic HMI) worked pretty well for me in the past. We outfitted an entire plant in that maner. No plcs involved. It was great.


    You can access virtually everything in the robot, from the active alarm, to the current position, to all IO and data registers.

    I saw it once quite a while ago. I'd like to read up on it - do you know the option #?

    Quote from SkyeFire

    Sounds like a possibility. What's the learning curve like? And what are the setup software requirements? If I have to buy a $5000 piece of software to set up a $500 HMI, that probably won't fly with my budget people. :winking_face_with_tongue:

    Software (GP Ex Pro) itself was pretty easy to use and create screens. Not sure on the pricing of the screens themselves or the software. I wasn't involved on pricing on that job.


    Quote from Skooter

    I saw it once quite a while ago. I'd like to read up on it - do you know the option #?

    HMI Device (SNPX) (R553)

    Check out the Fanuc position converter I wrote here! Now open source!

    Check out my example Fanuc Ethernet/IP Explicit Messaging program here!

    Thanks 2

    Found it on cRc finally. Ignored it before assuming you needed the GE/Fanuc PLC. Proface has an impressive list of drivers. Fanuc's HMI User's Manual seems to have the info to make it work. Thanks!!

    Currently I'm also creating a HMI for a Fanuc robot. At the moment my solution is a PC with a web browser (or tablet, smartphone or wathever that has a web browser on board).

    On the robot I have to write some simple Karel programs and a HTML homepage with javasrcipt, css styles and so on.


    Hard stuff, for a programmer who wrote 'normal' programs for over 35 years in assembler, basic, pascal, c, krl .... and always tried to avoid that web design stuff. I think if someone is familiar with html webdesign it's an easy job.


    As starting point I used the manual "B-83594EN_01_01 iPendant Screen Customize Function" and https://github.com/ABC-iRobotics/fanuc-webcontrol. But the latter one once again is very hard stuff for a html beginner.


    But it works, at least in roboguide. The verification on the real robot will be done next week.


    Have read the fanuc documentation for 'Cimplicity HMI' and didn't find a possibilty to start a program on the robot from HMI. That would be a problem for my application. In my solution it's no problem.

    The verification was successful. It works like expected.

    By the way: the examples in the document "B-83594EN_01_01 iPendant Screen Customize Function" are buggy. Without some small modifications they don't work.

    I'm currently using EZautomation HMI for Fanuc robot without PLC.

    Or Automation direct HMI can also support GE SNPX protocol.


    If the panel size does not matter, I'd recommend kit version that comes with software.

    But it only cost around $100.


    It's not vivid color nor fast response comparing to other popular HMI, but I do not have any issue with using this HMI.


    Hope it helps

    Quote from doublewai

    I'm currently using EZautomation HMI for Fanuc robot without PLC.

    Or Automation direct HMI can also support GE SNPX protocol.

    doublewai, how did you create a cable to communicate from the HMI serial port to the robot serial port? The serial pinout diagram I have for the robot doesn't show RXD+,RXD-, TXD+, TXD-, and other common pins for RS-232/RS-422.


    I am trying to use an automation direct HMI with the SNPX protocol.

    Quote from Nation

    I know you said no new options, but...


    Proface HMIs plus the SNPX protocol (which Fanuc calls Basic HMI) worked pretty well for me in the past. We outfitted an entire plant in that maner. No plcs involved. It was great.


    You can access virtually everything in the robot, from the active alarm, to the current position, to all IO and data registers.

    Any particular model of proface HMI, or will the basic level work ok?

    So, I'm back on this again.


    Our "browser based" HMI ended up working out pretty well, using a a set of KAREL programs and using URLs with querystrings to set the values of variables in those programs, i.e.:

    http://robot-ip-address/KAREL/…amName?KarelVariableName="string value"


    However, when the robot starts getting busy, the internal web server starts getting rather laggy. So for a longer-term solution, we're looking at OPC-UA


    Now, here I'm a bit confused. The only manual I've found for R553 says "Version 9.1 and later", but I've discovered that my "beater" lab robot shows that it has R553 installed, even though it's only running V8.3. And there's an old thread here from 2013 that suggests OPC communications with Fanucs was possible then (although that thread was only talking about using KepWare).


    So, I tried pointing my UAExpert test app at the lab robot, and got no connection. I've used my virtual OPC-UA test robot (Version 9.3) to check that my settings are correct.


    So, do versions of R553 prior to 9.1 just not support OPC-UA? Or does it require some alternative configuration or client that the newer versions don't? I'd like to be able to use this robot as an OPC-UA testbed, but if I have to have core software 9.1 or higher, well....

Advertising from our partners