Trying to implement cheapest Robotic Guidance Solution for cheap used Robotic Arms to someone new to robotics. I have usb cameras, intel realsense D415, Cognex 7400 gen1. I prefer something easy to use/pickup but need high precision and easy integration.
Cheapest/Best 2D Vision Solution for Robotic Guidance? Intel Realsense or used cognex?
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Reckless -
February 8, 2023 at 9:59 AM -
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USB cameras: You'll have to have a computer to run the camera, write your own vision software (probably with OpenCV), and write a communications driver to talk to the robot.
Intel Realsense: didn't Intel discontinue those? Also, AFAIK it has the same issues as the USB cameras.
Cognex: Honestly, probably your best bet. Stick to Cognex In-Sight series, IMO. Cognex does have a learning curve, but the amount of teaching and training materials available are huge. Cognex In-Sight also has an advantage that the free setup software includes emulation of almost the entire In-Sight series of cameras, so you can do a great deal of offline testing and debugging on sample images. In-Sights also have a wealth of interfacing options (depending somewhat on the age of the camera), including simple wired pass/fail signals or RS232 (which usually requires an I/O breakout board).
The downside to Cognex cameras is that they're pricey, but all the "smarts" are in the camera, and you really do get what you pay for.
Keyence is another brand that might be worth looking into. In my experience, their 2D vision products are pretty decent.
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I found a used Cognex camera on ebay for $225 that had patmax. I am confused how to connect robot RJ45 or Serial. Which one is better to pc? Can I use RJ45 to usb adapter as well?
That depends entirely on the robot. "RJ45" is a physical port type, not an interface protocol. RJ45 ports can potentially support simple "port communications" (basically Telnet), or ProfiNet, or Ethernet/IP, or EtherCat, . Most modern Cognex In-Sights can support the first three -- I'm unsure about EtherCat, but I would not be surprised.
Which one you use depends on which one(s) your robot supports. On most robots, these different protocols are paid options
RS-232 serial used to come on almost every robot by default, but many modern controllers no longer support it.
RJ45-to-USB is simply a physical layer adaptation. I don't know of any major robot brand that supports communication over USB ports, only file backups/restorations.
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One thing annoying about Cognex are the proprietary cables and connectors. I bought a 7400 gen1 model and had to spend $125 in accessories. I would prefer a simple usb type setup for routing wires/connections. Still need to splice wires to make a 120V connection to power camera.
I don't see the option of powering camera through robot:
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The IS 7400 should use standard connectors, IIRC. The ethernet port is definitely industry-standard M12, I'm sure. The aux/power port uses a standard connector, but a non-standard wiring pattern. For my lab bench setup, I just took a standard cable that matched the port, cut it, and hand-wired to a terminal strip that let me break out power and the discrete I/Os.
And if you think Cognex connectors are bad...
You ain't seen nothing yet. The cameras with really custom connectors (often to dedicated frame-grabber cards) are a lot less popular these days, in favor of GigE standard, but it wasn't that long ago that some vision setups were 100% proprietary and good luck finding even an extension cable.You're not going to find any industrial-grade machine vision systems that use USB, I'm afraid. USB is not an industrial-grade connection -- I learned this the hard way, with a prototype vision system that tried using it. Cable length, connector robustness, signal integrity in factory environs with high EMI noise floors... we had to switch to shielded CAT5 pretty quickly.
Not to mention, I'm not aware of any robot that supports USB for anything other than doing backups (with the possible exception of the UR series, but even there I believe it would require a lot of custom coding. Or maybe the KUKA iiWA, but that's a very specialized and expensive beast).
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The IS 7400 should use standard connectors, IIRC. The ethernet port is definitely industry-standard M12, I'm sure. The aux/power port uses a standard connector, but a non-standard wiring pattern. For my lab bench setup, I just took a standard cable that matched the port, cut it, and hand-wired to a terminal strip that let me break out power and the discrete I/Os.
And if you think Cognex connectors are bad...
You ain't seen nothing yet. The cameras with really custom connectors (often to dedicated frame-grabber cards) are a lot less popular these days, in favor of GigE standard, but it wasn't that long ago that some vision setups were 100% proprietary and good luck finding even an extension cable.You're not going to find any industrial-grade machine vision systems that use USB, I'm afraid. USB is not an industrial-grade connection -- I learned this the hard way, with a prototype vision system that tried using it. Cable length, connector robustness, signal integrity in factory environs with high EMI noise floors... we had to switch to shielded CAT5 pretty quickly.
Not to mention, I'm not aware of any robot that supports USB for anything other than doing backups (with the possible exception of the UR series, but even there I believe it would require a lot of custom coding. Or maybe the KUKA iiWA, but that's a very specialized and expensive beast).
Dumb question, do I put cognex camera to ethernet rj45 port and pc via rs232 serial port? Or do I need to hook camera to pc then to robot (not sure which connector)? The hardest part is wiring the cognex power cable for 120V.
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Are you sure your camera needs 120v?
All cameras I have seen needed 24 V.
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Do I hook this wire into Digital Input connector in robot? Will I need to hook up ethernet cable as well?
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Dumb question, do I put cognex camera to ethernet rj45 port and pc via rs232 serial port? Or do I need to hook camera to pc then to robot (not sure which connector)? The hardest part is wiring the cognex power cable for 120V.
That depends entirely on what the robot supports, and what you're trying to accomplish. Normally, I would expect all the various units to be connected via Ethernet using a network switch.
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Ethernet has no power supply:
The power supply in your link is to weak. You need minimum 2A.
rtfm
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Ethernet has no power supply:
The power supply in your link is to weak. You need minimum 2A.
rtfm
Thanks which wires do I hook for power and ground for this cable?
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Thanks which wires do I hook for power and ground for this cable?
s-l1600.jpg
Which cable? Can't see any picture. You didn't upload that image.
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I dont think cognex gets power from ethernet cable thats why I am looking at this rs232 connection. I have POE routers.
what does RS232 connection has to do with power? RS232 is just communication interface. some products have been stealing power from RS232 but that is way too little to power a camera.
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I think I figured it out. Decided to bypass robot 24V DC input and just put it to outlet. It was two wires, will hook up ethernet into robot to give commands?
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I think I figured it out. Decided to bypass robot 24V DC input and just put it to outlet. It was two wires, will hook up ethernet into robot to give commands?
That's similar to a bench-top rig I did before. 24VDC direct to the correct lines on the Breakout cable, and the others all isolated. Then a plain Ethernet cable with an M12 on one end and an RJ45 on the other.
A PoE switch built to the correct spec should be able to detect that it's been connected to a non-PoE device, and not try to push power over the Ethernet cable. You'll need to check the docs for your switch.
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