Example: Configuring a Robot on the SmartServo Network

Adept SmartMotion uses the SmartServo network (a distributed controls network based on IEEE 1394) to communicate with devices in the Adept SmartMotion system. Before any communication is possible, you must use the Robot Options and motor configuration menu option in the SPEC utility program to specify the number of motors in the robot, map the motors to hardware drive channels, and establish the relationship of the joints to the axes of the device module.

This process illustrates the configuration process for a robot that uses the Linear-Module Robot device module. The configuration process will vary depending on the device module loaded for the selected robot or device. For a more general description of the Robot Options, Configuration and Mapping process, see the Robot Options and Motor Configuration Menu documentation.

Note: For details on the SPEC program, see the SPEC Program Overview.

Before you begin:

Verify the hardware installation.

Load the correct device module.

  1. Load and execute the SPEC program from the UTIL subdirectory on the V+ system disk:

    1. At the V+ monitor prompt, type LO d:\util\spec.v2 to load the program.

    2. Type EX 1 a.spec to run the program in task 1.

  2. Select Change robot options and motor configuration from the main menu.

The Robot Options, Configuration, and Mapping screen is displayed:

  1. Enter Y to change the motor configuration.

  2. Enter N in response to the prompt to edit the robot options, unless you wish to change special features for the specified robot.

    Certain device modules may have optional features that you can enable or disable using the robot option bits. These bits are part of the robot option word which is interpreted by the V+ system as a bit field indicating the presence or absence of various options. For details on how the robot option word is implemented, see the Robot Device Module documentation provides details on the robot option bits for the specified device module.

  1. Specify the number of joints for the application.

The number of available joints varies based on the robot device module you have selected. The joint limits for the device module are shown in the PARAMETER range displayed on the screen as illustrated in the following figure.

For most devices the number of axes is fixed and no editing of this parameter is permitted. However, for some devices (such as the Linear-Module robot), a variable number of joints can be configured (in this case from one to four) and editing is allowed. Set the number of joints according to your mechanism design as described in your device-module documentation.

After you specify the number of joints, the Robot/Axis Configuration screen displays with an overview and instructions for configuration as illustrated in the following figure.

  1. Review the instructions, then press Enter.

After you press Enter, the mapping process begins. The system locates the first node to be configured. The LED on the front panel of the attached device flashes green. Details for the available channels on the node are displayed on the screen as shown in the figure below.

  1. To configure the selected node, press Enter.

    Note: To skip to the next node, you can press the SPACE bar.

The screen updates to indicate the number of motors to be mapped for the selected node.

  1. Enter Y to configure the current channel.

  2. At the prompt, enter the motor number you want to assign to the channel. Then, press Enter.

    The motor number usually corresponds to a robot joint, except when you want to create a split-axis configuration. In that case, the last motor will always be the second motor of the split-axis pair.

    If the channel has been mapped to another robot, you will need to re-map the other robot before assigning the channel to a different robot.

After you specify the motor number, the screen updates to indicate which motors have been mapped and moves to the next channel to be configured as shown in the following figure.

 

After all the motors have been mapped, the system may prompt you for additional information if the number of joints selected does not match the maximum number of joints for the robot module, then a prompt displays asking you to specify which axis need to be enabled:

  1. After you have configured or disabled the available gadgets for the current node, the node selection menu displays:

  • Press ENTER if you need to change something in the configuration you have just entered.

  • Press the SPACE bar to configure the next available node.

  • Press X to exit from the SmartServo network configuration process.

    If you choose to exit, the Robot Options, Configuration, and Mapping screen re-displays. Any nodes that have not been configured will be disabled.

After the configuration for the specified nodes and gadgets has been completed, an All Done message displays.

  1. Press Enter to display the configuration.
     

  2. Save the specifications to the V+ system so that the information will be available when the system initializes:

On the SPEC main menu, select Save ALL Specifications to system disk. For details, see Save Robot Specifications to disk file.

  1. Make a backup copy of the specifications:

On the SPEC main menu, select Save robot specifications to a a disk file.

Next Step in the Configuration Process...

Verify Operation of Digital I/O, encoders, amplifiers, and motors