splicer480

Sorry just came back to the boards. The main thing that comes to mind is, you need to make sure you have an 8 axis card for your main CPU. I ran into the same problem adding a 7th axis turntable to a couple of s-430iw robots. An easy way to check this is to call Fanuc support and give them the robot F# and they can pull it up and let you know what your cpu card is. If you have to change the axis card make sure you save the robot image to a compact flash card.

I've never gone over 4 I/O cards on a 1500 yet. The AB website says the I/O can be up to (8) slots away but I dont know if the onboard supply will handle all of that. You may need a power supply added to your unit....

This sounds like a job for a Cognex vision system/part recognize.

Just to add to what Steve said... You have to really understand the "physical end" of the project too. What kind of sensors do what jobs and when they do it. Analog, voltage, frequency, current, high speed counting, etc... All of the communication devices and software. I've been working with AB plc's for about 15 years and still don't know what all the commands do....LOL

One thing to also consider with the "relay" output is mechanical switching. The contacts are rated for hundreds of thousands of on/off's but with certain applications that require fast switching or pulses you would be surprised at how short that time actually is. The triac or transistor (solid state device) is not a mechanical output so the physical switching limitations do not apply.

Nice job chakorules. Great job sequencing by the way.

I just got into the Halloween and Christmas lighting thing a couple of years ago too. I always wanted to do something with an old PLC until I found (LOR) Light-O-Rama. My 2008 display.. http://tovtube.wtov9.com/_McKnight-Family-...98557/6692.html

That is very cool indeed. I was at the robot show 3 years ago and saw the bartender motoman robot they had. It made about 4 different drinks and I believe it was a (2) arm 8 axis robot. With the economy how it is my boss said the trip was off for this year. Oh well, maybe next time...

The female judge had to pick her mouth up from the floor. Great voice, and I'm sure now an instant star. Great for her.

When you chose coordinates it also changes the way your axis move. For example: If you are in "joint" mode, and you press Z+. The Z axis will move straight up and Z- will move down. If you are in "World Coordinates" the same buttons will move the robot in a totally different way with most axis's moving all together. Also, like panic mode said. If you use "Tool" and the last 3 axis's. The tip of the tool stays at a certain point and the rest of the robot moves around for positioning. You can use any coordinate system you choose when programming. You don't have to stick with one only. You can move close to the part in "Joint" and then switch to "world" for some more precise positioning. Then "tool" will give you even more precise movement. I attached a pic of an RJ2 controller. It looks very similar to the RJ and RJ3. The newer RJ3 controllers are a more windows based controller. Hope this helps you some.

Hello there. I have a few Fanucs at my plant and I have never had to set the sytem variable motor type for programming purposes. The only thing I do is, if I'm doing a linear move I just choose "World Coordinates" and go from point A to B and name as linear. The robot sets the straight path itself. Either vertical or horizontal. I assume you are using some sort of pneumatic gripper for the tube transfers?

Steady on the controls....

Sorry, I have only set up one 1100 and its in operation at another plant. I set mine up (User Screen) as follows: 1. Enter Model number? 2. Set Table Height? Yes/No 3. Set Table Drop? Yes/no 4. "Unloader Ready" If the operator wants to change the model # just press "esc" and it goes back to the Model # screen. If he or she chooses "No" (for table height or drop) it just goes into "Run" mode.. (Unloader Ready) Preset values. I didn't need my app. to change my screen back automatically so I didn't try to simulate an esc or ok button press. I'll admit, setting up the screens was a new experience for me and I'm glad I had a unit (at that time) to bench test because I made A LOT of mistakes before I got it right. I'm sure someone in the forum has the answer for you. There are a lot of guys in here WAY smarter than me.

I think a good resource would be a product catalog. Something like the Allen-Bradley line. You could look up just about everything you just mentioned and it would give you the wiring schematics and breakdowns of each component. Plus sensor wise, it will tell you all about the different varieties of sensors. Capacitive and what it can sense; powders, liquids, plastics. Inductive proxes that sense metals etc. etc... Then you could do a search on goggle for industrial wiring and component schematics.

I don't have a preference either way but usually when I buy sensors I try to get them PnP/NpN combined (Dip switch or jumper). That way I don't have to stock (2) of the same sensors with the only difference being the Sink/Source.