Master-Control Communication Setup (Elite EC)
This guide shows you how to set up Master-Control communication with an Elite EC robot.
Preparation
Check Hardware and Software Versions
Check hardware and software versions:
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Controller version: 2.17 or above
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Mech-Vision & Mech-Viz versions: 1.7.0 or above
Set up the Network Connection
Connect the Hardware
Plug the Ethernet cable into an Ethernet port on the IPC and the LAN port inside the controller.
Modify the IP Address
You can change the IP address of either of the following ports, to make sure the two IP addresses are in the same subnet.
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Follow these steps to change the IP address of the controller LAN port.
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Turn the key to TEACH, and check if the current user account is Admin in the lower left.
If it’s not Admin, press the user account and select Admin. Then, enter the password (default password: 333333) and press OK.
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Select
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Set the IP address. Then, press Save to save the change.
Back up User Data
It is recommended to back up the user data on the robot before operating the robot, in order to recover the data if any damage occurs due to the operation. In case any issue occurs, you can use the backup file to restore the robot system.
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Insert the flash drive into the USB port on the controller.
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On the teach pendant, select
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Select OK in the pop-up window.
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If the backup is successful, you can find a rbctrl folder on the flash drive. The backup data are stored in this folder.
Test Master-Control Communication
Create a Mech-Viz Project
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Open Mech-Viz, press Ctrl+N on the keyboard to create a new project. Select the robot model corresponding to your real robot brand and model on the interface as shown below.
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Press Ctrl+S and create or select a folder to save the project.
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Right-click the project name in the left panel in Mech-Viz and select Autoload Project.
Connect to the Robot
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Click Master-Control Robot on the toolbar of Mech-Viz.
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Input the IP address of the real robot in Robot IP address (the IP address in the picture is only an example). Click Connect the robot.
If Mech-Viz successfully connects the real robot, the current status will change to Connected. Meanwhile, the icon in the toolbar will turn from blue to green.
If the connection fails, please double-check the robot IP address.
Move the Robot
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In the toolbar of Mech-Viz, change the “Vel.” (velocity) and “Acc.” (acceleration) parameters to 5%.
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Click Sync Robot in the toolbar, and you can synchronize the poses of the simulated robot in the 3D simulation space with the poses of the real robot. Then click Sync Robot again to unselect it.
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In the Robot tab, slightly adjust the value of “J1”, for example, from 0˚ to 3˚. This operation will move the simulated robot.
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Click Move real robot and check if the real robot has moved. If the real robot has reached the JPs set for the simulated robot, the master-control communication is working.
When moving the robot, please ensure the safety of personnel. In the case of an emergency, press the emergency stop button on the teach pendant!