My robotic arm doesn’t seem to be communicating with any PC i use it on. When I go into timeouts and do the Ver test it only ever receives 13 bytes regardless of what the timeout is set at. I presume this is why it is not saving the confuguration. Help???
hello liz.knight1,
receiving 13 bytes with the “VER” test is perfectly normal…
i’m not sure of what you call “saving configuration on the SSC-32 card”,
could you please explain the problem step by step ?
what you do, what is not working…etc…detailled please,
this way we should be able to help you.
When I go into the set-up of the arm i can enable all the servos then click on save and the settings do not save. I then go into the moves window and it tells me I need to enable certain servos first. I think it is either a software or a communications problem but any help would be gratefully received.
are the servos “not enabled” told by the warning message “really” enable or not in the real world ?
i mean are they really enabled after the warning message or did they “auto disable” ?
if they are disable it’s a problem with the power supply source, making the SSC-32 card to reset because there’s not enough current.
if they are still “on”, it’s a communication problem, making RIOS think the servos are disable because there’s no response from the SSC-32 during the “timeout” value (no response means “not enable” by default)
if so, are you using a serial cable ?
…plugged into an embedded PC COM port or on an additional PCI card with COM port(s) ?
what are the current timeouts values ?
read interval :
read total constant :
read total multiplier :
could you try :
read interval : 100
read total constant : 10
read total multiplier : 10
if it’s not working try :
read interval : 0
read total constant : 100
read total multiplier : 10
then at last :
read interval : 0
read total constant : 0
read total multiplier : 100
if there’s still a problem please tell me what servos are told as disable and what are told as enable by the warning message
Hi sorry for taking so long getting back to you. I just received a new power supply in the post from Active robots. It provides me with 6V and 2A so current should not be the problem. Unfortunately despite trying all your suggestions I still cannot get the configuration to save. When i go back into the SSC-32 window all servos have been disabled. The error message says I have to enable servos 1, 2 and 3 which are the shoulder, elbow and wrist or my robot will crash.
I am currently running version 1.04 of the RIOS software would downloading the upgrade help at all with this problem? At a loss as to what to try next.
Thanks
Are you using a serial cable ?
…plugged into an embedded PC COM port or on an additional PCI card with COM port(s) ?
an USB to serial cable ?
a Wiport ?
i need to know that to help configuring the timeouts.
are the servos “not enabled” told by the warning message “really” enable or not in the real world ?
i mean are they really enabled after the warning message or did they “auto disable” ?
please answer this too, check if servos are really disable on the robot, try to move shoulder or elbow gently with your hand to see if they are “on” after the error message.
in the timeouts form, click on “default” then use “200” for read interval
then enable all the servos and go to the play form to see if the error message is showing up again.
then repeat this using 300, 400 etc… to 1000 max for read interval
is the SSC-32 configured to 115200bps ?
if so, check too the RIOS COM port setup :
Baud rate : 115200
Data bits : 8
Stop bits : 1
Parity : None
Flow Control : None
on Windows, is your COM port FIFO buffer enabled ?
could you try on another COM port ? (don’t forget to change the COM port# in RIOS too)
could you try on another PC ?, this will help to know if it’s a problem with the SSC-32 card or if it’s a problem with this PC’s COM port…
can you move the servos with sliders in the SSC-32 config form ?
Hi!
Yes i am using a serial cable. It is connected to an embedded com port. I have tried changing the timeouts to the various settings you suggested. The SSC-32 is configured to 115200bps. The RIOS com port setup is as you described. COM port is FIFO enabled.
I have been trying to run this on a laptop running Windows 98 but have now installed it on a network PC running Windows XP. Still no joy!
The servos all move in the SSC-32 window.
Have I got it powered correctly? I have the VL powered by a 9V battery and the VS1 powered by a 6v 2A adapter.
Not sure what else to try.
Just to let you know i further explored the lack of current theory and found a break in the circuit. The solder joint on the VS1 was broken. I have re-soldered this and the arm is now working perfectly.
Thanks for your help.
Wow that’s a good news !
don’t forget to set the timeouts to “default” now, it will work better this way.