Adept DeskTop Online User Guide

Transcription

1 Adept DeskTop 4.3 Online User Guide June 2007 Adept DeskTop Online User Guide Welcome to the Adept DeskTop 4.3 Online User Guide. To help get you started, use links below to selected topics. What would you like to do? Connect to a controller Learn about the Using Adept DeskTop Interface Learn about Adept DeskTop Layouts Learn about Access Levels Find information on the following: Task Manager Control Program Manager Control Robot Control Tool Transformation Control Digital I/O Control Switches and Parameters Control System Information Control Variable Manager Control Code Library Control Frame Manager Control Monitor Terminal Control Watch Variable Control Jog Pendant Control Keyword Browser Control Operator Control Look for additional help on the Adept Website

2 Installing Adept DeskTop The following procedures describe pre-installation steps as well as the installation procedures. The Adept DeskTop software for the PC is distributed on CD-ROM. The media contains installation programs to properly install the software on the PC. The following software will be installed: Microsoft.NET Framework 2.0 Adept DeskTop Help Files Before Installing Adept DeskTop Software Before you install Adept DeskTop you must complete the following steps: 1. Install the Adept controller. 2. Uninstall any previous Adept DeskTop versions installed on your computer before installing the new version. Installing Adept DeskTop Software To install Adept DeskTop: 1. Insert the CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive of your PC. If Autoplay is enabled, the Adept DeskTop CD-ROM menu is displayed. If Autoplay is disabled, you will need to manually start the CD-ROM. 2. Click Read Important Information. Information about the CD-ROM, the Adept online documentation, and any last-minute release notes is displayed. 3. After reviewing the information, click the 'Close' icon in the upper-right corner of the information window to close it. 4. Follow the instructions on screen. 5. Do not change the default destination folder to which Adept DeskTop will be installed. After installation, Adept DeskTop can be started from the Start menu bar in Windows. Adept DeskTop Online Help 2

3 System Requirements To run and use Adept DeskTop Software, the following hardware and software are required. PC Requirements Hardware Software Processor: Minimum: P4 / 1 GHz or higher Disk Space: 500MB recommended minimum Memory: Minimum: 256 MB RAM. Your operating system may require more. Monitor: SVGA, minimum resolution 800x600 Ethernet card and networking hardware required for Ethernet connection. Serial-interface cable required for serial connection. Operating System (OS): Windows XP (SP1 or SP2) or Windows 2000 (SP3 or SP4), with latest critical updates for the version of Windows that you are running. Microsoft.NET Framework version 2.0 (included in the Adept DeskTop installer) Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.01 or later. Necessary for viewing Online help. Controller Requirements Adept SmartController or AIB (amp in base) controller V+: version 16.2D3 or higher MicroV+: 2.1A8 for Adept Cobra i600/800 Network Requirements A fixed IP address is required for both the PC and the Controller. Typically, IP addresses are allocated by your IT department. Adept DeskTop Online Help 3

4 Configuring Ethernet Communications There are many ways to configure the Ethernet communications for your Adept DeskTop system. You can set up a basic Ethernet installation between one PC and one Adept controller. Or you can set up more complex systems involving multiple PCs and controllers. For complete information on using Ethernet in your Adept system refer to the online documentation in the Adept Document Library on the Adept Website at adept_title_index.htm Once in the Adept Document Library, go to Software Titles/PC Software and select AdeptWindows. Open the Installation topic to view numerous subtopics on installing and configuring Ethernet and NFS servers. In addition, refer to the Procedures, FAQs, & Troubleshooting section under Quick Links, for topics that include: Ethernet Troubleshooting Guide Methods for mounting an NFS Drive Using NFS Server with Windows Using Omni-NFS Server with Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) Adept DeskTop Online Help 4

5 Getting Started with Adept DeskTop To access the full functionality of Adept DeskTop, you will need to connect to a Controller. For example, you must connect to a controller to create or edit programs.see Connecting to a Controller. Before Starting an Adept DeskTop Session If you are currently running TFTP, you must stop the session. TFTP is integrated in Adept DeskTop and running TFTP separately will interfere with some functions, such as the File Manager utility. Verify if you will need an Access Level password. See the Access Levels section. Starting an Adept DeskTop Session To start Adept DeskTop: 6. Open Adept DeskTop. From Windows select Start > Programs > Adept Technology> Adept DeskTop Typically, you will have to log in to an Access Level with a password. See the Access Levels section. 8. Connect to a controller. This is necessary to access the full functionality of Adept DeskTop. See Connecting to a Controller. 9. If needed, configure personal preferences in the Options form. See Setting Adept DeskTop Options. 10.See Using Adept DeskTop Interface for information on the Adept DeskTop environment. Related Topics Using Adept DeskTop Interface Opening and Displaying Control Windows Adept DeskTop Menus Adept DeskTop Online Help 5

6 Using Adept DeskTop Interface The Adept DeskTop interface is based on the Windows Visual Studio development interface and Window standards. The appearance of the Adept DeskTop interface can be modified using the multiple document interface (MDI) functionality. You can modify and save the configuration of the desktop as 'layouts'. See Adept DeskTop Layouts. This section illustrates and explains different parts of the Adept DeskTop interface, including: Menus, Toolbar, Status bar, Program Editor window, and Control windows. Menu Toolbar Toggle 'pushpin' icon to autohide a docked window 'Hidden' Control Windows Control Windows Status bar Keyword description Program Editor Figure 1 Adept DeskTop - Docked Windows Menus The following drop-down menus are available in the menu bar: File, View, Utilities, Tools, Windows, and Help. See the Adept DeskTop Menus topic for more information on these menus. Toolbar The toolbar appears directly under the menu bar. Icons in the toolbar provide quick access to Adept DeskTop controls. Hover the cursor over an icon to see the name. Status Bar The Status Bar displays the information on the following: Access Level (on bottom left) Controller OS version IP Address Connection State (icon at bottom right) Adept DeskTop Online Help 6

7 Control Windows A Control, sometimes called a Tool, is a module that provides specific functionalities to Adept DeskTop. Controls interfaces can be docked almost anywhere in the interface as shown in Figure 1. For additional help on docking or displaying windows, see Opening and Displaying Control Windows Most control windows provide a toolbar, for executing processes and tasks to the control. Other interface elements that can be found in control windows are message boxes, displays, status bars, and context menus. Program Editor Window The Program Editor is an online, interactive editor for V+ and MicroV+ programs. The Program Editor performs syntax checking and formatting while you are programming. It also provides debugging functionality. See the Program Editor topic for more details. The Program Editor cannot be moved or docked in the interface. However you can open multiple pages (program windows, as shown in Figure 2.) Adept DeskTop toolbar Control window toolbar Various program windows are currently open in the Program Editor Connection status Figure 2 Multiple Program Editor Windows Displaying Various Programs Adept DeskTop Online Help 7

8 Opening and Displaying Control Windows Controls can be opened from the Adept DeskTop toolbar. The positions and state of control widows can be saved: See Adept DeskTop Layouts. Control windows can be placed in several different positions and configurations relative to the main window of the Adept DeskTop interface: Docked Windows: A dockable window can be connected to the border of the primary interface window to create a docked window. To dock a window, drag the title bar of the window to an edge of the main interface window. To undock a window, drag the title bar of the window away from away from the edges of the main interface. Tabbed Window: Windows can dragged on top of each other and combined to form a single tabbed window. There is no limit to the number of tabbed windows the user can put on top of each other. However, it may make it difficult to see the complete description of the tab if there are too many. Floating Window: Any docked window can be dragged off to become a separate, floating window. You can drag and add other controls window to a floating window. Auto Hide Mode: Windows in auto-hide mode are automatically hidden when not in use. To auto-hide a window, click the pushpin icon at top right of the window (See Figure 1.) The hidden window is visibly identified by a tab. To display a hidden window, hover above the tab that identifies the window To remove the auto-hide mode, hover over the tab to display the window and click the pushpin icon. You cannot auto-hide a floating window. Related Topics Adept DeskTop Layouts Adept DeskTop Menus Adept DeskTop Online Help 8

9 Adept DeskTop Menus The following section gives an overview of the Adept DeskTop menus. Depending on your system, setup, and user licenses, the menus in your interface may differ from the descriptions and images below. File Menu New Program: See Creating a New Program. Connect: Establishes communication between DeskTop and the controller. See Connecting to a Controller. Disconnect: Halts communications between Adept DeskTop the controller. Change Access Level: See Access Levels. Layout: See Adept DeskTop Layouts. Page Setup..., Print Preview..., Print...: Provides options for printing documents (programs) that are open in the Program Editor. Exit: Closes Adept DeskTop. Adept DeskTop Online Help 9

10 View Menu Controller Configuration: V+ Utilities: Opens the V+ Utilities Control. Auto-Start: Opens the Switches and Parameters Control. Debug Tools: Watch Variable: Opens the Watch Variable Control. Monitor Terminal: Opens a Monitor Terminal window. See Monitor Terminal Control. System Resources: Digital I/O: Opens the Digital I/O Control. Switches and Parameters: Opens the Switches and Parameters Control to the Auto Start switch. MicroV+ systems only. Variable Manager: Opens the Variable Manager Control. System Information: Opens the System Information Control. Adept Graphics Window: Opens the Adept Graphics Window Control. The remaining selections can be toggled on or off the displaying of Adept DeskTop controls. See related sections on controls. For AdeptSight, see the AdeptSight online help. Utilities Menu The utilities available from this menu depend on the type of system and the active licenses that are installed on the system. The following are usually available to all systems and users. File Manager: Opens the File Manager Utility. License Manager: Opens the License Manager Utility. Pick and Place Wizard: Opens the Pick and Place Wizard. Adept DeskTop Online Help 10

11 Tools Menu Options...: Opens the Options form. See Setting Adept DeskTop Options. The following may be available depending on the Access Level of the user. Access Level Manager...: See Access Level Manager. Controller IP Config...: See Controller IP Configuration Wizard. Operations Manager...: See Operations Manager. Windows Menu Shows list of all windows currently open in the Program Editor and provides options for closing these windows. A dot indicates the topmost (active) window in the Program Editor. Adept DeskTop Online Help 11

12 Access Levels When you first open an Adept DeskTop session, you are prompted for a Access Level (user name) and password as show in Figure 6. What Are Access Levels? An Access Level is a set of parameters that define user access to Adept DeskTop controls, utilities and functionality. An Access Level includes a name, a password, and permissions. Permissions for controls and utilities can be set as Full, Read-Only, or Hidden. Only a system administrator can change and create passwords, and create and modify Access Levels. A system administrator logs in at the Level 1 access level. The Level1 access level cannot be deleted. It is strongly recommended that on the first Adept DeskTop session, the system administrator create a password through the Access Level Manager. Once additional levels have been set by the Administrator, subsequent Adept DeskTop sessions will display the Access Level of the user of the previous Adept DeskTop session. Figure 6 Enter Access Level and Password Entering an Access Level The Enter Level Access form allows you to enter an Access Level, with a valid name and password. Access Level Enter a valid Access level, or select an existing access level from the dropdown list. Password If an incorrect or non-existent Access Level is entered, the error message shown in Figure 6 appears. Passwords can only be created and assigned by a top-level administrator (Level 1 access level). Passwords are encrypted. If an incorrect password is entered, the error message shown in Figure 6 appears. If you have lost or forgotten your password you must contact the administrator of your Adept DeskTop software for a new password. If you are the top-level administrator and have lost your password, you will have to contact Adept Customer Support. Adept DeskTop Online Help 19

13 Changing Access Levels You can at any time change Access Levels. Before changing Access Levels you should save any changes made to programs if necessary; these changes may be lost if you change to a level that does not have full access to saving programs. To change the Access Level: 1. From the menu select File > Change Access Level. 2. Alternatively you can double-click on the Access Level in the Adept DeskTop status bar. 3. You will be prompted to save any changes you have made to programs while in the current Access Level. 4. To make changes, Click No, save changes and restart step Enter the new access level name and password Adept DeskTop Online Help 20

14 Access Level Manager The Access Level Manager allows the system administrator to set access levels for all the controls, utilities, and functions of the Adept DeskTop program. This tool is restricted to the top-level administrators of the system, who are logged in at Access Level 1, by default named 'Admin'. Note:If you are not logged into the session as the 'Admin' system administrator of Adept DeskTop, the Access Level Manager is not available. Purpose of the Access Level Manager The Access Level Manager is used to manage the list of access levels and add, delete or edit the settings Access levels. To open the Access Level Manager: 1. Make sure you are logged in at the Level 1 access level. 2. Choose Tools > Access Level Manager The Access Level Manager control opens, as illustrated in Figure See Configuring and Adding Access Levels for details on creating and editing Access Levels. List of all currently existing access levels Figure 7 Access Level Manager Using the Access Level Manager The Access Level manager displays the list of existing Access Levels. Use the New, Edit, Clone, Delete buttons to make modifications to this list. In this dialog, you can also enable Adept DeskTop to 'lock' after a certain time of inactivity. New Opens the Access Level Editor for creation of a new level. Permissions to all controls and utilities will initially set to Hidden. Edit Opens the Access Level Editor for editing of the selected Access Level. Adept DeskTop Online Help 21

15 Clone Opens the Access Level Editor with same settings as the selected Access Level. The administrator level cannot be cloned. Delete Deletes the selected Access Level. The administrator level cannot be deleted. Lock when not used for When enabled, Adept DeskTop will lock when it has been idle for the set number of minutes. Once locked, the user must log in with an access level name and password. If you reenter at the same access level as before the lock up, your session will continue. If you enter another access level, your session will be closed and a new session will be opened with the new access level. Related Topics Configuring and Adding Access Levels Adept DeskTop Online Help 22

16 Configuring and Adding Access Levels The Access Level Editor provides the interface in which an administrator can set and modify the Access Level parameters. Level 1 administrators can modify all settings but cannot modify the permissions for Level 1, which is the administrator level for Adept DeskTop. Relative value assigned to the current level. Higher numbers indicate more restrictions. Lower numbers indicate less restrictions Drop-down menu provides permission options Level Figure 8 Access Level Settings Levels values range from 1 to 10. The permissions associated with each level are relative and can be set by the Administrator. Only Level 1 permissions cannot be modified. Level 1 is the top level and is reserved for administrators of the system. You cannot delete Level 1, nor change the permissions for this access level. The only changes allowed to Level 1 are modifications to the name and password. You cannot create another Level 1 access level; if you try to create another Level 1, it will be automatically changed to Level 2. Name The name assigned to the Access Level should reflects the status or function of users who will use the Access Level. When Adept DeskTop is installed, there are initially four predefined Access Levels, which can be modified by a Level 1 administrator. Admin. Level 1. Full access to all controls and utilities visible in the Access Level Editor. This is the only level that can access the Access Level Manager and a few other tools such as the Operations Manager and the Controller Network Configuration Utility. Adept DeskTop Online Help 23

17 Developer. Level 2. Full access to all controls and utilities visible in the Access Level Manager. Cannot administrate or configure Access Levels. Maintenance.Level 5. Full access to most controls. Read only access to Program Editor and variables. Operator. Level 10. Full access only to Operator Control, Robot Control and Adept Graphics Window. All other controls and utilities are hidden. Password/Confirm Password Create and confirm passwords in these fields. Passwords are optional, but strongly recommended. Note:If you are a Level 1 administrator make sure that you do not lose your password. If you forget or lose your administrator password, you will need to contact Adept Technical Support. Controls and Utilities The Controls and Utilities tabs display elements for which permissions can be set. Use the drop-down list to set permissions for the Adept DeskTop controls and utilities. The available permissions (Access Type) are: Full: Full capacity to use, edit, and set properties of a controls and utilities. Read Only: the user can open a control or utility but not modify properties. Hidden: A hidden control or utility cannot be opened nor seen by the user. To modify the permission on a control or utility: 1. Select an item from the Control or Utilities tab. 2. Double-click in the Access Type column. 3. Select the permission type (Access Type) from the drop-down box. 4. You can also set all access types (permissions) to a same value from the context menu. To do so, right-click in the list to display the context menu then select Set all items to > type. See Figure 9. Adept DeskTop Online Help 24

18 Figure 9 Setting all Access Types to the Same Value Cancel Cancels changes and closes the form. OK Makes changes to access level settings and parameters, and closes the form. Adept DeskTop Online Help 25

19 Connecting to a Controller To use most of the Adept DeskTop tools and functions you must be connected to a controller. Adept DeskTop can be used with the following controllers: Adept SmartController CX Adept AIB controller in an Adept Cobra i600 or Adept Cobra i800 robot Adept AIB in Smart Amp/SmartAxis Note:When you attempt scan/connect to a controller for the first time in Adept DeskTop, the Windows XP Firewall may block the scanning or connecting operations. In such a case, Click 'Off' in the Windows Firewall window. This will add Adept DeskTop to the list of exceptions, and unblock scanning and connecting. After this, you may have to close the connection dialog and reattempt the operation To connect to a controller: 1. From the menu, select File>Connect In the Connect To Controller form, select the System Type. 3. Depending on the System Type, select either the required COM port or the Ethernet address. 4. If necessary, click Scan to browse and locate the address of controllers that are available on the network. 5. Click Connect to complete connection to the required Controller. If another computer is already connected to this controller you will be prompted to choose between continuing or cancelling the connection request. 6. The connection status is displayed in the Adept DeskTop status bar. See Figure 5. Select Controller type Enter or select Address/COM port List of the available addresses or COM ports for the selected controller Scan to locate addresses of controllers currently on the network Figure 4 Connect to Controller Form System Type Select the type of controller to which you want to connect. Adept DeskTop Online Help 17

20 Address Enter, or select from the list at right, the Ethernet address of the controller to which you want to connect. This appears only if the selected System Type is SmartController. COM Enter, or select from the list at right, the COM port of the controller to which you want to connect. This appears if the selected System Type is Cobra iseries or Smart Axis. Scan Scans the network to find the ethernet address of available controller. Addresses found by the Scan procedure are displayed in the list box. Connect Initiates the connection to the controller and closes the form. The status connection icon appears in the Adept DeskTop status bar. See Figure 5. Cancel Cancels changes and closes the form. Address or Port of the controller Connection status icon: Double-click to connect/ disconnect Figure 5 Connection Status Icon in the Status Bar Adept DeskTop Online Help 18

21 Adept DeskTop Layouts Windows and tools can be positioned in different manners in the Adept DeskTop user interface, due to a multiple document interface (MDI), much like Visual Studio. This allows you to position child windows in the main Adept DeskTop window (docked) or in separate windows (floating). Docked windows can be displayed at all times (standard tabs) or auto-hidden (side tabs). The layout of the user interface refers to position and state of windows in the Adept DeskTop user interface. You can configure layouts to suit different needs. For example, the system programmer can create a custom user interface layout for programming tasks, and create a different desktop for the workcell operator. Toggle pushpin icon to auto-hide a docked window Move (hover) cursor over tab to display windows that are 'hidden' (Auto-Hide) Docked windows can be repositioned by dragging with the cursor Status bar Figure 10 Adept DeskTop - Docked Windows Default Layouts There are three default layouts installed with Adept DeskTop. These layouts cannot be deleted nor modified. Adept DeskTop Default: Shows the controls and windows most commonly used to create and edit programs and tasks. Empty: Useful for creating a completely new layout. See Creating a Custom DeskTop Layout. Operator: Useful for configuring a layout that corresponds to an Operator access Level. See Operator Layout. Adept DeskTop Online Help 26

22 Operator Layout The default Operator Layout contains only the windows that are enabled when the default Operator Level user access is enabled. These controls are those typically required for basic operation-level tasks in a workcell: The Robot Control The Operator Control Note:Selecting the Operator Layout will NOT log the user into the Operator Access Level. Robot Control Operator Control Figure 11 Default Operator Layout Changing Layouts To change layouts: 1. From the Adept DeskTop menu select File >Layout >Select > layout name 2. Select a layout from the list of available layouts. Available layouts are the default Adept DeskTop layouts and any layouts you have saved. Any layouts saved in previous Adept DeskTop versions are displayed in Adept DeskTop 4.1. Note that layouts are no longer stored as *.lyt files as in previous versions; layouts are now stored as part of your Adept DeskTop preferences, on your computer. Saving Layouts At any given moment, you can save the layout information as a new layout. See Saving DeskTop Layouts for more details. Adept DeskTop Online Help 27

23 Deleting Layouts To delete a layout: 1. Choose File > Layout > Delete > layout name. 2. Choose the layout you want to delete. Default layouts do not appear in the list because the cannot be deleted. See Default Layouts. Adept DeskTop Online Help 28

24 Creating a Custom DeskTop Layout Adept DeskTop allows you to create and save custom desktop layouts. After a desktop layout is created and saved, it can be loaded through the Adept DeskTop menu bar. This allows you to create layout that is tailored for your application, or for a specific type of user. For example, a system designer may create a custom desktop for programming tasks, and create a different desktop for the workcell operator. To create a new layout, you can start from the default "Empty" layout. To create a new custom layout: 1. From the Adept DeskTop menu, select File > Layout > Select > Empty. 2. Begin placing items on the blank desktop. For example, if you would like your desktop to contain a Robot Control window, from the Adept DeskTop menu bar, select View > Robot Control. Robot Control window is displayed on the desktop. 3. Continue placing items on the desktop until it contains everything required for your application. 4. Position each item on the desktop by clicking the title bar of the item and dragging the item to the desired position. The position of windows and items will be saved in the layout. 5. To remove an item from the desktop, simply click on the item to select it. Then, click the Close icon (located in the upper right corner of the item window) to remove the item. After you have arranged items on the desktop; save your layout so that you can reload the layout at a later time. For more details on saving the current desktop, see Saving Layouts. Related Topics Saving DeskTop Layouts Adept DeskTop Online Help 29

25 Saving DeskTop Layouts A configuration of windows and controls in the Adept DeskTop interface is called a 'layout'. Layouts can be saved to memory and recalled when needed. There are three default layouts provided in Adept DeskTop: Adept DeskTop Default Operator Layout Empty You cannot delete default layouts but you can use default layouts as a basis for creating custom layouts. To save the current Adept DeskTop layout: 1. From the Adept DeskTop menu, select: File > Layout > Save (or Save As...). 2. Enter information in the Enter new layout name form. 3. Once the layout is saved you can reload it from the menu selecting File > Layout > Select > layoutname. Figure 12 Adept DeskTop - Saving a New Layout Layout name Enter the name of the layout. OK Saves the current layout with the new name and close the form. Cancel Cancels changes and closes the form. Related Topics Default Layouts Creating a Custom DeskTop Layout Adept DeskTop Online Help 30

26 Setting Adept DeskTop Options The Options form allows you to customize the appearance of Adept DeskTop. For example, from this form, you can: Set the text size and colors for the Program Editor. Set the text size and colors for the Monitor Terminal. Set startup options and other program preferences. To open the Options tool: 1. Select: Tools > Options. 2. Select a folder icon to access options and preferences for various items. Figure 3 Adept DeskTop Options Form To modify options: 1. In the list at left of the Options form, select an option. Options are classed into three categories: Controls, Desktop, or Controller. 2. Settings and parameters for the selected option are displayed on the right side of the Options form. 3. For more details on configuring options, refer to the following topics: Setting Controls Options Setting Desktop Options Setting Controller Options Adept DeskTop Online Help 12

27 Setting Controls Options Use options in the tab to set the colors, fonts and other appearance properties of the Program Editor and the Monitor Terminal. The Sample display shows the effect of the selected settings. Font Opens a Font properties form in which you can select font type, color, and size. Display items This lists allows you to select an item and view or select the color that is used to display the item in the Program Editor or the Monitor Terminal. Color Click this button to select and change the color that will be used to display a selected item in the Program Editor or the Monitor Terminal. Syntax Highlighting Syntax highlighting is a feature of the Program Editor that assign different colors to V+ and MicroV+ code, according to the category of elements in a program. This enables you to easily identify elements in a program and helps debug and identify syntax errors. By default, syntax highlighting is enabled. To modify syntax highlighting colors: 1. Select a category in the Display items list. 2. Click the Color button. 3. Select or create a color in the Color picker dialog, then click OK. Legacy keyboard shortcuts Enabling this check box applies the legacy shortcut keys used with the Adept Windows SEE editor. By default Adept DeskTop 4.3 applies standard Windows shortcut keys. Long-time users of Adept DeskTop may prefer to use the legacy shortcuts. To do so enable this check box. Table 1: and Table 2: illustrate some standard keyboard shortcuts and legacy keyboard shortcuts. Table 1: Example of standard Window (R) keyboard shortcuts used by Adept DeskTop Keys Ctrl+A Ctrl+C Ctrl+F Ctrl+V Ctrl+X Ctrl+Z F1 F5 LEFT ARROW RIGHT ARROW UP ARROW Action Select All Copy Find Paste Cut Undo Display contextual Help window Execute (run) a program Left one unit Right one unit Up one unit or line Adept DeskTop Online Help 13

28 Keys DOWN ARROW HOME END TAB Action Down one unit or line To the beginning of the line /To the beginning of the data (topmost position) To the end of the line /To the end of the data (bottommost position) Next field / To next tab position Table 2: Example of Legacy Keyboard Shortcuts Keys Ctrl+B Ctrl+S or Shift+F5 Ctrl+X or F5 Ctrl+G Pause Ctrl+R Ctrl+P Action Add or remove breakpoints to a program. Single step operation that skips stepping through a subroutine call. Single step operation that will enter a subroutine call. The current position of the cursor becomes the next point the program starts from. Pause the program task execution. Retries the current line. Proceeds the task until the next break point or program terminates. Adept DeskTop Online Help 14

29 Setting Desktop Options Open "Terminal Monitor" control on program output When this option is enabled, the Monitor Terminal control automatically opens on program output, if the program uses a TYPE instruction. If the Monitor Terminal window is already open, there is no effect. If this option is selected and there is active output from a program, you will not be able to close the monitor window. Load Utilities When this option is enabled, Adept DeskTop loads external utilities. Disable this option to speed up loading of Adept DeskTop or when debugging the system. Show Version in title bar When this option is enabled, the Adept DeskTop software version is displayed in the title bar of the Adept DeskTop window. Maximize DeskTop on startup When this option is enabled, the Adept DeskTop interface window is maximized in your monitor when you open an Adept DeskTop session. Help Location Adept DeskTop has integrated online help that you can access at anytime by clicking F1. However, to access additional Adept documentation that is not included in the integrated online help, you can use this option to set the location of documentation that is located elsewhere, such as on the Adept Online Manuals CD. Open Connect dialog on startup When this option is enabled, the Connect to Controller dialog automatically opens when you open an Adept DeskTop session. Adept DeskTop Online Help 15

30 Setting Controller Options Automatically connect using the last connection When this option is enabled, Adept DeskTop will automatically connect to the controller through the last used connection method. Check for DDT prompt for V+ Systems When this option is enabled, Adept DeskTop detects and displays the DDT window. This option is enabled by default. If DDT is not detected, Adept DeskTop attempts to connect to the control during system startup. Disabling DDT detection can speed up connection time. On Error These options affect the actions performed by Adept DeskTop when the controller encounters an error. By default, Ask user for directives is enabled. Close the connection When this option is enabled, Adept DeskTop automatically closes if there is a communication error. The error is logged to the file before exiting Adept DeskTop. Ask user for directives When this option is enabled and an error occurs Adept DeskTop will ask the user what action to take. All communication errors are logged to a file even if they are ignored. Adept DeskTop Online Help 16

31 Program Manager Control The Program Manager control allows you to create, load, store and delete programs. Also, from the Program Manager you assign programs to specific tasks by dragging programs to tasks in the Task Manager. To open the Program Manager 1. From the Adept DeskTop menu, select View > Program Manager. 2. Alternatively, select the Program Manager icon from the toolbar. 3. Dock the window if needed. Typically, it is docked above the Task Manager window to facilitate dragging programs to the task list. Program Manager toolbar To assign a program to a task, drag program onto a task in the Task Modules and programs currently on the controller. Bold letters indicate that one or more programs have been modified Figure 13 Program Manager Control in V+ The appearance of the Program Manager differs depending on whether you are in V+ or MicroV+. The Program Manager in V+ In V+, program files are 'contained' in one or more modules as illustrated in Figure 13. See Using the Program Manager Control and Saving Programs in V+ for more information. The Program Manager in MicroV+ In Micro V+, Programs are not 'contained' in modules; all programs are listed in a 'flat' hierarchy as shown in Figure 14. Programs are not stored as files, instead they are saved as a block, on the controller, in NVRAM. You cannot drag and drop programs from the PC into the task manager You cannot copy/paste programs. Adept DeskTop Online Help 31

32 Program Manager toolbar Programs currently on the controller. Bold letters indicate that one or more programs have been modified To assign a program to a task, drag program onto a task in the Task Manager Figure 14 Program Manager Control in MicroV+ Protected Programs and Modules Protected programs are displayed in the program manager but these programs cannot be renamed, modified, moved or deleted. The module that contains one or more protected programs is a protected module that shares the same restrictions as a protected program. Cut and Copy functions are not active on protected items. Programs cannot be added to a protected module. A protected program in a module cannot be deleted. This preserves the integrity of the module. You cannot create a code clip from protected elements nor copy the element to a clipboard. You can drop a protected item to a task in the Task Manager. Program Manager Toolbar and Context Menu The actions or tasks described below launched from the toolbar or the context menu. Adept DeskTop Online Help 32

33 Toolbar Context menu Figure 15 Program Manager Toolbar and Context menu Edit selected program Opens a selected program in the Program Editor. If the program is already open, it becomes the active program in the Program Editor. If there is an error in the program code, the icon changes to a question mark to indicate this condition. Create New Program Opens the New Program dialog that asks for the new program name and module name. See Creating a New Program. Open Program Opens a existing program file and adds it tho the Program Manager. See Opening Programs in the Program Editor. Save As... Saves files to PC or Controller. See Saving Programs and Modules for details and differences between V+ and MicroV+ systems. Save Module Saves the module with the last filename used to load or save the module. If this file has been previously saved, a dialog opens showed to ask for a filename. Unsaved modules appear in bold type in Program Manager list. Does not apply to MicroV+ systems. Save All Modules Saves all modules currently in the Program Manager to the controller, with the last used filename. A dialog opens for each filename that is not yet defined. Does not apply to MicroV+ systems. Save All Reals Saves to file all real values currently in the selected program. The values are stored to the specified destination, with the file extension 'rv'. Adept DeskTop Online Help 33

34 Save All Locations Saves to file all location values currently in the selected program. The values are stored to the specified destination, with the file extension 'lc. Save All Strings Saves to file all string values currently in the selected program. The values are stored to the specified destination with the file extension 'st'. Cut Program Removes a selected program so it can be pasted to another module. If the program is not pasted elsewhere, it is permanently deleted. Does not apply to MicroV+ systems. Copy Program Copies a program so it can be pasted to another module. Does not apply to MicroV+ systems. Paste Pastes (adds) the program to a selected module after a Cut Program or Copy Program operation. Does not apply to MicroV+ systems. Search and Replace Opens a Search and Replace dialog that allows you to find and replace text in program files. Delete Permanently deletes the selected program so it can be pasted to another module. Zero contents of controller memory Clears from memory all programs and variables that have not been saved as well as any changes made to programs and modules since the last 'Save'. Rename Enables you to rename a selected program. This function is not active on protected items. Refresh Refreshes the list of programs in the Program Manager. Help Opens Adept Online Help to the Program Manager section. Note:There is no 'undo' for the Zero Memory operation. A warning prompt is displayed, with an option to cancel the operation, before this command is executed. Refresh list of programs Updates the list of modules and programs. Related Topics Creating a New Program Using the Program Manager Control Saving Programs and Modules Adept DeskTop Online Help 34

35 Using the Program Manager Control From the Program Manager control you can manage programs, create new programs, and assign programs to tasks. The use of the Program Manager control differs between V+ and MicroV+ systems. Refer to the section below that applies to your system. Modules and programs indicated by yellow icon are protected and cannot be modified Modules and programs in bold letters indicate unsaved modifications Figure 16 Program Manager Interface Managing Programs in V+ The Program Manager displays the list of all programs in a hierarchical view, organized by modules. From this list you can carry our various operations on programs through the toolbar, the context menu, or by dragging elements in the interface. Programs in the Program Manager are physically on the controller. Until a program is saved, it exists in volatile memory (RAM) only. See Saving Programs in V+ for details on saving files and modules. Opening Programs To open a program and add it to the program list: Drag any program file (*.V2) from the Microsoft Windows Explorer or the Adept File Manager Utility and drop it onto this area. The file will automatically be loaded into the memory of the connected Adept controller. From the toolbar, select Open Program. In the Open form, browse to find a file on the controller or on the computer. Creating New Programs See the section Creating a New Program. Saving Programs See the section Saving Programs in V+. Adept DeskTop Online Help 35

36 Deleting Programs Programs that are assigned to a task cannot be deleted from the Program Manager. For this reason you cannot delete a module that contains a program that is in a task execution stack. You must first clear the task execution task, then delete the program or module. See Using the Task Manager Control. You can delete either a selected program or module from the task, with the Delete Program/Module icon in the toolbar or the Delete instruction. Opening Programs in the Program Editor To open and edit a program in the Program Editor: Select a program in the list, then click the Edit Program toolbar or context menu. You can also double-click on a program in the list to open it in the Program Editor. Assigning a Program to a Task To assign a program to a task, select a program and drag it onto a task in the Task Manager. From there you can use the Task Manager operations to modify or manage the task. Renaming a Program To rename a program, select a program and then select Rename from the context menu or click F2. Alternatively, you can click on the program name in the list. When the name of the program is edited, the arguments and the parentheses are removed and only the name can be modified. The arguments and the parentheses are added back after editing. If you want to modify or remove arguments that appear after the program name, you must open the program in the Program Editor and modify or remove the arguments in the code. Moving Programs Between Modules A program can be moved or copied to other modules. Note that there cannot at any time be two or more programs with the same name. Therefore any program that is copied to another module must be renamed. To remove a program from a module and place it in another module: Select a program the use Cut Program operation followed by a Paste operation on a selected module. Alternatively, you can drag the selected program to a new module. If you drag a program to an empty area in the Program Manager, a dialog opens to ask you for a new module name; your program will be copied or moved to the new module. You cannot move a program that is currently assigned to a task. To copy a program from a module to another module: Select a program the use Copy Program operation followed by a Paste operation on a selected module. Drag the selected program, while holding the CTRL key, to a new module. Adept DeskTop Online Help 36

37 Managing Programs in MicroV+ The Program Manager displays the list of all programs currently in memory. From this list you can carry our various operations on programs through the toolbar, the context menu, or by dragging elements in the interface. Programs in the Program Manager are physically on the controller. Until a program is saved, it exists in volatile memory (RAM) only. See Saving Programs in MicroV+ for details on saving files and modules. Opening Programs To open a program from the PC: 1. From the toolbar, select Open Program > from PC. 2. In the Open form, browse to find a file on the controller or on the computer. To open a program in NVRAM: 1. From the toolbar, select Open Program > from NVRAM. Creating New Programs See the section Creating a New Program. Deleting Programs Programs that are assigned to a task cannot be deleted from the Program Manager. You must first clear the task s execution stack, then delete the program. See Using the Task Manager Control. You can delete either a selected program or module from the task, with the Delete Program/Module icon in the toolbar or the Delete instruction. Saving Programs See the section Saving Programs in MicroV+. Bold letters indicate unsaved changes Right-click here to display context menu Figure 17 Program Manager Context Menu in MicroV+ Opening Programs in the Program Editor To open and edit a program in the Program Editor Adept DeskTop Online Help 37

38 Select a program in the list, then click the Edit Program toolbar or context menu. You can also double-click on a program in the list to open it in the Program Editor. Assigning a Program to a Task To assign a program to a task, select a program and drag it onto a task in the Task Manager. From there you can use the Task Manager operations to modify or manage the task. Renaming a Program To rename a program, select a program and then select Rename from the context menu or click F2. Alternatively, you can click on the program name in the list. When the name of the program is edited, the arguments and the parentheses are removed and only the name can be modified. The arguments and the parentheses are added back after editing. If you want to modify or remove arguments that appear after the program name, you must open the program in the Program Editor and modify or remove the arguments in the code. Related Topics Creating a New Program Saving Programs and Modules Using the Task Manager Control Adept DeskTop Online Help 38

39 Creating a New Program To create a new program: 1. From the Adept DeskTop menu, select File > New Program. 2. Alternatively, from the Program Manager toolbar select Create New Program. 3. In the New Program form, enter the name for the new program and enter or select a module name. 4. The program is added to the Program Manager list, in the designated module and the new program is opened in the Program Editor. See Program Editor for information on writing and editing programs. 'Create New Program' icon opens New Program form Type module name or select it from list (V+ systems) Figure 18 New Program Form Program Name Enter the name of the new program of the program that will be created. If you want to create a program with arguments, you can specify the argument(s) in the program name, in parentheses. Figure 18 illustrates an example where the program 'prgrm_test' will be created containing the argument 'er'. Empty spaces are not allowed in program names. A name cannot exceed 15 characters. Module name Enter the name of the module to which the new program will be assigned or select a module name from the drop-down list. Empty spaces are not allowed in module names. A name cannot exceed 15 characters. Modules only apply to V+. There are no modules in a MicroV+ system. Create Creates the new program, adds it to the program Manager list, and opens the program in the Program Editor. Cancel Cancels any changes and closes the form. Help Opens the Adept DeskTop online help to the related help topic. Adept DeskTop Online Help 39

40 Related Topics Saving Programs and Modules Program Manager Control Adept DeskTop Online Help 40

41 Saving Programs and Modules The saving and storing of files on the controller differs between MicroV+ and V+ systems. This section describes the effect of the different actions that you can use to save program data in each of these systems. Saving Programs in V+ In V+, programs and modules can be save to the controller or the PC. You have the option of saving all modules, all programs, or only selected modules or programs. Optionally, you can save data in the files. See Table 3: for details on the correspondence between file saving options and V+ keywords. Figure 19 Save As dialog for Saving V+ Files Options for Saving As illustrated in Figure 19, there are three options that can modify the content of saved files. All When All is enabled, all modules and programs are saved. Selection Only When Selection Only is enabled, only the selected module or program is saved. All dependencies are also saved. with Data When with Data is enabled, all variable data used by the saved modules and programs is saved to file. Save As This operation allows you to saves the current selection under another filename. The Save dialog that opens allows you to save only the Selection (selected program or module) or All programs or modules that are in memory. Adept DeskTop Online Help 41

42 To save all variables that are in the saved module(s) or file(s) enable the with Data check box. Table 3: Relation between Save Options in Adept DeskTop and V+ Keywords Selected item Corresponding Keyword and effect Independent of the selection before selecting Save As: All All + with Data STORE, program name is empty STOREP and program name is empty When a module is selected: Selection Only STOREM with the Module name selected but without any data Selection Only + with Data STOREM with the Module name selected and with all the data When a program is selected Selection Only Selection Only + with Data STORE with the program name selected STOREP with the program name selected Save Module This operation saves the selected module to the controller, with the last filename used to load or save the module. This function is only available from the context menu when there are unsaved changes to the selected module. Module names are temporary and are not saved to memory. When you save a module, the programs it contains are saved with their respective names; the Module name is not saved. When you reopen the file to which the module programs were saved, Adept DeskTop opens a module that has the same name as the first file in the module. Save All Modules This operation saves all the modules to the controller, with the last filename used to load or save each module. Saving Programs in MicroV+ In MicroV+ programs are not saved to individual files. You cannot save only selected programs to the controller: all programs and data are saved to the contents of the NVRAM, overwriting existing data. MicroV+ programs are loaded from NVRAM into RAM, and saved from RAM into NVRAM. When the programs are saved into NVRAM, any existing programs are overwritten by the programs being saved. To avoid overwriting existing programs, you must first load all programs from NVRAM to RAM, create your new programs, and then save all programs back into NVRAM. Adept DeskTop Online Help 42

43 Figure 20 Saving Micro V+ Files Saving programs to NVRAM Saving programs to NVRAM saves all data that is in RAM and saves it to the NVRAM memory on the controller. Saved data includes: All programs All variables The related MicroV+ keyword for this action is STORE. See the MicroV+ Language Reference for details on storing files to NVRAM. To save a program to NVRAM: In the toolbar, select the Save As icon, and select to NVRAM. See Figure 20. Alternatively, right-click in the program list and select Save As > to NVRAM from the context menu. Saving Programs to the PC Saving programs to a PC provides an alternative to saving and overwriting NVRAM memory. Programs are saved to a single file that can then be opened from Adept DeskTop. If needed, program files saved on the PC can later be saved to the controller NVRAM memory When you store to PC you can optionally choose to save only programs, or all data, which includes programs and variables. To save a program to the PC: In the toolbar or context menu, select Save As > to PC In the Open dialog that opens create the filename an select the path for the file in which programs will be saved. Adept DeskTop Online Help 43

44 Task Manager Control The Task Manager control allows you to assign programs to tasks, visualize, and manage tasks that are running on the controller. From the Task Manager you can start or stop tasks as well as launch debugging of programs in the task. You assign programs to a tasks by dragging the programs from the Program Manager into the Task Manager. To open the Task Manager control: 1. From the menu, select View > Task Manager. 2. Alternatively, click the Open Task Manager icon in the Adept DeskTop toolbar. 3. The control window opens, similar to Figure 21. Task Manager toolbar Color of flag icons indicate the status of a task Right-click here to display the context menu Information on selected task Figure 21 Task Manager Control What is a Task? A task is a sequence of instructions that are defined by one or more programs. This sequence is also referred to as the execution stack of the task. Tasks can be executed and stopped either manually or programatically. Errors and system failures can also halt or stop the execution of a task. Task Status Task status is indicated by a colored flag: Red indicates that the task was stopped due to an error or was manually stopped. Yellow indicates that task execution is paused or at breakpoint. Green indicates that the task is running. Black and white checker pattern indicates that the task execution has completed. White indicates that the task is idle or primed. Adept DeskTop Online Help 44

45 The display box displays information on the status of a selected task. Number of Tasks The number of tasks is limited as follows: Micro V+: 4 tasks. Task 0 is the only task that can send instructions to a robot. V+: 7 tasks. V+ with Extensions: 28 tasks Numbering of task is 0-based, that is the numbering of tasks starts at Task 0. Assigning Programs to a Task Execution Stack The programs and instructions that are in a task are referred to as the execution stack, or simply the stack, of the task. From Adept DeskTop you can only assign a single program to a task. However, if the program added to the task calls one or more programs, these programs will be added to the execution stack when they are called. Figure 22 illustrates a 'called' program that was added to a stack after execution. A single program can be assigned to more than one task. this program calls program 'pallet_loc' After executing Task 1, program 'pallet_loc' is added to the stack Before execution of Task 1 only program 'pckplc_3' is in stack Figure 22 Program Added to an Execution task by the CALL Instruction Task Handling In MicroV+, Task0 is the only task that can be assigned to a robot. You cannot delete a task that is running, or delete or edit programs that are in a currently executing task. You can Zero the memory when a task is running. In the Program Editor, attempting to edit a program that is executing will generate an error, or will be ignored. Adept DeskTop Online Help 45

46 Task Manager Toolbar and Context Menu Options The following actions or tasks can be launched from the task bar or the context menu. Execute Task Executes the selected task. In the toolbar, this icon toggles to Select Program when no programs have been assigned to the selected task. Select Program When an empty task is selected, prompts for a program to assign to the task and launches execution of the selected task. In the toolbar, this icon toggles to Execute Task when a selected task contains programs in its stack. Execute Using Prompts for the name of a program and launches execution of the selected program, on the selected task. Debug Task Launches debugging of a selected task. Debug Using Prompts for the name of a program and launches debugging of the selected program, on the selected task. Reset and Debug Stops the executing of a task and restarts debugging from the first line of the first program in the stack. Pause Task Pauses the execution of the selected task at the next instruction. Stop all tasks Stops (pauses) the execution of all running tasks. Retry Step Retries the failed step and continues executing the task. If the selected task was paused or stopped due to an error, attempts to re-execute the current step and continue execution. Proceed Task Continue executions of a task. If the selected task was paused or stopped due to an error, this button attempts to continue the execution of the task. Kill Task Clear the selected task of any programs. A program must be cleared from the stack before it can be fully edited. Note that AUTO variables or calling arguments cannot be changed while a program is in a task stack. Display only tasks used When enabled, only the tasks that currently contain a stack (assigned programs) are displayed in the Task Manager list. Adept DeskTop Online Help 46

47 Copy Stack to Clipboard Records the contents of the selected task stack to the Windows clipboard. If a program terminates with an error, this allows you to copy and paste the stack contents and send it to the proper support person. Note that the robot ID is also recorded in this operation. Figure 23 shows an example of the contents of a stack. Figure 23 Text Content of a Task Stack Copied to the Clipboard Refresh task list Refreshes the status of the task list. Adept DeskTop Online Help 47

48 Using the Task Manager Control The Task Manager control allows you to assign programs to tasks, and visualize and manage tasks that are running on the controller. Programs added to the execution stack of a task are provided by the Program Manager control. Use the tool bar or context menu to modify tasks, debug tasks or run/stop tasks. The Task Manager monitors controller events and will refresh the task status list when needed. Task Manager toolbar Color of flag indicates the status of a task Right-click to display the context menu Displays status of selected task Figure 24 Task Manager Control Assigning Program to Tasks Programs that open in the Program manager can be assigned (added) to tasks in the Task Manager. The programs and instructions that are contained in a task are referred to as the execution stack. To assign a program to a task stack: 1. Drag a program from the Program Manager list on a task in the Task Manager list. 2. Alternatively, select a task, then in the toolbar click the Select Program icon. To remove programs from a task stack 1. Select a task. 1. If the task containing the program is running, you must stop the execution of the task. 2. From the toolbar or context menu, select the Kill Task. Executing Tasks You can execute, pause and debug programs from the Task Manager. If a program in the task calls one or more programs that have not been opened, executing the task will generate the error: Undefined program or variable name. Refer to V+ System Messages in the V+ Reference Guide for more details. Adept DeskTop Online Help 48

49 To execute a task: 1. Select a task in the Task Manager. 2. If the task already contains instructions (one or more programs) select Execute Task from the toolbar or context menu 3. If the task is empty, select Select Program, and enter the name of the program that you want to execute in this task. 4. The flag beside the task will change color to indicate the progress/status of the program. To pause a task: Select the task in the list, then select Pause Task from the toolbar or context menu. This stops the task at the next execution in the running program. To pause all tasks that are running, select Stop All Tasks. This pauses all tasks that are currently executing. To resume execution of a task that has been paused, select Retry Failed Step or Proceed Task. To debug a program: You can launch debugging of programs from the Task Manager. For more details on debugging programs see Debugging Programs. 1. Right-click on a task in the Task Manager to display the context menu as shown in Figure If the task is empty (no programs), select Debug Using. You will be prompted to provide the name of the program you want to debug. The program will open in the Program Editor window. 3. If the task contains programs, select Debug Task. The task programs will open in the Program Editor window. Reset and Debug will reset variable values and restart the debugging of a program from the beginning. 4. Debugging messages and status appear in the bottom pane of the Task Manager window. If the task stack is empty, you can add a program to the task list and launch debugging from the Task Figure 25 Debug Using command adds program and launches debugging Adept DeskTop Online Help 49

50 Program Editor The Adept DeskTop Program Editor is an online, interactive editor that includes program debugging functionality. The editor performs syntax checking and formatting while you are programming. You can open up as many programs as needed. Program pages can be displayed as a group of tabs, or 'tiled' and displayed in horizontal or vertical windows, which allows you to compare two or more routines. An example is shown in Figure 26 Tabs show programs currently open in the Program Editor Program Editor toolbar Keyword tooltip displays keyword syntax and description when you move (hover) over with mouse Status bar indicates: line and column number of the cursor position, error message, and keyword help Figure 26 Program Editor Context Sensitive Help on Keywords You can obtain help on a V+ or MicroV+ keyword directly from the Program Editor. To obtain Keyword help: 1. Click on a keyword and right click to obtain the context menu 2. Select the keyword help item, as illustrated in Figure 27. Click here to open online help page for selected keyword Figure 27 Obtaining Keyword Help in the Program Editor Adept DeskTop Online Help 50

51 Viewing Programs in The Program Editor Tabs group at right has two open programs Two vertical tab groups each with its own toolbar and status bar Figure 28 Displaying programs in Vertical or Horizontal groups You can split (tile) the display in the Program Editor into vertical or horizontal groups. Figure 28 illustrates two vertical groups, one containing two tabbed program windows. To split the Program Editor Window into groups: 1. In the Program Editor click on a tab and drag it elsewhere in the Program Editor window 2. Release the mouse to open a context menu. 3. Select an option from the context menu. Drag tab onto Program Editor Select tab group option from context menu Figure 29 Creating Tab groups in the Program Editor Program Editor Toolbar The following list gives a quick description and keyboard shortcut of tasks you can carry out in the Program Editor. Cut (Ctrl+X): Cut the selected text. Adept DeskTop Online Help 51

52 Copy: Copy the selected text. Paste: Paste the text in the clipboard to the selected position. Undo last change: Erases last text change made to current file, returning it back to previous state. Redo last undo: Reverses the previous Undo command; returning text back to state before the Undo. Find/Replace: Opens the Search and Replace form, as illustrated in figure Toggle breakpoint at current line: Add or remove breakpoints to a program. Breakpoints provide a way to set a point in the program where the program will automatically pause when it reaches that point. This optimizes debugging so you don't have to single step through the entire program. Clear all breakpoints: Removes all break points in the active program. Step into: Single step operation that will enter a subroutine call. Step over: Single step operation that skips stepping through a subroutine call. The subroutine is executed in it entirety. Jump to current line and step: Starts the execution of the program, in step mode, starting with at the current line (where the cursor is positioned). Retry line: Retries the current line. Proceed execution: Continues program execution. Figure 30 Search and Replace Form used by the Program Editor Printing Programs from the Program Editor Print options are available from the Adept DeskTop menu. This allows you to print contents of the Program Editor. To access print options, from the Adept DeskTop menu select File > Page Setup...: Opens the Page Setup dialog in which you can set paper orientation, paper size, and margins. File > Page Preview...: Opens the Print Preview dialog in which you can visualize the print output before launching the print job. File > Print: Opens the Print dialog in which you can select the printer, print range and number of copies. Adept DeskTop Online Help 52

53 Syntax Highlighting The default syntax highlighting colors can be modified in the Options window. See Setting Controls Options. Adept DeskTop Online Help 53

54 Using the Program Editor Program Editor toolbar Tooltip appears when you hover over with mouse Breakpoint Figure 31 Using the Program Editor Opening the Program Editor The Program Editor opens when you open a V+ or MicroV+ program. To open the Program Editor Do any of the following actions: From menu select File > New Program. In the Program Manager control toolbar select the Create New Program icon. In the program Program Manager control toolbar select the Open Program icon. Double-clack on a program in the Program Manager or Task Manager. Formatting and Syntax Checking As each line of program is entered, it is sent down to the controller dynamically. The controller performs the formatting and checking, reports back the resulting format and the PC editor is updated to reflect this. In most cases, recognized keywords are properly indented in the code. Elements in the program code are automatically displayed according to syntax hig lighting preferences set in the Options form. For example, by default, keywords display in blue text, comments display in green. Adept DeskTop Online Help 54

55 New line is typed, starting at left margin After 'Enter/Return' key is clicked, the new line is automatically indented Figure 32 Automatic Formatting of Code in Program Editor Detecting Errors There are many aids in the Program Manager to assist you in finding errors in programs. Syntax highlighting: Some errors are detected by the syntax checker. These errors are highlighted in different color (red, by default) from the rest of the code. Status bar: The status bar displays the last error message reported by V+ or MicroV+ on the controller, as illustrated in Figure 33. It also shows the line (Ln:) and column (Col:) position of the cursor. Program Manager Icons: In the Program Manager, the program containing an error is indicated by an icon with a red "?" character. Tooltips: Tooltips appear at various places in the Program Editor when you hover and pause over items with the mouse. Text highlighting colors can be modified in the Options form Error tooltip Error message in status bar provides description and message number Figure 33 Display of Errors in the Program Editor Debugging Programs Program debugging integrated into the Program Editor. Debugging allows you to interactively step through a program execution while simultaneously displaying variables and states. Adept DeskTop Online Help 55

56 Breakpoints You can have as many active debugging sessions as there are tasks. This feature allows you to debug multiple tasks. The Watch Variable control assists in debugging programs. You can observe changes in the values of variable as you step through the program. See the Watch Variable Control section for more details. Set breakpoints at a point of interest in a program where you want to pause the execution of the program and observe the value of variables. An executing program will stop at a breakpoint and then wait for a command to step through the code or resume execution. The corresponding keyword for a breakpoint is BPT. To add and remove breakpoints in a program: Breakpoints must be set after the first executable statement in a program. You cannot set a breakpoint before the.program statement, any AUTO and LOCAL statements, and all comments and blank lines at the start of the program. In the Program Editor, click to the left of a code line, in the left margin of the editor window. The breakpoint is indicated by a dot and a highlighted line; similar to Figure 34. The color may vary depending on personal preferences set in the Options form. See Setting Controls Options. To remove a breakpoint, click on the breakpoint dot, at the left side of the line. You cannot add breakpoints before the first executable statement in the program. You cannot add or remove breakpoints in a program that is actively executing. Click at left of line to set/remove a breakpoint Figure 34 Breakpoints in a program To step through a program using breakpoints: 1. When a execution of a program stops at a breakpoint the line is highlighted in yellow (default color). The Program editor is in 'step' mode. 2. To continue the execution and debugging of the program in step mode, you must use one of the following actions: Step into: Single steps into program lines. If it encounters a subroutine, it steps through the subroutine, then continues stepping through the program. Adept DeskTop Online Help 56

57 Step over: Single steps into program lines. If it encounters a subroutine, it executes the subroutine the continues in step mode at the first line after the subroutine call. Jump into Current Line and Step: Starts single step mode, starting at the current line, where the cursor is positioned. Retry: Retries the current line Proceed: Exits step mode and continues program execution. Adept DeskTop Online Help 57

58 Code Library Control The Code Library tool is used to store code samples, also called clips, that can reused. Adept DeskTop also provides some predefined code clips that you can use as a starting point. Code clips added by the user are stored to the preferences folder in Windows on the computer. This ensures that when you reinstall or upgrade Adept DeskTop, your code clips are reloaded into the Code Library. Code clips provided with Adept DeskTop are protected files. They cannot be modified or deleted. To open the Code Library 1. From the Adept DeskTop menu, select View > Code Library. 2. Alternatively, from the Adept DeskTop toolbar, select the Code Library control icon. Code Library toolbar Code clip created by user Yellow icons indicate protected code clips Group of code clips Description of selected code clip, if exists Figure 35 Code Library Control Using the Code Library From the code library you can create new programs, insert code clips into open programs, or open the Clip Editor to edit existing clips. To create an new program from a code clip: 1. Select a code clip. 2. From the toolbar select the Create new program from clip icon. 3. This opens the New Program form in which you must provide the program name. 4. A new program page opens page in the Program Editor, containing the code from the selected code clip. See Creating and Editing Code Clips for more details. Adept DeskTop Online Help 58

59 To create a new code clip: New clips are created and define in Clip Editor. To open the Clip Editor do one of the following: From the toolbar, click the Create a new library entry icon, or select a New from the context menu. This opens a blank Clip Editor session. Select a code clip from which you want to reuse the code. Click Copy, then, Paste. This opens the Clip Editor, containing the code copied from the selected clip. Select a code clip and click Edit. You can then rename and edit this code clip in the Clip Editor. See Creating and Editing Code Clips for more details. To insert a code clip into an open program: Select a code clip and drag it onto an open program in the Program Editor. This adds the code contained in the clip, starting at the line where you drop the clip. Adept DeskTop will not allow you to drop the code clip into certain incorrect positions in a program. For example after the.end statement. To delete a code clip: Note that you cannot delete the protected code clips that are installed with Adept DeskTop. Protected code clips are indicated by a yellow icon. 1. Select the clip you want to delete. 2. From the toolbar click the Remove clip from system icon. Related Topics Creating and Editing Code Clips Adept DeskTop Online Help 59

60 Creating and Editing Code Clips Use the Clip Editor to create new clips or edit existing code clips. Figure 36 Clip File Editor Note:A clip does not require a '.PROGRAM' and '.END'. However, if either is used in the clip, then both are required. To open a create an new code clip: 1. From the Code Library toolbar, select Create a new library entry. 2. Fill in the fields described below and type or paste code into the Data field. 3. Click Ok to save this clip and add it to the Library. To edit an existing code clip: 1. Select the code clip to edit in the Code Library list. 2. From the Code Library toolbar, select Edit Clip. 3. Alternatively, you can double-click on the Clip name to open the Clip Editor. 4. Enter the required modifications to the text fields in the Clip Editor and Ok to save the modifications. Adept DeskTop Online Help 60

61 Clip Editor Text and Data Fields Name You must enter an Name. This name is the node name that is displayed in the Code Library list view display. The name must be unique in its Group. Group You must provide a Group name. Select a existing group from the drop-down list, or create a new group by typing the name in the field. The clip will be displayed under this group name in the Code Library. Description Descriptions are optional but recommended. Enter a description that describes the purpose or use of the code in the clip. Data Use this area to type or paste contents of the clip file. A clip does not require a '.PROGRAM' and '.END'. However, if either is used in the clip, then both are required. Supported Controllers Select the controller types that this code clip is compatible with. This enables the Code Library control to determine the display setting for this clip. Related Topics Code Library Control Adept DeskTop Online Help 61

62 Keyword Browser Control The Keyword Browser control displays and manages all the keywords available for the type of system connected; either V+ or MicroV+. Keywords from can be dragged into open programs in the Program Editor. To open the Keyword Browser: The keyword browser is typically open in the default desktop layout and is tabbed in auto hide mode to the left of Adept DeskTop window. 1. From the Adept DeskTop menu, select View > Keyword Browser. 2. Alternatively from the toolbar, click the Open Keyword Browser icon. To drag keywords to the Program Editor: Select a keyword and drag the keyword required position in a program in the Program Editor. To drag the keywords with their arguments, enable the toolbar icon: Drag keyword and arguments. Adept DeskTop will not allow you to drag keywords to certain positions in a program. For example, you cannot drag a keyword before.program or after.end. Toolbar provides display options Icons indicate type of keyword: I - Instruction F - Function M - Monitor Command Yellow icons indicate advanced keywords Description of selected keyword Figure 37 Keyword Browser Control Keyword Browser Toolbar The toolbar provides the following options for the Keyword Browser control. Adept DeskTop Online Help 62

63 Grouped Enabling Grouped displays all the keywords grouped by similarity in function, as illustrated in Figure 37. Alphabetic Enabling Alphabetic the keywords in three groups: Functions, Instructions and Monitor Commands. The keywords are displayed alphabetically within each group. Drag Keyword When Drag Keyword button is enabled, only the keyword can be dragged to the Program Editor, the default arguments are not. Drag Keyword and Instructions When this button is enabled both the keyword and the default arguments can be dragged to the Program Editor. All By default, the Keyword Browser tool displays only the commonly used keywords. When All is enabled, this button is selected, advanced keywords are also displayed are displayed in the selected display mode. Advanced keywords are indicated by yellow icons. Help Displays online help for the selected keyword. Adept DeskTop Online Help 63

64 Variable Manager Control The Variable Manager control allows you to view, search, and modify variables that are in memory. By default, the Variable Manager monitors and displays GLOBAL variables, however you can add monitoring of AUTO and Local variable for specific tasks and programs. From the Variable Manager you can: Drag a variable into a program in the Program Editor. Select any variable and modify its value. For location type variables, you can either manually enter a new value or record the current position of the robot. Create and remove variables. Monitor variables in tasks. To open the Variable Manager control: 1. From the menu, select View > System Resources > Variable Manager. 2. Alternatively, click the Variable Manager icon in the Adept DeskTop toolbar. 3. The control window opens, similar to Figure 38. Variable Manager toolbar Use text filter to search for variables String variables are supported only in V+ systems Tooltip displays variable contents Figure 38 Variable Manager Control Variables are arranged by type in a tree view control. Each variable is represented by a node item in the display with the variable name followed by its last value. Adept DeskTop Online Help 64

65 Variable Manager Toolbar and Context Menu You can carry out the following operations with the task bar and context menu. Continuous Scanning Updates all displayed variables continuously. The scan rate varies depending on controller type and number of variables displayed. To dynamically scan a large number of variable, it is preferable to use the Watch Variable Control. Stop Scanning Terminates the Continuous Scanning process. Create New Variable Opens the Create Variable dialog for creating a new variable. See Creating a Variable Copy Copies a variable and saves it to the clipboard. It can then be pasted into a program in the Program Editor. Paste Pastes a copied a variable. Edit Selected Variable Opens the Edit Variable dialog in which you can view and modify the current value of a selected variable. Delete Selected Variable Removes the currently-selected variable. A confirmation is displayed and must be acknowledged, before the variable is deleted. Program monitoring node Adds monitoring of AUTO variables for a specified task and program. You can also monitor of LOCAL variables for a selected program. AUTO and LOCAL task monitoring is not supported for MicroV+ systems. Figure 39 shows a AUTO variables added to the Variable Manager list. Corresponding V+ keywords for displaying variables are LISTL, LISTR, and LISTS. Add to Watch Variable Opens the Watch Variable control to add the selected variable to the list of watched variables. See Adding a Watched Variable. Refresh Refresh the contents of the window. Record Records the current position of the robot in the selected Location or Precision Point variable. Jog To Opens the Jog Pendant control to set the selected variable as a Jog To location. Adept DeskTop Online Help 65

66 Filter The Filter facilitates finding one or more variables. Enter characters in the Filter field and click OK to display variables that begin with the entered characters. Add Task Monitoring AUTO variables of task 'Jog To' opens the Jog Pendant Control Figure 39 Variable Manager with AUTO Variable Node Added Adept DeskTop Online Help 66

67 Using the Variable Manager Control Creating a Variable To create a new variable: In the Variable Manager toolbar, click the Create a variable icon, or select Create from the context menu. This opens the Create Variable form. The fields in this form depend on the type of variable selected as shown in Figure 40. Form for creating a Location variable Form for creating a Real variable Figure 40 Create New Variable Form To create a Location variable: 1. In the Type field, select: Location 2. In the Name field, type a unique name that will identify the variable. The name cannot exceed 15 characters and empty spaces are not allowed. 3. Type in or select a Value for the components of the Location variable for: X, Y, Z, Yaw, Pitch, Roll. 4. To create the Location variable from the current position of a connected robot, select the appropriate Robot, then click the Record button 5. Click OK to save the variable and exit the form. To create a Precision Point variable: To create a Precision Point variable you must be connected to a controller on which a robot is configured. 1. In the Type field, select: Precision Point. 2. In the Name field, type a unique name that will identify the variable. The name cannot exceed 15 characters and empty spaces are not allowed. 3. Type in or select a Value for the components of the Location variable for: X, Y, Z, Yaw, Pitch, Roll. 4. To create the Precision Point variable from the current position of a connected robot, select the appropriate Robot, then click the Record button. Adept DeskTop Online Help 67

68 5. Click OK to save the variable and exit the form. To create a Real variable: 1. In the Type field, select: Real. 2. In the Name field, type a unique name that will identify the variable. The name cannot exceed 15 characters and empty spaces are not allowed. 3. In the Value field, enter the text string for the variable. 4. Click OK to save the variable and exit the form. To create a String variable (in V+ only): String variables are currently supported only in V+ systems. 1. In the Type field, select: String. 2. In the Name field, type a unique name that will identify the variable. String variable names MUST start with a '$' symbol to be correctly recognized and interpreted as a string. The name cannot exceed 15 characters and empty spaces are not allowed. 3. In the Value field, enter the text string for the variable. 4. Click OK to save the variable and exit the form. Editing a Variable To directly edit the value of a variable, select a variable in the Variable Manager and click the Edit selected variable icon in the toolbar. You can the directly view the current value and edit the value in the Edit Variable form, as shown in Figure 41. The Edit Variable form differs depending on the type of variable selected. Name of variable appears in title bar Figure 41 Edit Variable Form Monitoring Variables in a Program By default, the Variable Manager monitors and displays only Global variables. You can add monitoring of: AUTO variables for a specified task and program. LOCAL variables for a specified program. To add monitoring of AUTO or LOCAL variables: 1. Select the icon in the toolbar of the Variable Manager. 2. This opens the Add Program Monitoring form, as shown in Figure 42. Adept DeskTop Online Help 68

69 3. Select a Task number. If you leave the Name field blank, program monitoring will be added for AUTO variables. 4. To add task monitoring for LOCAL variables, specify a program name in the Program field. Name of variable appears in title bar Figure 42 Add Program Monitoring Form Task Number of the task to which is assigned the program you want to monitor. Program Name of the program in which you want to monitor variable values. Adding a Watched Variable From the Variable Manager, you can add a variable to the Watch Variable control. To add a watched variable: 1. Select a variable. 2. From the toolbar select the Add to Variable Watch icon, or from the context menu, select Add to Watch Variable. 3. The Watch Variable control opens, with the selected variable added to the list of watched variables. See Watch Variable Control for more details. Related Topics Variable Manager Control Watch Variable Control Adept DeskTop Online Help 69

70 Operator Control The Operator Control provides an interface for the basic operations required to run a robotic application in a workcell. The operations that can be run from the Operator Control must be created by a system administrator, through the Operation Manager control. The control buttons available in the Operator Control window execute one of the four following commands: Start, Proceed, Pause, Stop. Opening the Operator Control The Operator Control Tool is automatically opened when you select the Operator Layout. To open the Operator Control: 1. From the menu, select View > Operator Control. 2. Alternatively, from the toolbar, select the Operator Control icon. Selects the active operation Operation buttons. Pause and Stop buttons may be disabled for some operations Displays the status of the current task Figure 43 Operator Control Using the Operator Control Operation Selection To start an operation, select the operation from the dropdown list. Only operations created through the Operations Manager are available in the dropdown list. START Click START to launch the execution of the selected operation. Proceed Click Proceed to continue the execution of a program that has stopped. A message appears in the Task Status display to explain the reason why the program has halted. Proceed resumes the execution of the program at the point where the program has stopped. Proceed replaces the START button when the current operation is halted from outside the Operator Control. For example, when an error occurs, or when a program encounters a breakpoint. See Figure 44. Adept DeskTop Online Help 70

71 PAUSE PAUSE halts the selected operation. After a PAUSE, the operation can be restarted at the point where it was halted by the PAUSE. The PAUSE button may be disabled for some operations. See Operation Editor. STOP Clicking STOP completely stops the selected operation. The STOP button may be disabled for some operations. See Operation Editor. Task Status The Task Status display provides information on the execution of the current operation. Selects the active operation Proceed restarts an operation that has been halted by an external cause Message reporting why the current operation is been stopped Figure 44 Operator Control Waiting for a Proceed instruction Related Topics Operator Layout Operations Manager Adept DeskTop Online Help 71

72 Operations Manager The Operations Manager tool allows an administrator-level user to configure operations that can later be run from the Operator Control. Note:The Operation Manager is only available if you are logged into Adept DeskTop with the administrator (top-level) Access Level. The operations configured and managed through the Operation Manager are operations that are typically executed by an operator in a workcell. The only possible actions that can be carried out on these operations from the Operator Control are START, Proceed, PAUSE and STOP. See Operator Control. The STOP and PAUSE buttons for a defined operation can be optionally enabled or disabled in the Operation Editor. The grid in the Operation window displays all the currently available operations, as illustrated in Figure 45. To open the Operations Manager: 1. From the Adept DeskTop menu, select Tools > Operations Manager. 2. The Operation Manager window opens, as illustrated in Figure 45. This is a modal window: you cannot return to the main interface while it is open. Figure 45 Operations Manager Window Add Opens a blank Operation Editor form in which you can configure a new operation to add to the current list. See Operation Editor. Remove Removes the a selected operation from the list of operations. Edit Opens the Operation Editor, containing the current settings of the selected operation. See Operation Editor. Adept DeskTop Online Help 72

73 Related Topics Operator Control Operation Editor Adept DeskTop Online Help 73

74 Operation Editor The Operation Editor allows you to configure and define an operation that will be added to the Operations Manager. All operations defined in the Operations Manager can be run from the Operator Control. Name that will be displayed in the Operator Control Enables buttons that will appear in the Operator Control Figure 46 Operations Editor Window in V+ Operation Name In the Operation Name field, enter a unique, common name that will identify the operation. Program Name In the Operation Name field, enter the name of a program, currently in memory (in the Program Manager), that defines the operation. If this program may not be in memory when an operator launches it from the Operator Control, you can define a program in the Source parameters, as explained below. Source Use Source parameters to set the location of a program that can be run from the Operations Manager, when the required program is NOT in memory (not in the Program Manager). To set Source parameters in V+ 1. Click the browse button (...) to find the required program. 2. In the Open file dialog, browse and select the required program. 3. Enable the check box Also load data from file if you want to load the data associated to the source program when the operation is executed. To set Source parameters in MicroV+ 1. Click the browse button (...) to find the required program. 2. In the Open file dialog, Browse and select the required program. 3. Enable the check box Also load data from file if you want to load the data associated to the source program when the operation is executed. 4. Enabling Auto Load NVRAM will allow Adept DeskTop to load NVRAM to find the required program if is not in memory. Adept DeskTop Online Help 74

75 Name that will be displayed in the Operator Control Source file used if the program is not found in memory when the operation is run Figure 47 The Operation Editor in MicroV+ Task Number In the Task Number drop-down list, select the task to which the defined operation will be assigned. Buttons Enabled Enable the buttons that will be enabled in the Operator Control to run this task. Stop: Enables the use of the Stop button in the Operator Control, to stop the selected task. Pause: Enables the use of the Pause button in the Operator Control, to pause the selected task. Paused task can be resumed by the operator by a Start or Proceed command. Related Topics Operator Control Operations Manager Adept DeskTop Online Help 75

76 Robot Control The Robot Control tool is used to enable power, calibrate, and change the speed of the robot. This control also provides the status of power, calibration, and e-stop state of the connected controller. To display the Robot Control tool: 1. From the menu select: View > Robot Control. 2. The Robot Control tool opens, the E-Stop Button and Robot Status indicate the current status of the robot connection. Robot Status indicator E-Stop button Set/Modify robot speed Error message display Figure 48 Robot Control E-Stop Button Status and Messages The E-Stop button in the Robot Control carries out the same function as the physical E-Stop button on the Front Panel or T1 Pendant. Table 4: provides information on the significance of the E-Stop button color and text. Adept DeskTop Online Help 76

77 Table 4: E-Stop Button appearance in the Robot Control Color Text Description Gray (no text) Adept DeskTop has not connected to a controller Green Disable Power The robot power is ON and the robot is calibrated. Click to disable power to the robot. Yellow Enable Power The robot power is off and the E-stop state is off. Click the button to enable power to the robot. Yellow Calibrate The robot power is ON but the robot is not calibrated. The robot cannot operate until it is calibrated. Click the button to attempt a calibration sequence. Yellow Stand By... The system is waiting for High Power to be enabled by pressing the High Power button on the Front Panel. Red E-Stop E-stop is pushed. There is no power to the robot. You cannot operate the robot until E-stop state is cleared on the controller. Robot Status Display and Messages The Robot Status field displays status messages about the current status of the robot. Table 4: provides information on the significance of the color and text messages in the status display. Table 5: Status Display of the Robot Control Color Text Description Gray Not connected Adept DeskTop has not connected to a controller Green Robot power ON Robot power is on. Yellow Turning Power OFF The system is disabling power to the robot. Yellow Dry Run Mode DRY.RUN is enabled and it overrides all other display states except for E-Stop Pushed. Red E-Stop Pushed An E-stop is pushed. Red Fatal Error A fatal hardware error has occurred. Robot power is off and cannot be turned on. The robot is not configured correctly and High Power cannot be enabled. White Robot Power OFF Robot power is off. White Press HIGH POWER button on Front Panel The system is waiting for the High Power button on the Front Panel to be pressed. If the button is not pressed, the message returns to Robot Power Off. White Not calibrated Robot is not calibrated. Robot Speed Use the Robot Speed% items to set to set the monitor speed of the controller. You can enter the speed numerically into the field, or use the slider to adjust the speed. The results of any slider adjustments are displayed numerically in the % field. Clear Display Click Clear Display to clear the error messages displayed in the Robot Control. Adept DeskTop Online Help 77

78 Jog Pendant Control The Jog Pendant control, also called the virtual jog pendant, performs functions similar to the T1 Pendant, from the Adept DeskTop interface. The Jog Pendant Control offers additional features for increased control and functionality, especially useful for developing, setting up and troubleshooting. The robot can be moved in distance increments; this facilitates the moving of the robot to very precise positions or small increments. The Jog To mode allow quick positioning of the robot to defined positions. These positions can be provided by predefined transformation parameter, stored in a variable, or entered manually. Note:To control the robot from the Jog Pendant Control the physical T1 pendant MUST be set to Comp mode. If the Pendant is not in comp mode the status message in the Jog Pendant control window reads: 'Pendant Not In Comp' To open the Jog Pendant control: 1. From the menu, select View > Jog Pendant 2. Alternatively, from the toolbar, select the Jog Pendant icon. Robot Status message Movement command buttons Robots currently available Figure 49 Jog Pendant Tool Current Position The Current Position frame displays the current position of the robot tool. This display is dynamically refreshed as the robot moves. Use the World and Joint radio buttons to show the robot position expressed in either Cartesian units or joint angles. In the World frame of reference, position is expressed as x, y, z, yaw, pitch, roll In the Joint frame of reference, position is expressed as joint angles, in degrees. Adept DeskTop Online Help 78

79 Jog Control The Jog Control frame provides controls and parameters to physically move the robot and to control speed and distance of robot movements. Use the slider to set a value, or type a value directly in the text box. When setting up, slow speed or small increments are recommended. Movement Commands Movement command buttons display arrows representing the relative direction in which the robot will be moved. For example in Figure 50, pressing movement buttons will move the Robot along the Y-axis of the Robot tool (end-effector) frame of reference. The behavior of the movement buttons is determined by the Speed and Increment options. The arrow labels vary depending on the selected Mode and Axis. In Figure 50, movement buttons represent robot movement along the Y axis. In Figure 51, movement buttons represent robot movement as a rotation about the Z axis. Robot position expressed precision-point values when 'Joint' mode is selected Movement buttons express direction and axis of robot movement Figure 50 Jog Pendant in Tool Mode Speed The Speed option enables you to set the speed at which the robot moves, as a percentage of the maximum robot speed. In this mode, the robot moves with the set speed, in the selected direction, for as long as a movement button (arrow) is maintained When the robot attains its limit (out of range), the movement stops. If you need to refine the movement to reach a precise point, the Increment mode may provide more control. Increment The Increment option enables you to set a distance increment for robot movement. This is useful for precise positioning; for example, when the slowest Speed mode overshoots the precise location to which you are attempting to position the robot. Adept DeskTop Online Help 79

80 Increments are expressed in World coordinates; the Increment option sets the Jog Pendant to World mode. In this mode the robot moves by the define Increment distance, in the selected direction, regardless of the time the movement button (arrow) is maintained, except if released before completed. Each time the movement button is pressed, the robot moves again, to the Increment distance. Incremental movement can be used only in 'World' mode Increments can be millimeters or degrees, depending on axis Precision Point values described robot position in Joint-based values Figure 51 Jog Pendant set to move the robot in Increment Mode Mode Jog Mode sets the Mode that will be used to move the robot. These modes are described below. Comp Mode Comp mode is also called Computer mode. In this mode, the Jog Control commands and settings are disabled. When Comp mode is enabled, the robot can be controlled by an executing program or the system terminal, the operator cannot move the robot. Joint Mode Joint mode enables the Jog Control to move the robot about the axis of the joint selected in the Axis group. Adept DeskTop Online Help 80

81 Buttons move selected joint in + or - direction Number of joints depends on the type of the selected robot Location Management allows you set location manually or get location from robot Figure 52 Jog Pendant in Joint Mode World Mode World mode enables the Jog Control to move the robot in the selected direction: X, Y, or Z axes, of the World frame of reference, or rotated around these axes: RX, RY, or RZ, in the world coordinate system. Tool Mode Tool mode enables the Jog Control to move the robot in the selected direction X, Y, or Z axes of the Tool coordinate system, or rotated around these axes: RX, RY, or RZ, in the tool coordinate system. Jog To Mode The Jog To mode allows you to move the robot to a defined location. You must first set the Jog To location before you enable the Jog To button. The Jog To location is defined under Location Management if the current robot position is expressed in World coordinates. Jog To locations can only be expressed in Cartesian units. Jog To mode is not available in MicroV+ systems. To set the Jog To location: 1. Set the Jog To location by doing one of the following: Enter or select known values in the required fields Acquire the location from a variable: click Browse and select a location array variable from the Variable Browser. Click Record to set the Jog To location. 2. Set a distance value under Jog to - distance. This enables the Jog Control buttons shown in Figure 52 to move to the robot either directly to the Jog To position, or above the Jog To position, at the defined distance. Adept DeskTop Online Help 81

82 Moves robot to Jog To location Moves robot above Jog To location by distance set by Jog to...dist Precision Point Management allows you set precision points or get points from robot Figure 53 Setting a Robot Location for Jog to Mode Location Management vs. Precision Point Management The Location Management frame displays when the robot position is expressed in World coordinates. A Location must be set in this frame before you enable the Jog To mode. The Precision Point Management frame displays when the robot position is expressed in Joint mode. Location Management The Location Management frame allows you to either manually set the values of a transform, or get a transform from the current position of the robot. You can then save this location to variable. The first three components of a transform variable are the values for the points on the X, Y, and Z axes. The three other components are the yaw, pitch, and roll. Figure 54 Selecting a variable in the Location Management Frame To set a transform from the current robot position: 1. Select the Robot that will provide the transform. 2. Click the Record button. The Location Management values are updated with the values of the current robot position. To get a transform from a variable: 1. If you know the name of the required variable, enter or select the name of the variable, as shown in Figure 54. Adept DeskTop Online Help 82

83 2. To search for a variable, click Browse, to open the Variable Browser. 3. In the Variable Browser find and select a location variable. Click OK. 4. The name of the variable and its value are added to the Location Management fields. To save the transform to a variable: 1. You cannot create a new variable in the Location Management frame. To save values in the location management frame you must select an exiting variable. 2. Any changes that you make to transform parameters, either manually, or recorded from a robot position, will be saved to the variable, overriding the current value of the variable. 3. Click 'Enter' to save transform parameters to the variable. Precision Point Management The Precision Point Management frame allows you to either manually set the joint angles of a robot position, or get these points from the current position of the robot. You can then save this location to variable Precision points express a robot location as the joint angles of each joint of the robot. Precision points may be more accurate, and they are the only way of extracting joint information that will allow you to move an individual joint. To set precision points from the current robot position: 1. Select the Robot that will provide the precision points. 2. Click the Record button. The Precision Point Management values are updated with the values of the current robot position. To get a precision points from a variable: 1. If you know the name of the required variable, enter or select the name of the variable, as shown in Figure To search for a variable, click Browse, to open the Variable Browser. 3. In the Variable Browser.r find and select a location variable. Click OK. 4. The name of the variable and its value are added to the Precision Point Management fields. To save the transform to a variable: 1. You cannot create a new variable in the Precision Point Management frame. To save values in the location management frame you must select an exiting variable. 2. Any changes that you make to transform parameters, either manually, or recorded from a robot position, will be saved to the variable, overriding the current value of the variable. 3. Click 'Enter' to save transform parameters to the variable. Adept DeskTop Online Help 83

84 Tool Transformation Control This control gives users access to the currently defined tool transformation. It also allows the user to select or enter a tool transformation and activate it for a specified robot. To open the Tool Transform Control: 1. From the menu, select View > Tool Transformation Control. 2. Alternatively, from the toolbar, select the Tool Transformation Control icon. Figure 55 Tool Transform Control Source Transform Source transform parameters provide a set of parameters that will be applied to the current tool transformation. Browse Opens the Variables Browser from which you can search and select a variable that will provide the values for the source transform. Current Tool Transform Current tool transform parameters provide information on the current tool transform of a selected robot. Robot Allows you to select the robot to which the tool transformation will be applied. Null Sets the current tool for the selected robot to the NULL transform: (0,0,0,0,0,0). Set from Source Sets the current tool transform to the values shown in the Source Transform frame. Adept DeskTop Online Help 84

85 Frame Manager Control The Compute Frame control is used to define and store multiple frames of reference. The Compute Frame control computes a transformation for the frame of reference from three points. The Teach Frame Wizard available from this control, can assist you in defining the points required to compute the required frame of reference. The data for associating computed frames are stored on the connected controller. This allows any Adept DeskTop session to connect to the controller and provide a list of available defined frames. To open the Compute Frame Control: 1. From the menu, select View > Compute Frame Control. 2. Alternatively, from the toolbar, select the Compute Frame Control icon. Opens the Teach Frame wizard Opens the Variables Browser form Read-only values of the computed frame transform Figure 56 Compute Frame Control Why Create a Frame? When using a very simple workcell layout, it is easy to teach every point in the cell using the default (World) reference, which is located at the base of the robot. However, when you start adding tooling to your layout, such as a pallet, you should consider using a reference frame for the pallet. The reference frame allows you to specify a local coordinate system for that pallet and then teach positions on the pallet, based on that reference. If you need to adjust the position of the pallet in the workcell, you simply reteach the frame location and all the pallet locations will adjust automatically. This saves you the trouble of having to reteach all the individual pallet locations. Adept DeskTop Online Help 85

86 World Frame of Reference Pallet Frame of Reference Figure 57 Illustration of a Simple Pallet Frame of Reference Creating a Frame of Reference You can create a frame of reference by following the procedure below. Note that you can also create a frame using the Teach Frame Wizard. To create a frame of reference: 1. Enter a common name for the new frame in the Frame Name field. This name should allow you to easily identify the purpose/use of the frame. You can also select an existing name and edit the selected frame. This is optional, but useful if you intend to use this frame for further reference. 2. Provide the location of three points in the Frame, described by the Base Points section below. 3. You can also provide the Base Points from existing variables or from the current robot position: To define a base point from a variable, click Browse and select an appropriate transform variable from the Variable Browser. To define a base point from the current position of a robot, select the robot (number), and click Record. 4. Enter a variable name, under Store Frame in Variable, in which the new frame transform will be saved, or click Browse to save the to (and overwrite) an existing variable. This is optional, but necessary if you want to save the computed transform. 5. Click Compute. The control will compute the transformation that defines the new Frame of Reference and store it in a variable, if you set a variable name in step 4. Base Points You must provide three location from which the control will compute the transform for a Frame. These locations are labeled: Origin, Point on X, Point on Y For each location, you must provide the x, y, z coordinates of the new frame expressed by their position in the World Frame of Reference. The Teach Frame Wizard can facilitate this process by allowing you to move the robot to these points instead of calculating their value in World coordinates. Adept DeskTop Online Help 86

87 The yaw, pitch, and roll are optional. They do not affect the computation of the frame of reference. Origin Origin is the origin (0,0) of the new frame of reference. Point on X Point on X must be ON the x axis of the new Frame. It should be as far as possible on the X axis: a longer distance provides greater accuracy in the computation of the Frame of reference. Point on Y Point on Y does not have to be ON the Y axis of the new frame, but it must be ON the X-Y plane, on the positive side. Z axis Y axis Point on Y X,Y plane Origin Point on X Figure 58 Base Points to Required to Compute a Reference Frame Note:The direction of the Z-Axis is computed from the above points, using the right-hand rule. Related Topics Teach Frame Wizard See also: FRAME transformation Function in V+ Reference Adept DeskTop Online Help 87

88 Teach Frame Wizard The Teach Frame Wizard guides you through the creation of a frame of reference for the current system. During this wizard you will need to move the robot to teach the origin of the new frame of reference. To open the Teach Frame Wizard: In the toolbar of the Compute Frame control, click the Wizard icon. Figure 59 Teach Frame Wizard - Welcome Using the Teach Frame Wizard The Wizard takes you through the necessary steps to create a new Frame of reference. You will need to enable power to the robot and use the Jog Pendant control to complete the steps of this wizard application. Follow the instructions in the Wizard. You will be asked to move the robot to the points that will define the new Frame of reference. Do not close the Wizard to operate the robot. Instead, open robot power and move the robot from the Wizard, using Use the Show/Hide Pendant button and the Show/Hide Power Control button, shown in Figure 60. Adept DeskTop Online Help 88

89 Figure 60 Operating the Robot from the Teach Frame Window Adept DeskTop Online Help 89

90 Adept Graphics Window Control The Adept Graphics Window control allows you to access the Adept Windows terminal. To open the Adept Graphics Window control: From the Adept DeskTop menu select View > Adept Graphics Window. Figure 61 Adept Graphics Window For more information on the Adept Graphics window, refer to the AdeptWindows User s Guide. Related Topics AdeptWindows User s Guide (on Adept Website) Adept DeskTop Online Help 90

91 V+ Utilities Control The V+ Utilities control simplifies access to the V+ based utilities on the connected controller. This control enables you to execute utility programs from the PC instead of running them in text mode, from the Monitor Terminal window. The utilities are typically installed on the CompactFlash directory: Disk>D:\UTIL\ You can browse the system (including NFS-mounted drives) for utilities that are located in a different folder on the controller. You can assign a V+ utility to a task. You can execute and pause a V+ utility. Note:The V+ Utilities control in not available on MicroV+ systems. To open the V+ Utilities Tool: 1. From the Menu, select View > Controller Configuration > V+ Utilities 2. The V+ Utilities window opens, similar to Figure 62 opens and displays several categories of available utilities. Click the + sign next to the folders to display utilities. V+ Utilities toolbar Double-click on utility name to execute the utility program Description of the selected Utility Opens a browser form to find a Utility Assign selected utility to task list Figure 62 V+ Utilities Control Using the V+ Utilities Use the toolbar to carry out the following actions or tasks. Execute Selected Utility: Launch the selected utility and automatically display the needed resources (V+ Monitor Window, Vision Window, or V+ Graphics Window). You can also execute a utility by double-clicking on it in the file list. Adept DeskTop Online Help 91

92 Pause Application: Pauses the utility and unloads the last launched utility. If a utility does not complete, clicking on this button will force the Terminal Window to close. Displays All Items: Displays all utility programs (all *.V2 files) by group. Any unknown utilities are placed in the 'Others' folder. Advanced and unknown utilities are indicted by yellow icons. Refresh Display: Refresh the contents of the window. To execute a utility: 1. Select a utility from the list, then click the Execute Selected Utility icon, or double-click on a selected utility in the list. 2. The utility opens in a Monitor Terminal Window. 3. To pause the execution, click the Pause Application icon. Note:The V+ Control will attempt to attempt to launch any V+ program that follows the standard Adept naming conventions 'FileName.V2' = EXE tsk 'A.FileName' However this control DOES NOT KNOW what requirements may be needed on a controller in order to use a selected utility. To add a utility: 1. Click the 'Browse' button (...) to open the Browse For Folder window, to search for, or add, folders to the V+ Utilities, as shown in Figure Click the Display All Utilities icon to show all existing V+ commands on the controller. Figure 63 Browse for Folder Form Adept DeskTop Online Help 92

93 Watch Variable Control The Watch Variable control is used to monitor specified variables and expressions while debugging a program. The values of watched variables can dynamically updated as tasks and programs are executed. To open the Watch Variable control: Do one of the following: From the Adept DeskTop menu select View > Debug Tools > Watch Variable. In the Variable Manager control, select a variable, then in the toolbar select the Add to Watch Variable icon. The Watch Variable control opens with the selected variable appended to the list of watched variables. Watch Variable toolbar Click 'Browse' to open Variable Browser Watch list Figure 64 Watch Variable Control To enable dynamic updating of variables and expressions: 1. In the toolbar, Watch Variable toolbar select the Start continuous refresh icon. 2. As programs execute and variables change, the new values will be displayed in the watch list. 3. To stop the continuous updating, click the Stop continuous refresh icon. To add an existing variable: 1. Click the Browse button to open the Variable Browser and choose a variable. 2. Alternatively, if you know the name of the variable or expression, and its location, enter the appropriate values in the Task, Program and New expression fields. See below for more details. To add an undefined variable to the list: It is possible to add an undefined (non-existent) variable or expression to the watch list. 1. Set/enter the appropriate values for the new variable in the Task, Program and New expression fields. 2. Click Enter. 3. This only adds the variable name to the watch list, it does not create the variable. Therefore, the variable appears as undefined, with an invalid type, as shown in Figure You can then create a new variable with the same name, from the Variable Manager. Adept DeskTop Online Help 93

94 5. Once the variable is created, reopen or refresh the Watch Variable control: the correct variable value and variable type will be displayed. See Figure 65. Undefined variable added to watch list. Once defined, the variable value and type are updated. Figure 65 Adding an undefined variable to the Watch Variable To modify the value of a variable: 1. Click once in the Value field of a selected variable 2. A text cursor appears next to the value of the variable 3. Type in the desired value, then press Enter. To remove variables from the watch list: 1. To remove a single variable, select the variable, then select the Delete the currently selected item... icon from the Watch Variable toolbar. 2. To remove all variables from the list, select the Delete all items... icon from the toolbar,. The above actions only remove variables from the Watch Variable control, they do not delete the variables. Task Selects the task in which the watched variable is situated. Global variables apply to all tasks. Program Enter a program name for an AUTO or Local variable. No program name is required for a Global variable. New Expression Enter the name of the variable. Browse Opens the Variable Browser in which you can search for existing variables. See Variable Browser for more details. Adept DeskTop Online Help 94

95 Variable Browser The Variable Browser allows you to find and select an existing variable and insert this variable to an Adept DeskTop control. The Variable Browser form opens from Adept DeskTop controls in which you have the option to insert an existing variable. To open the Variable Browser Do one of the following: Click Browse... in the Tool Transform control. Click Browse... in the Digital IO control. Click Browse... in the Watch Variable control. The Variable Browser displays all existing variables that meet the specified Type, Scope and Filter criteria. Variables that meet the selected criteria. In this example: 'Location' and 'Global' Select variable type Figure 66 Variable Browser Form List of Variables Displays Name and current Value of variable that meet the selection criteria in this form. Filter Enter characters in the Filter to search for variables by their names. Task Use the drop-down list to select the task in which you want to search for a LOCAL or AUTO variable. This is not required for Global variables. Program The program in which you want to search for a LOCAL variable. Type The browser shows only variables of the selected Type: Real, Location, String or Precision Point. Adept DeskTop Online Help 95

96 Note:The String type is not available only in V+ systems. Scope The browser shows only variables of the selected Scope: Global (by default) or LOCAL/AUTO. To browse for LOCAL and AUTO variables, select a Task number and enter a Program name. Only Global variables are available in MicroV+. Related Topics Variable Manager Control Creating a Variable Watch Variable Control Adept DeskTop Online Help 96

97 Monitor Terminal Control The Monitor Terminal Window control is a test terminal that emulates AdeptWindows. This allows you to enter monitor commands directly from the Adept DeskTop interface. All the commands available for the monitor terminal are listed in the Keyword Browser under the Monitor Command type. You can dock the Monitor Terminal in the main window of the Adept DeskTop interface You can go into the 'common line buffer', using the Up/Down Arrow keys. You can copy/paste text using CTR+C/Ctrl+V. You can set modify the Terminal Window display properties, such as background color and font, in the Options Control. See Setting Adept DeskTop Options. User program output from the 'TYPE' keyword is displayed within this window. To open the Monitor Terminal Emulator tool 1. Select: View > Debug Tools> Monitor Terminal 2. Alternatively, from the Adept DeskTop toolbar select the Open Monitor Terminal icon. Figure 67 Monitor Terminal Window Executing Commands from the Monitor Terminal To execute a command: 1. Type the command at the dot prompt. 2. The results of the command are displayed in the same window. Related Topics Monitor Terminal Control AdeptWindows User s Guide (on Adept Website) Adept DeskTop Online Help 97

98 Digital I/O Control The Digital IO tool is provides a virtual display of the current status of the available digital I/O (DIO). You can also use this control to enable or disable DIO signals from the Adept DeskTop interface. This can be useful when setting up or debugging system setups. You can set or modify the status of the inputs and outputs directly in the Digital I/O interface. The state of an Input is represented by green icon when the input is ON, gray when the input is OFF. The state of an Output can be modified by clicking the button representing the output. Green indicates that the Output is ON, gray indicates that it is OFF. The type and number of inputs and outputs displayed in Digital IO control depend on the current controller and system configuration. For easy monitoring, selected signals, inputs, and outputs can be added to a custom list and even saved to file. To open the Digital I/O control: 1. From the Adept DeskTop menu, select View > System Resources > Digital IO. 2. Alternatively, from the Adept DeskTop tool bar, click the IO icon. Select the elements to show in the VirtuaDisplay area VirtuaDisplay area Hover over buttons to see id/number Enter custom I/O values here Custom IO Display area Figure 68 Digital IO Control Viewing Inputs, Outputs, and Signals Enable check boxes in the Show frame to display, in the virtual display area, the current system inputs and outputs. Adept DeskTop Online Help 98

99 Custom IO Signals The Custom Display allows you to assemble a list of signals, inputs, and outputs. This list can be saved to file. The saved file includes the status of item. Saved items can be imported as needed into the Digital IO settings of the current application. To assemble a custom list of signals: 1. Enter the signal address in the Signal field or click Browse to search for a value in the Variable Browser. 2. Click Add to add the to the list. 3. Type a description of the signal in the Description field 4. To edit an item on the list, click the desired item on the list. The item's signal and description are inserted into the corresponding fields for editing. 5. Use toolbar icons to remove items from the custom display. To save a custom list of signals: 1. In the Digital IO toolbar, select the 'Export Custom list to file' icon 2. Provide the path and filename for the file. The file is saved with a 'cio' extension. Digital IO Toolbar Use the toolbar to refresh the display of IO, change refresh options, save a custom list of items, or import items into the Custom Display list. Continuous Refresh Automatically refresh the selected I/O. On Ethernet-based systems, the update rate is once per 100 msec. On Adept Cobra i600/i800 and SmartAmp systems, the rate is once per second. Stop Continuous Refresh Stops the Continuous Refresh process. Refresh Once Refreshes the status of IO signal one time only. Delete current line in the custom display Deletes the contents of a selected line in the Custom Display. Erase all lines in the custom display Deletes the contents of all items that are in the Custom Display list. line in the custom display. Import Custom List from file Allows you to import a saved list of items. If there are items in the Custom Display list, the imported items are appended to the list. Import Custom List from file Allows you to import a saved list of items. If there are items in the Custom Display list, the imported items are appended to the list. Adept DeskTop Online Help 99

100 Export Custom List from file Allows you to saved the items that are in the Custom Display, and the status of the items. The file is saved with a 'cio' extension. Adept DeskTop Online Help 100

101 Switches and Parameters Control The Switches and Parameters control is used to access all available switches and parameters for the current controller connection. Only available/public switches and parameters are displayed. You can set parameter values or enable and disable switches in the Switches and Parameters control. Like the Keyword Browser, this control provides help on the syntax and use of parameter and switch keywords. To open the Switches and Parameters control: 1. From the menu select: View > System Resources > Switches and Parameters. 2. Alternatively, from the Adept DeskTop toolbar, click Open Switches and Parameters Toolbar Context help opens help for selected switch or parameter Description of the selected parameter Value and value limits of the selected parameter Figure 69 V+ Parameter Displayed in the Switches and Parameters Control Value The Value text box shows the current value of a selected parameter. To modify the value of a selected parameter: Entering a new value or select a value. Upper and lower limits for the value are expressed to the right of the text box. State The State field displays the state of a selected parameter. To change the state of a selected switch: Enable the switch by checking the Enable check box. Disable the switch by unchecking the Enable check box. Adept DeskTop Online Help 101

102 Parameters and Switches Toolbar All: By default, only basic switches and parameters are shown in the display. Enable All to also display 'Advanced' switches and parameters. Advanced items are indicated by yellow icons. Context Help: opens online help to the page describing the selected switch or parameter. Toolbar Description of the selected switch State of the selected parameter Figure 70 MicroV+ Autostart Switch Displayed in the Switches and Parameter Control Adept DeskTop Online Help 102

103 System Information Control This control displays information on the system, such as: Software versions, Available memory Motor temperature To open the System Information Control: 1. From the Adept DeskTop menu select View > System Resources > System Information. 2. Alternatively you can click the System Information icon in the tool bar. 3. The information displayed in the form differs depending on the controller and system environment, as illustrated in Figure 71. Contents depend on the current operating system, controller and robot Figure 71 System Information Control Software Version Displays the version information for the software on the currently connected controller. Free Memory Displays the memory available. Temperature When available, this frame displays the temperature of the motor, of the robots connected to the system. Adept DeskTop Online Help 103

104 File Manager Utility The File Manager Utility provides a user interface to manage the organization, reading, writing. The File Manager is provides similar functionality to Windows Explorer.: It displays the hierarchical structure of files, folders, and drives on the controller and PC. Additionally, the File Manager provides tools to mount NFS drives and backup and restore files data that is located any controller or computer that is accessible on the network. Note:The File Manager Utility is available only with V+ systems. Tools available in the File Manager are Mount NFS Drive: Enables you to mount an NFS drive from the File Manager. See Mounting an NFS Drive with the File Manager. Quick View: Provides a viewer for ASCII text files. See Viewing Files with File Manager Quick View. Backup Utility: Provides full backup and restore options for controller files. See File Manager Backup Utility.The File Manager Utility is not available with a MicroV+ system. File Manager menu File Manager Toolbar File path Disk space on a controller is expressed in blocks Status Bar Figure 72 File Manager Utility - Main Window To open the File Manager Utility: 1. From the Adept DeskTop menu, select Utilities > File Manager. 2. It may take some time for the File Manager to open, because the utility must build file lists and retrieve data. Adept DeskTop Online Help 104

105 Using the File Manager To change display options: Select view options from the View menu, or from the toolbar icon View Files As. To move, copy, delete files: Use standard drag-and-drop or copy-paste operations to copy, move, delete files. You can also use the File menu, or right-click context menu to carry out operations. To open files: Not all file formats can be viewed by the File manager. Those that are recognized can be opened in the following manner: Double click on a file open files in the Quick Viewer. Files are displayed in ASCII format. Opening File Manager tools: Use the Tools menu or toolbar icons to open the following File Manager tools: Quick View. See Viewing Files with File Manager Quick View. Mount NFS Drive: See Mounting an NFS Drive with the File Manager. Backup Utility: See File Manager Backup Utility. Related Topics Viewing Files with File Manager Quick View Mounting an NFS Drive with the File Manager File Manager Backup Utility Adept DeskTop Online Help 105

106 Viewing Files with File Manager Quick View The Quick View function allows you to view the contents of a selected file in ASCII text format. The text in the Quick View window can be copied to the Windows clipboard. Files displayed in the Quick View window Figure 73 File Manager Utility - Quick View Window To view a file: 1. In the File Manager, browse to find the file you want to view. 2. Select the file and click the Quick View icon in the toolbar 3. Alternatively, you can double-click the selected file to display the file in the viewer. 4. Some files, such as protected program files cannot be opened in the viewer. Adept DeskTop Online Help 106

107 Mounting an NFS Drive with the File Manager The File Manager uses the NFS protocol to carry out its task. The Mount NFS Drive form allows you to configure a NFS drive on the system. Note:In order to mount an NFS drive, you must have an NFS server utility, such as OmniNFS Server by XLink Technology, Inc., running on the PC. This type of utility allows the PC to 'share' a drive or directory with the controller through NFS. Additionally, the desired drive(s) and directories must be exported by the NFS server utility before they can be mounted by the controller. To mount an NFS drive: 1. Install and run an NFS server utility on your PC. See the online help of the NFS server utility for details on exporting drives or directories for mounting. 2. Open the File Manager. From the menu, and select Utilities > File Manger. 3. The File Manager opens as a separate utility. 4. From the File Manager menu bar, select Tools > NFS Mount..., or click the Mount NFS Drive icon from the File Manager toolbar. The Mount NFS Drives form is displayed as illustrated in Figure Enter the information in the Mount NFS Drives fields. See details below. 6. Click OK to mount the NFS drive to the controller. If you made any changes to the mounted drives, you will be prompted to save the file; click Yes to save the changes. If you are unable to mount the selected drive/directory, you may have entered an incorrect IP address or NFS path. Click Edit to reopen the Mount Property window so that you can correct this information. 7. The mounted NFS drive is displayed in the File Manager directory tree. You can now browse the files/folders on the mounted NFS drive, and access files on the mounted drive(s) from the controller, as if the files/folders on the mounted drives were located directly on the controller. Figure 74 File Manager Utility - Mount NFS Drives Form Most Recent Mounts Shows any previously mounted drives in a drop-down list. Selecting one of these will populate all of the fields. Adept DeskTop Online Help 107

108 NFS Path Enter the physical path of the exported drive/directory. The drive/directory names in the path must be eight characters or less, and must use alphanumeric characters or underscores. Spaces or other characters are not allowed in names. NFS Drive Enter a name for the mounted drive/directory. The name must be eight characters or less, and must use alphanumeric characters or underscores. Spaces or other characters are not allowed in names. IP Address Enter the IP address of the PC that has the exported drive/directory. Description Enter a brief description of the drive/directory being mounted. Help Opens online help to the relevant topic. Cancel Cancels changes and closes the form. OK Makes changes to access level settings and parameters, and closes the form. Adept DeskTop Online Help 108

109 File Manager Backup Utility The Backup utility provides the functionality in Adept DeskTop to backup files on your Adept system. For example, you can backup files that are on the controller to a computer hard disk on the PC. Backup files can be saved to, or restored from, any destination available on the network. You can save the status of the files specified for backup operations to a file. You can then reload selection files (*.asd) for subsequent backup operations. You can use common windows keyboard shortcuts to launch tasks in the Backup Utility. To open the Backup Utility 1. From the File Manager menu select Tools > Backup Utility. 2. A message window labeled Please Stand By may open briefly while the utility builds file lists and retrieves data. 3. The Backup Utility opens, similar to Figure The Backup Utility opens in a modal window. You must close this window to return to the File Manager interface. Operation tabs Figure 75 File Manager Backup Utility Backup Utility Toolbar Use the Backup Utility toolbar to execute the following tasks and operations. Up one level: Browse up one level from the selected file/folder. Load Selection: Load a previously saved selection file. Save Selection: Save to file (*.adc) the current status of files that are selected or not selected for backup. View Files As: Select display options for files in the Utility, as List or Details. Backup: Launches the backup operation. Adept DeskTop Online Help 109

110 Restore: Launches the restore operation. Backing Up Data To backup files, you must first select the files and folders that will be backed up. This selection can then be saved to be applied to future backups. When you launch the Backup operation, all files selected for backup will be saved to a designated location. The selection status, i.e. which files are selected or not selected, can also be saved to file, to be applied to future backups. To select files for backup: 1. A blue check mark signifies that a folder and all its files and subfolders are selected for backup. Additionally a blue check mark signifies that all new files and subfolders added in the future to this folder, will automatically be selected and added to future backups. For example, in Figure 76, any new files that will added to the SET2 folder and its subfolders (ALL, CALIB, FOLDER, and NEW) will be automatically selected and added to future backups. Figure 76 Selecting All Files and Folders - Including Future Files and Folders 2. To select only specific files or folders for backup, add remove check marks as needed. Specifically selected folders and files will be identified by black check marks. All future files and subfolders that are later added to a folder selected by a black check mark, will NOT be automatically backed up. For future backups you will have to manually add (if needed) any new files and folders to the backup. For example in Figure 77: No files in folder TEMP will be saved. All files and subfolders in Disk>D, except the TEMP folder and files, will be backed up Any files added in the future to folders and subfolders of Disk>D will NOT be automatically backed up Any files or folders added in the future to V+ Operating System (blue check mark) will automatically be backed up. Adept DeskTop Online Help 110

111 Figure 77 Manually Selecting Specific Files and Folders for Backup 3. Once you have completed the selection of files and folders, save these selections. To do this, click the Save Selections icon in the toolbar. 4. In the Save dialog, specify the path and name of the selection file. Typically you should save it in, or near the same folder when you will save your backup files. To backup up files: 1. Select the files and folders that will be backed up, as described in the previous section. See To select files for backup: Check marks indicate the files and folders that will be backed up. When you select a folder, its files, subfolders and subfolder are automatically selected. To remove from the backup selection any files or folders that are currently selected, click in the check box to remove the check marks. 2. To launch the backup operation, click the Backup button at bottom right of the window. 3. In the Save dialog that opens, set the location and folder to where the backup files will be created. The data will be saved in the following format: An *.adb file that is a listing (catalog) of all the backed up files. For example: Backup.adb. A folder that contains all the data in the backed up files. This folder is named with the adb filename with *.data appended to the name. For example: Backup.adb.data. See Figure 78. Figure 78 Saving Backup Files 4. Click OK in the Save dialog. The backup process starts. The Saving files window, illustrated in Figure 79, shows the progress of the backup operation. Adept DeskTop Online Help 111

112 Figure 79 Progress Display of the Backup Operation Restoring Data There are two restore options: Restore, which is the most common operation, and Restore from Distribution, to be used only for specific cases, as described below. Restore This is the option to use for normal restoration of files and folders from backed-up files. To restore data: 1. Click the Restore tab 2. In the Open dialog, select the backup file and click OK. 3. Once the backup files are loaded, the Backup Utility displays, in the Restore tab, as shown in Figure You can select the data that you want to restore by checking/unchecking files and folders. 5. To launch the Restore operation, click the Restore button, at bottom right. 6. The restore process starts. The Restore window opens to shows the progress of the restore operation. Figure 80 Restore Tab with Backup files Loaded Restore from Distribution This procedure is intended to be used ONLY for updating a V+ version by installing a distribution files provided by Adept. More information on restoring from a distribution: This method should only be used if you are reinstalling a distribution for a V+ version very close to your current version. Restoring from a distribution may create problems if the new V+ version is very different from your current version. Adept DeskTop Online Help 112

113 Please contact Adept for more details on the compatibility of versions before reinstalling from a distribution. Figure 81 Restore From Distribution Tab - Read Warning before proceeding Adept DeskTop Online Help 113

114 License Manager Utility The License Manager utility is used to track, manage, and activate Adept licenses, passwords, and security levels on the connected controller licenses. To open the License Manager utility: 1. From the Adept DeskTop menu, select Utilities > License Manager. To install a License 1. Enter the Password provided to you by Adept in the Controller License Password field. 2. Click Install. 3. The Result field indicates if the operation has succeeded or failed. Figure 82 License Manager Utility Current Controller Information Displays the controller ID and information in a scrolling panel. This allows you to verify the information that is provided on the license page. Enter Controller License Password To install or remove a license, enter the password provided by Adept for the license, then click Install or Remove. The result of the installation process appears in the Results field. Display Area This area provides a list of licenses that are currently installed. Optionally, you can enable the Display all licenses check box to display all known licenses. Adept DeskTop Online Help 114

115 Display All Licenses Displays all possible Adept Licenses, even if they are not currently installed on the Controller. Copy to Clipboard Copies the Current Controller Information and the list of currently installed licenses, to the Windows clipboard. This enables you to document this information and/or send this information to Adept if you request technical assistance. Close Closes the License Manager Utility. To install a license: 1. Enter the License password in the Password field. 2. Click the Install button. 3. The result of the installation appears in the Results field. To remove a license: 1. Enter the License password in the field. 2. Click the Remove button. 3. The result of the removal process appears in the Results field. Adept DeskTop Online Help 115

116 MicroV+ Profiler Utility The MicroV+ Profiler utility provides you with a way to analyze program efficiencies, as well as MicroV+ system task utilization. The utility provides an interface consisting of a toolbar and a bar-graph display. Each bar of the graph displays the percentage of utilization of MicroV+ system levels tasks, as well as user-program tasks. Note:The MicroV+ Profiler is available only for MicroV+ systems. To open the MicroV+ Profiler Utility: 1. From the Adept DeskTop Menu, select Utilities > MicroV+ Profiler 2. The Utility opens, similar to Figure 83 Toolbar Bar charts display the percentage of utilization of each system and user task within the system. (MicroV+ systems only) Figure 83 MicroV+ Profiler Utility Using the MicroV+ Profiler Use toolbar icons to carry out the following tasks and actions: Adjust the sample rate from 1,2,5,10 seconds (default is 10, which provides the greatest accuracy). Run the profiler one time to collect data. Run the profiler continuously. Stop the profiler from scanning. Copy a text-based version of the data to the windows clipboard.) Refresh the contents of the window. Adept DeskTop Online Help 116

117 Controller IP Configuration Wizard The Controller Network Configuration wizard simplifies the process of bringing up a new Adept controller. It guides the through setting up an IP address, and subnet mask, of the Adept controller regardless of the current IP address of the controller and of the PC. Note:The Controller Network Configuration wizard is only accessible if you are logged into Adept DeskTop with the administrator (top-level) Access Level. You can use this wizard to set other Adept controller startup features such as use of AdeptWindows PC as the default system user interface, and enabling auto-start (i.e., use of the disk file AUTO.V2). You can record the IP address of the PC so it will be accessed as the default NFS server for the controller. Lastly, you can initiate a reboot of the Adept controller, so that the configuration changes will take effect. Note:The Controller Network Configuration Utility depends on UDP broadcasts for its functioning. Therefore, the Adept controller and the PC running the configuration utility must exist on the same LAN segment, either through a Cat 5 shielded crossover cable (provided with the AdeptWindows product) or a simple network hub. Some network hubs, most network switches and bridges, and all network routers prevent the transmission of UDP broadcasts. Figure 84 Controller Network IP Configuration Wizard Using the Controller Network Wizard 1. Before starting, verify that your PC and Adept controller connected through a network crossover cable or through a network hub. Adept DeskTop Online Help 117

118 2. From the tools menu select Tools > Controller IP Config The wizard opens as shown in Figure 84. To edit an existing configuration see Step 4. To create a new IP configuration, go to Step To edit the parameters of an existing IP configuration, click Scan, find and select the IP address of the required controller and click next. Go to Step Click on Next. The Controller Network Configuration Utility prompts you to make sure the Adept controller is turned off. 6. Turn off the Adept controller. 7. Click on Next. The Controller Network Configuration Utility prompts you to turn the Adept controller back on and wait until it boots completely. 8. Turn the Adept controller on. Once the controller is detected, a new window is displayed as illustrated in Figure. 9. Use the IP address shown OR enter the new IP address and subnet mask. 10.Configure other parameters as required. 11.Click on Update. Figure 85 Controller Network Configuration Wizard - Setting the IP Address Adept DeskTop Online Help 118

119 Pick And Place Wizard The Pick And Place Wizard guides you through the creation of simple pick-and-place application. This application is for a single robot only and is intended to teach new users the procedure for creating such an application. To open the Pick And Place Wizard: From the Adept DeskTop menu select Utilities > Pick And Place Wizard. Figure 86 Pick And Place Wizard - Screenshots Adept DeskTop Online Help 119

120 Configuration Manager Utility Welcome to the Configuration Manager Utility Program The Configuration Manager Utility is a PC-based software program that allows you to configure the Cobra i600 or i800 robot running on the MicroV+ operating system. The utility allows you to specify hand control signals, define workcell obstacles, and set joint travel limits. To start the utility, select Configuration Manager from the Utilities menu in Adept DeskTop. Related Topics Starting the Configuration Manager Learning the Configuration Manager Utility Interface Working with Configuration Files Adept DeskTop Online Help 120

121 Installing the Configuration Manager Utility The Configuration Utility is distributed with the Adept DeskTop software application. It is installed during the Adept DeskTop installation. No separate installation is required or available. See the Adept DeskTop online documentation for details on the Adept DeskTop installation. After installation, the Configuration Utility can be accessed from the Utilities menu in the Adept DeskTop. Related Topics Starting the Configuration Manager Learning the Configuration Manager Utility Interface Adept DeskTop Online Help 121

122 Starting the Configuration Manager To open the Configuration Manager Utility: 1. Launch Adept DeskTop and connect to the controller. For details see: Connecting to a Controller in the Adept DeskTop User Guide. 2. From the Adept DeskTop menu, select Utilities > Configuration Manager to open the Configuration Manager. 3. The Configuration Manager Utility is launched in a separate window on top of Adept DeskTop. Note:If the Configuration Manager option is not available on the Adept DeskTop Utilities menu, the program may already be open. Look for the Configuration Manager Utility shortcut button in the Windows taskbar: Related Topics Edit Joint Limits Manage Obstacles in the Workcell Specify Hand Control Signals Adept DeskTop Online Help 122

123 Learning the Configuration Manager Utility Interface The Configuration Manager Utility user interface allows direct communication between your PC and the controller so that you can configure your system. The user interface provides menu access and icon access to functions, along with access to online help for details on concepts and parameters. The following sections describe the different parts of the interface: Configuration Manager Main Window Configuration Page Workcell Obstacles Joint View Hand Control Signals Advanced Robot Configuration Adept DeskTop Online Help 123

124 Configuration Manager Menus The application-level functions are accessed through a menu system. The most common functions can also be accessed from the toolbar icons or through keyboard shortcuts. Keyboard shortcuts are displayed next to a menu item. For example, choosing the File > Load Configuration menu item does the same thing as pressing the key combination (CTRL + O). The following sections describe the options available on the Configuration Manager Utility menu. File Menu To display the menu, click File. Load configuration Displays a dialog to load a configuration data file. These files are created using the Save Configuration option. For details, see Load Configuration Data from a File. You can also access Load Configuration using the toolbar icon or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+O. Save Configuration Displays a dialog to save the configuration parameters currently stored in the Configuration Manager Utility program. For details, see Save Configuration Data to a File. You can also access Save Configuration option using the toolbar icon or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+S. Quit Quits the application. If you have not saved your changes, you will be prompted to do so. Controller Menu To display the menu, click Controller. Change Access Level By default, access to some parameters is restricted. Only authorized users can modify these restricted parameters. Use Change Access Level to allow full access to all parameters. For details, see Change Access Level. You can also open the Change Access Level option with the toolbar icon. The Help Menu To display the menu, click Help General Help Displays the online help (the document you are currently reading) for the Configuration Manager Utility. Adept DeskTop Online Help 124

125 Hide Help Window Tabbed Removes the Help tab from the Configuration Manager Utility window. If this option is selected, the help will only display when it is called from the application via the F1 key, a Help button, or the General Help option on the Help Menu. Option to display Help in a tabbed window in the Configuration Manager Utility window. This is the default display setting for Help. When you call help using the Help tab, the F1 key, a Help button, or the General Help option on the Help menu, the Help page is brought to focus in the Configuration Manager Utility window. Window Floating About... Display the online help in a separate window that floats on top of the application. When this option is selected, you can close the help window. After the help window is closed, the help will only display when it is called from the application via the F1 key, a Help button, or the General Help option on the Help Menu. Displays the version number and copyright notice for the Configuration Manager Utility program. Related Topics Load Configuration Data from a File Save Configuration Data to a File Change Access Level Adept DeskTop Online Help 125

126 Configuration Manager Main Window When the Configuration Manager Utility is launched from Adept DeskTop, the application window is opened on top of the Adept DeskTop interface. This section describes the different parts of the Configuration Manager interface. For details on user interface elements see Item Descriptions below. Item Descriptions Main Menu Window Controls The main menu provides access to application-level functions in the Configuration Manager Utility program. For details, see Configuration Manager Menus. The Configuration Manager Utility is launched from Adept DeskTop into a new window. The controls in the upper right corner of this window allow you to minimize, maximize, or close the Configuration Manager Utility program. When the program is open, the shortcut to the program is available in the Windows taskbar, as illustrated in the following figure. Tool bar The toolbar provides shortcuts for the Load, Save and Change Access Level functions. For details on these functions, see Configuration Manager Menus. Adept DeskTop Online Help 126

127 System Tree View Provides a node-level view of the system being configured. The toplevel represents the currently connected controller, followed by one or more nodes representing the mechanisms in the system. For each mechanism, the components available for configuration are displayed as child nodes under the mechanism name. When you select a node in tree view, the Configuration View changes to provide access to the configuration options for that node. For example, if the cursor is on a joint node, the Joint View page displays. Tabs Click the tabs to change the page in the Configuration View. Clicking the Help tab displays the online help topic for the current configuration view. If the Help tab is not displayed, you can turn it on by selecting Tabbed Window from the Help menu. The tabs available are determined by the system component selected in the system tree view. For example, if you select the Cobra i600 mechanism, you will have tabs on the side to access the Hand Control and Obstacle configuration pages. Page The pages available in the Configuration view are determined by the node selected in the System Tree View. Click a tab to change the page currently displayed. For more details, see Related Topics. Buttons The configuration pages contain three command buttons: Apply, Restore, and Help. Apply Configuration data changes remain local to the Configuration Manager Utility program until they are saved to the controller using the Apply button. Clicking this button launches the Apply Changes dialog. For details, see Apply Changes to the Controller. Restore If you make a mistake editing the configuration data, the Restore option is available to reset the data. The Restore button is only available after a change has been made. Clicking this button launches the Restore Configuration dialog. For details, see Restore Configuration. Help Launches the help topic for the current page or dialog. Related Topics Configuration Manager Menus Configuration Page Joint View Adept DeskTop Online Help 127

128 Workcell Obstacles Hand Control Signals Apply Changes to the Controller Restore Configuration Adept DeskTop Online Help 128

129 Configuration Page The Configuration Page has three views: a Controller View, a Robot View, and a Joint View. Controller View When the Controller node is selected in the system tree view, the configuration page for the controller displays. This page provides information about the system and the available digital inputs and outputs. For details on user interface elements, see the Field Descriptions below. Field Descriptions Menus and Toolbars Tree View For more information on the menus and toolbars, see Configuration Manager Menus. Click a node in the tree view to access the configuration options for the selected component. When you select the node, the Configuration view changes to show the configuration pages available for that component. Use tabs to change to a different page. For example, if you click the Cobra i600 node, the Configuration View displays tabs for Hand Control and Workcell Obstacle configuration. System Information OS Version Serial number System memory Version and revision number of the MicroV+ software in use. Serial number of the system controller. Size of the system program memory in kilobytes (1K = bit bytes) Inputs/Outputs Available digital input numbers Lists the available digital input signals for the robot. For additional details on I/O signals, see the User's Guide for your robot. Adept DeskTop Online Help 129

130 Available digital output numbers Lists the available digital output signals for the robot. For additional details on I/O signals, see the User's Guide for your robot. Robot View When the robot node is selected in the system tree view, the Robot Configuration pages display in the Configuration View. The view includes three pages: Advanced, Workcell Obstacles and Hand Control. For details, see the Robot Configuration Page section. Joint View When the Joint node is selected in the system tree view, the joint configuration page is displayed. This page allows you to view and edit the default travel limits for the selected joint to limit robot joint travel. Lower and Upper limits are always editable. Minimum and Maximum travel and Mid range are not editable If you are in restricted-access mode. For details on setting joint limits, see Edit Joint Limits. For details on user interface elements see Field Descriptions below. For details on changing restricted access to parameters see Change Access Level. Field Descriptions Travel Limits Minimum Travel Lower Limit Specifies the lower physical location to which the joint may travel before hitting a physical hardstop. Specifies the minimum physical location to which the joint may travel. This value must be greater than the value set for Minimum Travel to provide a safety buffer so that the joint does not travel to a physical hardstop. If you try to move the robot beyond the limit of the joint, you will receive an "out of range" message or error. Mid Range Upper Limit Indicates the approximate middle of travel for the joint. This value can be used to specify the safe position for the joint. Specifies the upper physical location that the joint may travel before disabling power. This value must be smaller than the Maximum Travel limit to provide a safety buffer so that the joint does not travel to a physical hardstop. If you try to move the robot beyond the limit of the joint, you will receive an "out of range" message or error. Maximum Travel Specifies the maximum physical location that the joint may travel before hitting a physical hardstop. Adept DeskTop Online Help 130

131 Buttons Apply Restore Help Configuration data changes remain local to the Configuration Manager Utility program until they are saved to the controller using the Apply button. Clicking this button launches the Apply Changes dialog. For details, see Apply Changes to the Controller. In the event of an error, the Restore button is available to reset the configuration data. The Restore button is available only after you have edited the data. Clicking this button launches the Restore Configuration dialog. For details, see Restore Configuration. Launches the help topic for the current page or dialog. Related Topics Edit Joint Limits Apply Changes to the Controller Restore Configuration Change Access Level Adept DeskTop Online Help 131

132 Robot Configuration Page When the robot node is selected in the system tree view, the Robot Configuration pages display in the Configuration View. The view includes three pages: Workcell Obstacles, Hand Control Signals, and Advanced Robot Configuration. Workcell Obstacles The Workcell Obstacle page, displayed below, allows you to view, define, and edit workcell obstacles. The Obstacle display requires that you have DirectX9, or later, installed. For details on displaying and defining obstacles, see Manage Obstacles in the Workcell. For details on user interface elements see the Field Descriptions below. Field Descriptions Tabs Hand Control Advanced Clicking the Hand Control tab displays the configuration page for hand control open and close signals. For details, see Specify Hand Control Signals. Clicking the Advanced tab displays the configuration page to configure E-STOP and calibration options. For details, see Advanced Robot Configuration. Obstacle Management Adept DeskTop Online Help 132

133 Obstacle List Add Obstacle Delete Obstacle Obstacle parameters Lists the currently defined obstacles for the workcell. To edit the obstacle parameters, click on the obstacle name. The obstacle parameters fields will update to show the settings for that obstacle. Click this button to display a drop-down list of available obstacles. Click the desired obstacle to add it to the Obstacle List and to specify the parameters. Select an obstacle in the Obstacle List, then click the Delete Obstacle button to remove it. The obstacle parameters include the dimension, position, and orientation of the obstacle in the workcell with respect to the base frame of the robot. Buttons Apply Restore Help Click Apply to write the changes to the obstacle definitions to the controller. For details, see Apply Changes to the Controller. Click Restore to reset the configuration data. For details, see Restore Configuration. Launches the help topic for the current page or dialog. Workcell Obstacle View The obstacle view displays the obstacle in relation to the base of the robot as illustrated in the figure below: Figure 87 Obstacle Display Viewpoint You can change the viewpoint on obstacles using the view controls, or by clicking and dragging with the mouse. Adept DeskTop Online Help 133

134 View control descriptions Rotate the azimuth counter-clockwise. See Figure 87. Rotate the azimuth clockwise. See the See Figure 87. Raise the viewpoint elevation or tilt. See the See Figure 87. Lower the viewpoint elevation or tilt. See Figure 87. Zoom in on the obstacle view. Zoom out on the obstacle view. Related Topics Manage Obstacles in the Workcell Specify Hand Control Signals Apply Changes to the Controller Restore Configuration Adept DeskTop Online Help 134

135 Hand Control Signals When the robot node is selected in the system tree view, click the Hand Control tab to display the Hand Control parameters for the selected robot. This page allows you to view and edit the digital signals to open and close the gripper hand. For details on setting the signals, see Specify Hand Control Signals. Figure 88 The Hand Control Signals tab Field Descriptions Tabs Workcell Obstacles Advanced Clicking the Workcell Obstacles tab displays the configuration page to specify parameters for obstacles in the Workcell. For details, see Manage Obstacles in the Workcell. Clicking the Advanced tab displays the advanced configuration options. For details, see Advanced Robot Configuration. Signal Fields On/Off Each signal field has an On or Off option which determines how the hand control responds to the specified signal. On indicates that the hand will perform the specified operation when the signal is turned on. Off indicates that the hand will perform the specified operation when the signal is turned off. Adept DeskTop Online Help 135

136 The signals listed in the selection list for each signal field include both the hard and soft signals. Open Signal Open Relax Signal Close Signal Close Relax Signal Specifies the signal used to Open the hand control. Specifies the signal to relax the pneumatic hand after it opens. Specifies the signal used to Close the hand control. Specifies the signal used to relax the pneumatic hand after it closes. Buttons Apply Restore Help Click Apply to write the changes to the hand control signals to the controller. For details, see Apply Changes to the Controller. Click Restore to reset the configuration data. For details, see Restore Configuration. Launches the help topic for the current page or dialog. Related Topics Specify Hand Control Signals Manage Obstacles in the Workcell Apply Changes to the Controller Restore Configuration Adept DeskTop Online Help 136

137 Advanced Robot Configuration When the robot node is selected in the system tree view, click the Advanced tab to display the advanced configuration options. This page allows you to select options that control E-STOP and calibration behavior. For details on selecting the options, see Select Advanced Configuration Options. For details on user interface elements see the Field Descriptions below. Field Descriptions Tabs Hand Control Workcell Obstacles Advanced Clicking the Hand Control tab displays the configuration page for hand control open and close signals. For details, see Specify Hand Control Signals. Clicking the Workcell Obstacles tab displays the configuration page to specify parameters for obstacles in the Workcell. For details, see Manage Obstacles in the Workcell. Clicking the Advanced tab displays the advanced configuration options. For details, see Advanced Robot Configuration. Option Fields Retract Z on CALIBRATE Breakaway E- STOP During calibration of Joint 4, the Z-axis moves slightly. To protect the tool flange or gripper, select this option to retract the Z-axis before Joint 4 moves during the execution of the CALIBRATE instruction. The break-away E-stop function is provided to enable a high power shutdown from the outer link area. For example, if you want a breakaway gripper to shut down robot high power. It essentially lets you disable high power via a user relay circuit inside the robot. This feature is set to OFF at the factory. Check this box to enable the Breakaway E-Stop if required. Adept DeskTop Online Help 137

138 E-STOP Reflected on Output 1 Select this option to enable the indicator signal for the state of the emergency stop circuits. The indicator-- Digital Output 1-- is ON when the E-Stop circuits are closed (E-Stop buttons are not pushed, muted safety gates are closed, etcetera.) and OFF when an E-Stop circuit is open (e.g. an E-Stop button is pushed). Buttons Apply Restore Help Click Apply to write the changes to the hand control signals to the controller. For details, see Apply Changes to the Controller. Click Restore to reset the configuration data. For details, see Manage Obstacles in the Workcell. Launches the help topic for the current page or dialog. Related Topics Specify Hand Control Signals Manage Obstacles in the Workcell Apply Changes to the Controller Restore Configuration Adept DeskTop Online Help 138

139 Managing Configuration Data: Overview The configuration data entered using the Configuration Manager utility program must be written to the controller so it is available when the robot is turned on. You can also save a copy of the data to a file which can be used to archive data, restore, or copy the configuration settings to another robot. Function Apply Button When to use Periodically during the configuration process to avoid losing data. When you click Apply, the Apply Changes dialog displays with options on how to save the configuration changes to the MicroV+ system. If you try to close the Configuration Utility without saving your changes, you will be prompted to Apply your changes. This button is also used to write configuration data to the MicroV+ system (NVRAM) after loading configuration data from a disk file. The configuration data saved to the controller is used to configure the mechanism when MicroV+ boots. Save Configuration File Menu Option Load Configuration File Menu Option To create a backup copy of the configuration data for the currently selected device. The backup file can be used to restore the configuration on your system or to copy the configuration to another system. To copy the configuration data from another device to the currently selected device. The configuration data must have been previously saved to a configuration (.cfg) file using the Save Configuration option. After the configuration data is loaded, use the Apply button to save the data to the currently connected device. Related Topics Save Configuration Data to a File Load Configuration Data from a File Adept DeskTop Online Help 139

140 Working with Configuration Files The Configuration Manager utility allows you to save your system configuration (all of the parameters) to a disk file, and to load a configuration from a disk file. These disk files are called "configuration" files and use the.cfg extension. Configuration files allow you to: Make a backup copy of your configuration. After you have configured your mechanism with the correct parameter settings, save the configuration to a configuration file so you have a backup copy. The configuration file can then be used to restore the configuration in the event that the parameters or configuration are inadvertently changed, or if the hardware needs to be re-installed because of technical issues. Configure a system once, and then reuse that information for other mechanisms which require the same settings. In this case, you configure the first mechanism and save the configuration to a file. After that, you connect to the other modules and load the configuration file you just created. Note:It is important that you use configuration files that are configured for the type of mechanism you are connected to. If you load a configuration file created for one type of mechanism to a different type, the operation will fail. Adept DeskTop Online Help 140

141 Apply Changes to the Controller Changes to the configuration data are stored in the Configuration Manager Utility program until they are written to the controller using the Apply button. When you apply the changes, you have two options: Save the changes temporarily on the controller by writing them to the RAM. Choose this option to test the new settings before saving them permanently. When you select this option, the changes are lost when the controller is rebooted. Save the changes permanently to the controller's NVRAM (non-volatile) memory. Choose this option to write the changes permanently. The updated settings will be loaded when the controller is rebooted. Note:The Apply Changes to Controller function is different than saving data to a local file (on your PC). Data is saved to a file to back up the configuration or to move the same configuration from one system to another. (See Working with Configuration Files for more details.) Writing Data to the Controller To write data to the controller: 1. After making changes to the configuration parameters, click the Apply button to display the Apply Changes dialog. 2. Choose the appropriate options to write the changes. For details on user interface elements, click on the area in the figure below for which you want detailed information, or see Option Descriptions. 3. If you close the Configuration Manager Utility program without saving the configuration changes to the controller, a message box will prompt you to save your configuration. 4. Click Yes to launch the Apply Changes to dialog. 5. Choose the appropriate options. See Option Descriptions for more details. Adept DeskTop Online Help 141

142 Option Descriptions Scope Scope options determine whether to save all configuration changes made or only made on the current configuration page. Write changes from current page Select this option to save only changes from the current configuration page. The name of the current page is displayed in parentheses. Write all changes Select this option to save all changes on the current configuration page along with any other parameter changes you have made on other pages. Destination Destination options determine whether the configuration data is committed to the non-volatile memory on the controller. Write changes to temporary memory only Writes the changes to the RAM on the controller. When the controller is rebooted, the changes will be lost. Write changes to permanent memory Saves the configuration data to the non-volatile memory (NVRAM). When the controller is rebooted the updated configuration data is loaded. Servo Reset Servo Reset options determine whether the servos are reset when the configuration data is written to the controller. Adept DeskTop Online Help 142

143 Reset Servos for changes to take effect immediately When you select this option, the Apply Changes operation issues a SRV.RESET command to restart the servos. This ensures that all configuration changes are immediately in effect. Do not reset Servos. I will reboot the controller later When you select this option, the Apply Changes operation will execute without restarting the servos. Related Topics Save Configuration Data to a File Restore Configuration Adept DeskTop Online Help 143

144 Load Configuration Data from a File Use this option to: Restore configuration data for the current device from a backup file created using the Save Configuration option. Copy the configuration data from another device to the currently selected device. After you have loaded a configuration file, use the Apply button to write the changes to the controller. To load configuration parameters from a file: 1. From the Configuration Manager menu, select File > Load configuration (or use shortcut: Ctrl+O) to display the file selection dialog. 2. Choose the desired.cfg file, then click OK. The configuration file information dialog is displayed: 3. Click Continue to load the file. The values in the configuration file will be loaded into the Configuration Manager. After the file is loaded, use the Apply option to save the changes to the controller. If you don't have full access to modify the configuration parameters, the Configuration Manager Utility generates a Load File Report listing the values that were not loaded. For details on access levels, see Change Access Level. Related Topics Change Access Level Apply Changes to the Controller Load File Report Adept DeskTop Online Help 144

145 Load File Report If the Configuration Manager Utility program encounters problems during the load process, a Load File report is generated with a list of warnings detailing the problems. Warnings may occur because you do not have full access to change the configuration data values, or if the file has been manually edited and has missing or extra information. The following figure illustrates a Load File report generated when the user did not have the access level required to edit the configuration data. Related Topics Load Configuration Data from a File Adept DeskTop Online Help 145

146 Save Configuration Data to a File Use this option to save the configuration data for the current device to a disk file. The configuration file can be used later to load the configuration data to another system or to restore the configuration in the event of a system problem. When the Save is performed, the configuration data currently stored in the Configuration Manager Utility program is written to a file. To save configuration parameters: 1. Before saving, make sure that you have written all of your current configuration changes to the controller. 2. From the Configuration Manager menu, select File > Save configuration (or use shortcut Ctrl+S) to display the File Save dialog. If you have not applied the changes to the controller, you will receive a warning message and an opportunity to apply the changes to the controller before saving the configuration data to a file. 3. Choose the directory for the file; enter the file name. Then, click Save. 4. On the Configuration File Information dialog, enter a comment to describe the contents of the configuration file. Choose OK. The values in the current configuration will be saved to the specified configuration file, with a.cfg extension. Related Topics Load Configuration Data from a File Adept DeskTop Online Help 146

147 Restore Configuration Restore allows you to reset the configuration parameters to either the values currently stored on the controller, or to the values read when the Configuration Manager utility program was launched. This option is only available after you have edited the configuration parameters. For details on user interface elements, click on the area in the figure below for which you want detailed information, or see the OPtion Descriptions descriptions. Option Descriptions Restore only on current node Restores the values on the currently displayed configuration page using the selected data source. The current page name is displayed in parentheses. Restore all settings Restores all values in the configuration data using the selected data source. Re-synchronize with values in controller Specifies the controller RAM as the data source to be used when restoring the data specified in the Scope group. Restore values read when this program was started Specifies the configuration data loaded when the Configuration Manager Utility was started as the data source to be used when restoring the data specified in the Scope group. Choosing this option allows you to reverse any Apply actions that you may have performed during your current editing session. Adept DeskTop Online Help 147

148 Password-Protect Configuration Data Password protection prevents end users from modifying the default configuration parameters such as the minimum joint travel. By default, the access level is restricted, providing view-only access to the protected parameters. Depending on the version you have, restricted parameters may editable only by Adept personnel. Contact Adept Technical Support for details and for a password, if applicable. Change Access Level To change the access level: 1. Contact Adept Technical Support to verify if your version allows end-user access to restricted parameters. If so Adept can provide you with the required password. 2. From the Controller menu, select Change access level to display the following dialog: 3. Enter the correct password to change the access level. 4. Click OK to save the changes. Adept DeskTop Online Help 148

149 Edit Configuration Data: Overview The Configuration Manager Utility program allows you to change the following system operating parameters: Travel Limits Change the individual robot joint travel limits from their standard settings to limit robot joint travel. These software-defined joint limits (soft stops) are intended to protect the robot joints from colliding with custom workcell hardware and to provide a safety buffer so that the joint does not travel to a physical hardstop. To access the travel limits configuration page, select a joint node in the system tree view. Hand Control Signals View and/or modify the digital output signals used to control the opening and closing of the robot hand. The available signals include both the digital output signals and software signals. To access the hand control signals configuration page, select a robot node in the system tree view. Then, choose the Hand Control tab in the Configuration view. Workcell Obstacles Define workcell obstacles to avoid, or areas in which the robot tooltip must work. You can define up to six of these obstacles or areas. To access the workcell obstacles configuration page, select a robot node in the system tree view. Then, choose the Workcell Obstacles tab in the Configuration view. Related Topics Edit Joint Limitss Specify Hand Control Signals Manage Obstacles in the Workcell Adept DeskTop Online Help 149

150 Manage Obstacles in the Workcell You can define travel constraints for a robot within the workcell from the Workcell Obstacles page. The constraints may be obstacles to avoid, or areas in which the robot tool tip must work. You can define up to six of these obstacles or areas. During operation, the path of the robot tool tip is automatically tested to ensure that it does not collide with these objects under the following circumstances: when the robot is being moved in WORLD or TOOL manual control mode; when the destination of each motion is being planned; and while straight-line motions are being performed. From the Workcell Obstacles page, you can perform the following tasks: Add Obstacles Delete Obstacles Edit Obstacles Edit Obstacles Add Obstacles To add an obstacle 1. In the tree view, select the robot you want to configure. 2. If the Workcell Obstacles page is not visible, click the Workcell Obstacles tab on the left side of the Configuration View. 3. Click Add Obstacle to display a list of available obstacles. 4. Click the type of obstacle or area that most closely matches the motion limitations you need to accommodate in your workcell. For example, if you want the robot to avoid a boxshaped obstacle, click Avoid Box. If you want the robot to work within a box-shaped area, click Inside Box. After you click the obstacle, the Defined Obstacle list to the left is updated. You can define up to six obstacles for the current workcell. 5. Specify the parameters for the obstacle dimensions, position, and orientation in the corresponding fields. The location of the obstacle is defined with respect to the base reference frame of the robot. 6. Click Apply to save your changes. Delete Obstacles To delete an obstacle: 1. Select the obstacle name in the Defined Obstacle list. 2. Click Delete. 3. Click Apply to save your changes. Adept DeskTop Online Help 150

151 Edit Obstacles To edit the an obstacle: 1. Select the obstacle name in the Defined Obstacle list. 2. Enter the new values in the dimension, position, and orientation fields as needed. 3. Click Apply to save your changes. Display Obstacles When you create an obstacle, the Obstacle display area automatically updates to show the obstacle as it is positioned with respect to the base reference frame of the robot. Use the view buttons at the top of the obstacle display area to change the point of view. For details, see the Workcell Obstacles Page. Note:If the Obstacle Display is not present or does not display properly, the DirectX9 software used to run the Obstacle Display may not be installed, or may have a problem. To troubleshoot the problem, you can run the DirectX diagnostic utility as explained below. To run the DirectX Diagnostic Utility: 1. On the Windows Start menu, select Run. 2. To execute the diagnostic program, enter dxdiag in the Open field: Related Topics Robot Configuration Page Apply Changes to the Controller Restore Configuration Adept DeskTop Online Help 151

152 Select Advanced Configuration Options The Advanced Configuration page provides options to control ESTOP and calibration behavior. To specify the Advanced Options: 1. Click on the robot node in the tree view: 2. Click the Advanced tab to view the Advanced Configuration page. 3. Use the check box for each option to enable or disable the option. In the following figure the Retract Z on CALIBRATE option is enabled. For details on each option, see Advanced Robot Configuration. 4. After your changes are complete, use Apply to save the changes. Related Topics Apply Changes to the Controller Advanced Robot Configuration Adept DeskTop Online Help 152

153 Specify Hand Control Signals The numbers of the digital signals accessed by MicroV+ for controlling the end-effector are stored on the MicroV+ system disk. The Hand Control Configuration page provides fields to change these specifications. Choosing the Off option for a specified signal has the effect of setting a negative signal number which indicates that the gripper will be activated when the signal is deasserted. For additional information on the digital signal configuration, see the MicroV+ help topic, Understanding Digital I/O Signal Mapping. When the robot is running, you can monitor the digital signals using the DIO Tool available in Adept DeskTop. For details, see the Digital IO Tool topic in the Adept DeskTop help. To specify the Hand Control Signals: 1. Click on the robot node in the tree view: 2. For details on each option, see Advanced Robot Configuration. 3. Click the Hand Control tab to view the Hand Control Configuration page. 4. For each signal field, click the arrow to view a drop-down list of the available signals: 5. Select the desired signal. 6. Choose On to indicate that the hand will open when the specified signal is turned on. Choose Off to indicate that the hand will open when the specified signal is turned off. 7. After your changes are complete, click Apply to save the changes. Related Topics Apply Changes to the Controller Hand Control Signals Adept DeskTop Online Help 153