The robot commands the wire feed speed and voltage/arc length settings to the Miller welding equipment using analog outputs from the robot. If you are not seeing the correct settings on the welding equipment there could potentially be an issue with the analog outputs of the robot. This guide will walk you through the various tests that can be performed to ensure that the system is working as expected and help narrow down where an issue may exist.
Testing the Analog Output
On the IO screen of the robot controller you can test the analog output by using the slider in the lower left of the screen that is labeled voltage. Depending on the value of the mode output this will either be the voltage (CV or mode off) or the arc length (pulse or mode on). For voltage the range is 0v output equals 10V on the welder, 10V equals 38V on the welder. For arc length the range is 0v output equals 0 on the welder and 10v output equals 100 on the welder and 5v output equals 50 on the welder.
You can also look at the analog_in[1] and see that the welder is feeding back the same value (voltage/10 for cv or mode off, arc length/10 or the same as the voltage output for pulse or mode on)
For example when in pulse mode if the output is set to 2.59V the welder will show 26 for arc length and the analog_in[1] shows 2.59v.
Ensure Connections are Secure
There are several places to make sure that the connections are secure starting with the cable that runs between the robot controller and the welding equipment. Under the robot controller is two cables with screw-on connections, these connect to the Insight Core and the Feeder with the larger cable going to the Insight core (gray box located beside the welding equipment under the table)
and the smaller cable going to the feeder. We will be testing the larger cable for the analog settings.
Make sure that the cable is seated fully and is tight at the connection at the robot and the insight core, it is the cable connection on the left side of this picture
Make sure the connection is also fully seated and secure at the insight core
Also, ensure that the connection from the insight Core to the welder is seated fully and secure
If those cables are secure we will want to make sure that the wires in the robot controller are secure. Using the door key that is attached to the door, open the door to the robot controller. You will see a bank of IO connections that looks like this
We will pull the green block that is on the far right of the picture and has a label above it that says Analog.
Once it is pulled you will want to make sure that all wires are secure and installed properly. You can see the labels on the connector for each connection point, we are concerned with the wires in the ports marked AG, AO0 and AO1.
The AG connections may vary on your system from the picture above as all AG points are connected. Make sure to reconnect the green block to the IO module before proceeding to the next step
Testing the output at the Welder Connection
If all of the connections are seated fully and securely and there is still an issue getting the correct output at the welder we will begin to test the output at various points in the system starting with the welder.
Pull the main 14-pin plug from the front of the welder
You will want to set the voltage output on the IO screen of the robot to 5V by using the slider.
Test the voltage that is being sent to the welder by using a multimeter and testing for DC voltage between pins D and E for voltage/arc length. The voltage that is recorded on the multimeter should match the voltage that is being sent from the robot to the welder. Test multiple voltages to verify.
If you are getting the correct voltage reconnect the connector and test the output on the welder screen again. If there is still an issue the problem is within the welding equipment and we will need to contact Miller for further assistance.
If the voltage measured on the multimeter is not correct we will move on to the next test of the system
Testing the Analog Input at the Insight Core
Remove the 10 Pin connector from the robot to the Insight Core
You will want to set the voltage output on the IO screen of the robot to 5V by using the slider.
Test the voltage that is being sent to the Insight Core by using a multimeter and testing for DC voltage between pins A and E for voltage/arc length. The voltage that is recorded on the multimeter should match the voltage that is being sent from the robot to the welder. Test multiple voltages to verify.
If you are getting the correct voltage reconnect the connector and test the output on the welder screen again. If there is still an issue the problem is within the Insight Core equipment and we will need to contact Miller for further assistance.
If the voltage measured on the multimeter is not correct we will move on to the next test of the system
Testing the Analog Output at the Robot Controller
Remove the green analog block from the IO module.
Remove the wire from AO1 and insert two short pieces of wire into the AO1 and into one of the open AG ports such as
Reinsert the block back into the IO module.
Using a multimeter test the voltage across the two wires, you should get whatever voltage is being commanded on the IO screen. Test multiple voltages to make sure the output is working correctly across the range of outputs.
If there is an issue where the voltage that is being commanded on the IO screen is not the same as what is measured across the two wires the issue is with the robot controller and it will need to be sent in for evaluation and repair. Contact Hirebotics about coordinating the evaluation and repair of the controller.