2.9 ABB IRC5 Controller Configuration

Supported Controller Model(s)

Controllers

IRC5

ABB IRC5 is the current controller series that runs Robotware software

Open

Robot Controller Configuration

RobotStudio - Software requirements

ABB RobotStudio is a proprietary Windows application with a long list of features, including offline programming and robot simulation. RobotStudio is also the recommended application for installing the required scripts/configuration for interfacing with the RTR Controller.

The following ABB plugins/software is required for the RTR-supplied RAPID scripts to run:

• 616-1 PC Interface

• 623-1 Multitasking

• 689-1 Externally Guided Motion

• RobotWare version >= 6.10.01

If you have any problems installing the plugins or software version, contact your ABB vendor for troubleshooting tips. This guide assumes the user is familiar with RobotStudio and has the robot controller connected to their RobotStudio workspace.

Open

Robot Controller Configuration

Navigate to the controller tab on the top panel.

Open

The left panel should display on the left panel.

Network Configuration

Under Configuration, navigate to Communication. In Transmission Protocol, right-click and add a new protocol. Fill in the field as follows:

In this example, we use the service port of the ABB robot, which has a fixed IP (192.168.125.1). You can use any other ethernet port in the robot controller where the IP address and port numbers can be changed to your preference. The same IP address and port number must be set in the Appliance Web Application:

Multitasking Setup

Next, double-click on Controller under the Configuration tab. Add a new task called “RTRCommandServer” and fill in the remaining fields as follows:

EGM Setting Setup

Under Motion, edit External Motion Interface Data and add the following profile “RTR_EMID”:

The “Default Proportional Gain” must be set to 0, otherwise, the robot may drift when moving to goal positions.

Installing RTR RAPID API + Scripts

The final configuration step is to set up the automatic loading of RTR Rapid modules. To do this, we need to add the RTR RAPID scripts to the HOME directory. In the top menu under the Controller tab, press File Transfer, and transfer the provided RAPID folder to the HOME directory. You will need to Request Write Access to do this.

With the RTR RAPID scripts added to the appropriate controller, we can automatically load the modules to the appropriate tasks. In the left panel, double-click on Configuration, and then double-click on Controller. Go to Automatic-Loading of Modules, and make sure to add the following modules.

Note in the diagram above, the RTR “RAPID” folder name is changed to “RTR”. This is not required, however, ABB support discourages naming items similar to ABB-specific keywords (i.e. “RAPID”).

With the necessary controller configuration setup, the last step is to restart the controller, which will update the controller with the new configurations/scripts.

Everything is now set up. RTR_MotionModule.mod is the included RTR example script for getting started with the RTR RAPID API.

RTR RAPID API

The RTR RAPID API is provided by rtr_egm.sys system module file. It provides the following intended public functions:

• RTRSetupEGM - sets up requirements for initiating EGM by the RTR Controller. Must call this once before any communication or motion can be done by the RTR Controller

  • args:

    • ip_address (string) - IP address of the Robot

    • server_port (num) - specified port number for RTR Controller.

• RTRMove() - initiates EGM motions commanded by the RTRController. On entry, this function will block until an AcquireControl command is sent by the RTRController. Afterward, the RTRController is in full control of the robot. Send a ReleaseControl command from the RTRController to exit the function.

  • call RTRMove() again to allow the RTRController to regain control of the robot

• RTRShutdown() - Cleanup/reset all parameters set by RTRSetupEGM and RTRMove

Task-manager setup (eg. PLC)

PLCs can act as task-manager to send move commands to robots via the RTR controller.

PLC HW Configuration (Siemens TIA Portal)

• Install the GSD files from above.

• Configure the IP address and connect the ABB GSD to the network system.