1.

Introduction

1. Introduction
1.1 Welcome to EPSON RC+ 7.0
Welcome to the EPSON RC+ 7.0 Project Management and Development Environment.
EPSON RC+ 7.0 is used to develop application software for the Robot Controller.
EPSON RC+ 7.0 features
- Operable on Windows
- Integrated application development environment
- Communicates with the Controller by USB or Ethernet
- Allows you to connect one computer with multiple Controllers
- Multi simultaneous session
- SPEL+ programming language
A powerful, easy to use BASIC-like programming language that supports multi-
tasking, robot motion control, I/O control, and networking.
- I/O systems including Digital I/O boards and Fieldbus I/O
- TCP/IP and RS-232 communications
- Background task
Controls entire system
- Database access
- Vision Guide option
Integrated vision robot guidance
- RC+ API option
Enables you to control the system using standard Microsoft .NET programming
environments including Microsoft Visual Basic and Microsoft Visual C++.
- Security option
Allows you to administrate all EPSON RC+ users on your system. It also includes
usage auditing, so you can track how many hours are spent using the system, and if
changes were made.
- Conveyor Tracking option
Enables one or more robots to pick parts from moving conveyors using vision or
sensors.
- PG Motion System option
Allows you to use third party motors and drivers to control auxiliary equipment such
as XY tables, slides, etc.
- ECP option
Supports CP motion relative to a fixed point.
- GUI Builder option
Integrated GUI development tool
- Force Sensing option
Allows a robot to use torque/force sensing and measurement
- Force Control
Force is controlled or measured by force sensor.

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1. Introduction

1.2 System Overview

EPSON RC+ 7.0 software, which is installed to the computer connected to the robot
controller, contains several components that enable you to control an entire robotic work
cell. EPSON RC+ 7.0 communicates with the controller using USB or Ethernet.
EPSON RC+ 7.0 and the Controller can be used in following environments:
Slave system The Controller is PLC or PC cell slave.
Application is developed with EPSON RC+ 7.0.
After saving the object code to the Controller, it does not need
to be connected to the computer.
The Controller is controlled by I/O or fieldbus.
Standalone system Controls the robot and peripheral equipment as the robot
controller.
EPSON RC+ 7.0 displays the simple operator window in
AUTO mode.
By using RC+ API option, .NET application can be controlled.
Offline development Program edition and project build can be checked on the offline
system PC.
Simulation system EPSON RC+ 7.0 on the PC which is connected to the
Controller can execute the program without the actual I/O or
robot by using the virtual I/O and dry run.

1.2.1 Controller
RC700
The RC700 Controller is a powerful robotic work cell controller that controls our SCARA
robots and 6-axis robots.

Controller features
- Sophisticated yet achieving reliability and stability
- Built in Motion System
The motion drive system can control up to 6 axes simultaneously and 1 robot,
and can add up to three drive units
- Includes standard I/O
- Wide variety of options
For detailed information on the Controller, refer to the controller manual.

RC90
The RC90 Controller with the following label attached can be used in combination with
EPSON RC+ 7.0.
RC90 Controller firmware
EPSON RC+ 7.0
Ver.7.0.2.0
Before Ver.7.0.1 !!!
Ver.7.0.2 or later OK

OK: Compatible All functions of the EPSON RC+ 7.0 and the Controller are
available.

!!!: Compatible Connection is OK. We recommend using EPSON RC+7.0 Ver. 7.0.2
NOTE
or later.


This option is not available for Robot Controller RC90 (EPSON RC+ 5.0) without the
label.

2 EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4

 1. Introduction
NOTE


Manual PDF for this robot system is available from EPSON RC+ 7.0 Ver. 7.0.2

The RC90 Controller is a robot controller that can drive LS series manipulators.
Features:

- Built in motion drive system. The motion drive system can control one robot.
- Standard I/O
- Optional digital I/O expansion boards
- Optional Fieldbus slave support for DeviceNet, PROFIBUS-DP, CC-Link Ethernet/IP,
PROFINET, and EtherCat.
- RS232 ports (standard + optional)
For details on the Controller, refer to the RC90 controller manual.

1.2.2 Software
EPSON RC+ 7.0 needs to be installed to your development PC. To communicate with the
Controller, the computer should support USB 1.1 / 2.0 or Ethernet communication.
You can purchase options with the product or add them later.
Using EPSON RC+ 7.0, you can develop application software for the SPEL+ language
that runs in the RC700 controller.

1.2.3 Simulator
Simulator functions enable easy robot motion check on your PC, which gives you
flexibility to consider the system layout, measure the operation time, and create the robot
programs.
They are useful in all the way from introduction stage of robot automation to launch of
robot system.
Simulator is supported by EPSON RC+ 7.0 Ver.7.0.0 or later as standard.
For details, refer to 8. Simulator.

EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4 3

1. Introduction

1.2.4 System Block Diagram

The following system block diagram shows methods for connecting a PC running EPSON
RC+ 7.0 to one or more controllers.

System 1: Connects the PC with one Controller using USB 1.1 or USB 2.0

USB Robot Controller

PC

System 2: Connects the PC with one Controller using Ethernet

Ethernet
PC Robot Controller

System 3: Connects the PC with multiple Controllers using Ethernet

Robot Controller 1

PC

Robot Controller 2

Ethernet

Robot Controller 3

4 EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4

 1. Introduction

1.3 Options
EPSON RC+ 7.0 enables the purchased Controller options.
Refer to 22. Installing Controller Options for details.

1.4 Precautions When Using Windows 7

Connecting development PC to Robot Controller using Ethernet
The robot controller does not support internet protocol version 6 (TCP/IPv6). When
connecting the development PC to the robot controller using the Ethernet, be sure to use
the internet protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4).

1.5 EPSON RC+ 5.x and 6.x Users

EPSON RC+ 7.0 is compatible with EPSON RC+ 5.x and 6.x for the operation and
language.
For EPSON RC+ 7.0, you can use all commands of EPSON RC+ 5.x and 6.x.
You can use the current numbers for the I/O and communication port.
To enable the EPSON RC+ 5.x and 6.x project in EPSON RC+ 7.0 environment, convert
the project using [Project] menu-[Import].
With above conversion, the entire project will be copied by EPSON RC+ 7.0.
\EPSONRC50\Project directory → \EpsonRC70\Project directory
\EPSONRC60\Project directory → \EpsonRC70\Project directory

1.6 EPSON RC+ 3.x and 4.x Users

EPSON RC+ 7.0 is compatible with EPSON RC+ 3.x and 4.x for the operation.
For EPSON RC+ 7.0, there are new commands added to SPEL+ language. Though there
are also some commands deleted or amended, most commands are available.
To enable the project of EPSON RC+ 3.x or 4.x in EPSON RC+ 7.0 environment, convert
the project using [Project] menu-[Import].
With above conversion, the entire project will be copied by EPSON RC+ 7.0.
\EPSONRC\Project directory → \EpsonRC70\Project directory
Refer to Appendix A: Automatic Processing of Project Import for the details.

1.7 SPEL for Windows Users

EPSON RC+ 7.0 is compatible with SPEL for Windows 1.x and 2.x for the operation.
For EPSON RC+ 7.0, there are many new commands added to SPEL+ language, which
replaces SPEL. Also there are some commands deleted or amended.
To enable the project of SPEL for Windows 2.x in EPSON RC+ 7.0 environment, convert
the project using [Project] menu-[Import].
With above conversion, the file will be copied to a new directory or the program will
optionally be converted by EPSON RC+ 7.0.
Refer to Appendix A: Automatic Processing of Project Import for the details.

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1. Introduction

1.8 Documentation
All documentation is installed on the PC in PDF format.
To view manuals on the PC:
- Select [Manuals] from the [Help] menu in EPSON RC+ 7.0
- From Windows desktop, click <Start>-[Programs]-[EPSON RC+ 7.0]

Available manuals are shown in the table below.

Title Contents
EPSON RC+ 7.0 Users Guide Information for the entire system
SPEL+ Language Reference Information for the SPEL+ Language
Vision Guide 7.0 Hardware
Vision Guide 7.0 Software
Vision Guide 7.0 Reference
Force Control 7.0
Force Control 7.0 Reference
RC+ API 7.0
Information for options
GUI Builder 7.0
Fieldbus IO
PG Motion System
TP1
TP2
TP3
Information for Remote I/O control extended
Remote Control Reference
function
Information for the purchased robot
Manipulator manual
Each series has its own manual
Controller manual Information for the purchased robot
Information for installing the robot system safely
Safety & Installation
Paper manual will come with the product

NOTE The “NOTE” sections describe important information to be

 followed for operating the Robot system.

TIP The "TIP" sections describe hints for easier or alternative

 operations.

6 EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4

 2. Safety

2. Safety
2.1 Overview
This chapter describes the important safety requirements for robotic systems using EPSON
RC+ 7.0 and the Controller.
Installation of robots and robotic equipment should only be performed by qualified
personnel in accordance with national and local codes. Please read and understand this
entire chapter before using your EPSON RC+ 7.0 system.
Safety is the most important consideration when designing and operating any robotic
system.
In this manual, important matters are shown with the symbols below.
Each symbol has following meanings.

This symbol indicates that a danger of possible serious injury or

death exists if the associated instructions are not followed
WARNING properly.

This symbol indicates that a danger of possible harm to people

caused by electric shock exists if the associated instructions are
WARNING not followed properly.

This symbol indicates that a danger of possible harm to people or

physical damage to equipment and facilities exists if the
CAUTION associated instructions are not followed properly.

2.2 Definitions
2.2.1 Robot Power
The status of robot power is explained below in terms of restriction to operation:
Operation-prohibited status: Robot cannot be operated.
Restricted (low power) status: Robot can operate at low speed and low torque.
Unrestricted (high power) status: Robot can operate without restriction.
The robot will not operate regardless of the control actions taken by the operator when in
the operation-prohibited state. During operation, when the safeguard circuit opens, the
system will switch to operation-prohibited state.
The robot will operate at low speed and torque in the restricted state (low power). In the
unrestricted state (high power), the robot will operate at the programmed speed and torque.
In the event that the robot should make an unexpected movement, the restricted state (low
power) decreases operating speed allowing the operator to avoid danger. The torque is
also decreased to minimize serious injury to the operator should one be struck by the robot.
The maximum values of the decreased speed and torque are set according to the robot used
and cannot be changed by the user.
As a safety precaution the initial power state of the robot will be set to either the restricted
(low power) state or the operation-prohibited state. The system will not change to the
unrestricted (high power) state if the appropriate procedures are not followed.
When the system is in restricted (low power) state or operation-prohibited state, a single
failure will not cause a runaway action that surpasses the assigned speed or torque
decrease. This is due to the multi-protect circuit and mutual monitoring circuit in the
control system.

EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4 7

2. Safety

2.2.2 Safeguard
To ensure safe operation, install a safety system using safety doors, light curtains, safety
floor mats, etc.
■ The EMERGENCY connector on the controller has a safeguard input circuit to connect
the safety device interlock switch. To protect operators working near the robot, be sure to
WARNING connect the interlock switch and make sure that it works properly.

If a closed safeguard is open during robot motion, the robot stops immediately and enters
into pause state. Then, all robot motors are turned off. The descriptions below explain
how the safeguard input works.
Safeguard closed: The safeguard input is turned ON. The robot can automatically
operate in unrestricted (high power) state.
Safeguard open: The safeguard input is turned OFF, and the interlock function
operates. The robot stops immediately, motors are turned off, and
further operation is impossible until either the safeguard is closed or
Teach or TEST mode is turned ON and the enable circuit is engaged.
For further details on the safeguard and interlock, refer to 2.4 Installation and Design
Precautions later in this chapter. For detailed wiring instructions, refer to the Robot
Controller manual, Setup & Operation: 9. EMERGENCY.

2.2.3 Operation Modes

The operation mode is defined as the single control point for the controller, therefore you
cannot use more than one operation mode at the same time.
There are four operation modes for the controller: AUTO, PROGRAM, TEACH, and
TEST.
- AUTO operation modes allow you to execute programs in the controller when the
safeguard is closed.
- PROGRAM operation mode allows you to execute and debug programs when the
safeguard is closed.
- TEACH operation mode allows you to jog and teach the robot at slow speed while
inside the safeguarded area.
- TEST operation mode allows you to execute a program at slow speed while the
safeguard is opened.

2.2.4 Start Mode

The Start mode specifies the operation mode for EPSON RC+ 7.0 when it starts.
You can set the EPSON RC+ 7.0 to start in AUTO or PROGRAM mode.
For information on how to change the start mode, refer to 4. Operation.

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 2. Safety

2.2.5 Changing Operation Mode

You can change from AUTO operation mode or PROGRAM operation mode to TEACH
mode by setting the mode selector key switch on the Teach Pendant to the TEACH
position.
TP1, TP2: Teach
TP3: TEACH/T1, TEACH/T2
When the mode selector key switch is changed back to Auto (TP1, TP2) or AUTO (TP3),
the operation mode is returned to previous operation mode (AUTO or PROGRAM).
The AUTO operation mode can be changed to PROGRAM mode during the EPSON RC+
7.0 startup sequence. A password can be used to allow only certain personnel to change
the startup operation mode.
When EPSON RC+ 7.0 starts in AUTO operation mode, the AUTO operation mode
cannot be changed to PROGRAM operation mode after the system has started. To change
the operation mode, restart the system and log into PROGRAM mode, then set the start
mode again and restart EPSON RC+ 7.0.
For more information, refer to 4. Operation.
To change to TEST operation mode:
TP1: Switch the mode selector key switch on the Teach Pendant to Teach, and then
select Function key F1: Test Mode.
TP3: Switch the mode selector key switch on the Teach Pendant to TEACH/T1 or
TEACH/T2, and then tap the [Test] tab.
For more information, refer to the following manuals.
Robot Controller option Teach Pendant TP1 or TP3 manual, 4. Operation Mode
(TEACH/AUTO/TEST).

NOTE
Robot Controller option Teach Pendant TP2 manual, 4. Operation Mode (TEACH/AUTO).

 T2 mode cannot be used on RC700-A for complying with the UL standard.

2.2.6 Emergency Stop

The controller is equipped with an emergency stop input terminal. If the normally closed
emergency stop circuit is broken, the power supplied to all motors will be shut off (and
enter servo-free status) and the robot will be stopped by dynamic braking.

■ The path that the robot will follow from the time the emergency stop switch is pressed
until the device stops, as well as the stop position itself, cannot be positively determined.
In many cases, the stop position will not exceed the target position for the operation prior
the emergency stop. Depending on the robot’s loading condition and operation speed,
CAUTION overruns are inevitable. Taking this into consideration, be sure the layout for the
peripheral equipment includes extra space.

For detailed wiring instructions, refer to the Robot Controller manual, Setup & Operation:
9. EMERGENCY.

2.2.7 Teach Control Device

Operators can use the TP1 teach pendant to operate the robot in the TEACH or TEST
operation mode.
For operation instructions, refer to the following manuals.
Robot Controller option Teach Pendant TP1, TP2, or TP3 manual.

EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4 9

2. Safety

2.3 Safety-related Requirements

Specific tolerances and operating conditions for safety are contained in the manuals for the
robot, controller and other devices. Be sure to read those manuals as well.
For the installation and operation of the robot system, be sure to comply with the
applicable local and national regulations.
Robot systems safety standards and other examples are given in this chapter. Therefore, to
ensure that safety measures are complete, please refer to the other standards listed as well.
(Note: The following is only a partial list of the necessary safety standards.)
EN ISO 10218-1 Robots and robotic devices -- Safety requirements for industrial
robots -- Part 1: Robots
EN ISO 10218-2 Robots and robotic devices -- Safety requirements for industrial
robots -- Part 2: Robot systems and integration
ANSI/RIA R15.06 American National Standard for Industrial Robots and Robot
Systems -- Safety Requirements
EN ISO 12100 Safety of machinery -- General principles for design -- Risk
assessment and risk reduction
EN ISO 13849-1 Safety of machinery -- Safety-related parts of control systems -- Part
1: General principles for design
EN ISO 13850 Safety of machinery -- Emergency stop -- Principles for design
EN ISO 13855 Safety of machinery -- Positioning of safeguards with respect to the
approach speeds of parts of the human body.
EN ISO 13857 Safety of machinery -- Safety distances to prevent hazard zones
being reached by upper and lower limbs.
ISO 14120 Safety of machinery -- Guards -- General requirements for the design
EN953 and construction of fixed and movable guards

IEC 60204-1 Safety of machinery -- Electrical equipment of machines -- Part 1:

EN 60204-1 General requirements
CISPR11 Industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio-frequency equipment -
EN 55011 - Electromagnetic disturbance characteristics -- Limits and methods
of measurement
IEC 61000-6-2 Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) -- Part 6-2: Generic standards
EN 61000-6-2 -- Immunity for industrial environments

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 2. Safety

2.4 Installation and Design Precautions

2.4.1 Designing a Safe Robot System

It is important to operate robots safely. It is also important for robot users to give careful
consideration to the safety of the overall robot system design.
This section summarizes the minimum conditions that should be observed when using
EPSON robots in your robot systems.
Please design and manufacture robot systems in accordance with the principles described
in this and the following sections.
Environmental Conditions
Carefully observe the conditions for installing robots and robot systems that are listed in
the “Environmental Conditions” tables included in the manuals for all equipment used in
the system.
System Layout
When designing the layout for a robot system, carefully consider the possibility of error
between robots and peripheral equipment. Emergency stops require particular attention,
since a robot will stop after following a path that is different from its normal movement
path. The layout design should provide enough margins for safety. Refer to the manuals
for each robot, and ensure that the layout secures ample space for maintenance and
inspection work.
When designing a robot system to restrict the area of motion of the robots, do so in
accordance with the methods described in each manipulator manual. Utilize both software
and mechanical stops as measures to restrict motion.
Install the emergency stop switch at a location near the operation unit for the robot system
where the operator can easily press and hold it in an emergency.
Do not install the controller at a location where water or other liquids can leak inside the
controller. In addition, never use liquids to clean the controller.
Disabling Power to the System using lock out / tag out
The power connection for the robot controller should be such that it can be locked and
tagged in the off position to prevent anyone from turning on power while someone else is
in the safeguarded area. For further details, refer to the section Procedure of
Lockout/Tagout in the chapter Safety Precautions in the controller manual.
End Effector Design
Provide wiring and piping that will prevent the robot end effector from releasing the object
held (the work piece) when the robot system power is shut off.
Design the robot end effector such that its weight and moment of inertia do not exceed the
allowable limits. Use of values that exceed the allowable limits can subject the robot to
excessive loads. This will not only shorten the service life of the robot but can lead to
unexpectedly dangerous situations due to additional external forces applied to the end
effector and the work piece.
Design the size of the end effector with care, since the robot body and robot end effector
can interfere with each other.

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2. Safety

Peripheral Equipment Design

When designing equipment that removes and supplies parts and materials to the robot
system, ensure that the design provides the operator with sufficient safety. If there is a
need to remove and supply materials without stopping the robot, install a shuttle device or
take other measures to ensure that the operator does not need to enter a potentially
dangerous zone.
Ensure that an interruption to the power supply (power shutoff) of peripheral equipment
does not lead to a dangerous situation. Take measures that not only prevent a work piece
held from being released as mentioned in “End effector Design” but that also ensure
peripheral equipment other than the robots can stop safely. Verify equipment safety to
ensure that, when the power shuts off, the area is safe.
Remote Control
To prevent operation by remote control from being dangerous, start signals from the
remote controller are allowed only when the control device is set to REMOTE, TEACH
mode is OFF, and the system is configured to accept remote signals. Also when remote is
valid, motion command execution and I/O output are available only from remote. For the
safety of the overall system, however, safety measures are needed to eliminate the risks
associated with the start-up and shutdown of peripheral equipment by remote control.
Emergency Stop
Each robot system needs equipment that will allow the operator to immediately stop the
system’s operation. Install an emergency stop device that utilizes emergency stop input
from the controller and all other equipment.
During an emergency stop, the power that is supplied to the motor driving the robot is shut
off, and the robot is stopped by dynamic braking.
The emergency stop circuit should also remove power from all external components that
must be turned off during an emergency. Do not assume that the robot controller will turn
off all outputs if configured to. For example, if an I/O card is faulty, the controller cannot
turn off a component connected to an output. The emergency stop on the controller is
hardwired to remove motor power from the robot, but not external power supplies.
Do not press the Emergency Stop switch unnecessarily while the Robot is operating.
Pressing the switch during the operation makes the brakes work. This will shorten the life
of the brakes due to the worn friction plates.
Normal brake life cycle: About 2 years (when the brakes are used 100 times/day or
1000 times of emergency stops for H8)
Do not turn OFF the Controller while the Manipulator is operating.
If you attempt to stop the Manipulator in emergency situations such as “Safeguard Open”,
make sure to stop the Manipulator using the Emergency Stop switch of the Controller.

If the Manipulator is stopped by turning OFF the Controller while it is operating,

following problems may occur.
Reduction of the life and damage of the reduction gear unit
Position gap at the joints
In addition, if the Controller was forced to be turned OFF by blackouts and the like while
the Manipulator is operating, make sure to check the following points after power
restoration.
Whether or not the reduction gear is damaged
Whether or not the joints are in their proper positions

12 EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4

 2. Safety

If there is a position gap, perform calibration by referring to the Maintenance: Calibration

in the Manipulator manual.

Following manuals contain information on the Emergency Stop.

Robot System Safety and Installation (RC700 / RC700-A, EPSON RC+7.0)
Manipulator manual
Please also read the descriptions in the manuals and use the robot system properly.
Before using the Emergency Stop switch, be aware of the followings.
- The Emergency Stop (E-STOP) switch should be used to stop the Robot only in case
of emergencies.
- To stop the Robot operating the program except in emergency, use Pause (halt) or
STOP (program stop) commands, or release the Safeguard system. Pause and STOP
commands do not turn OFF the motors. Therefore, the brake does not function.
Releasing the Safeguard system stops the Robot with a quick pause, and makes the
brakes work. Pushing the Emergency Stop switch (E-STOP) turns OFF the motors
and makes the brakes work. The brakes lock while the Robot is operating.
- For the Safeguard system, do not use the circuit for E-STOP.
For details of the Safeguard system, refer to the following manuals.
Safety and Installation 2.6 Connection to EMERGENCY Connector
To check brake problems, refer to the following manuals.
Manipulator Manual
Maintenance 2.1.2 Inspection Point
- Inspection While the Power is ON (Robot is operating)
Safety and Installation
5.1.1 Manipulator - Inspection While the Power is ON (Robot is operating)
Safeguard System
To ensure safety, a safeguard system should be installed for the robot system.
When installing the safeguard system, strictly observe the following points:
Refer to each manipulator manual, and install the safeguard system outside the maximum
space. Carefully consider the size of the end effector and the work pieces to be held so
that there will be no error between the moving parts and the safeguard system.
Manufacture the safeguard system to withstand calculated external forces (forces that will
be added during operation and forces from the surrounding environment).
When designing the safeguard system, make sure that it is free of sharp corners and
projections, and that the safeguard system itself is not a hazard.
Make sure that the safeguard system can only be removed by using a tool.
There are several types of safeguard devices, including safety doors, safety barriers, light
curtains, safety gates, and safety floor mats. Install the interlocking function in the
safeguard device. The safeguard interlock must be installed so that the safeguard interlock
is forced to work in case of a device failure or other unexpected accident. For example,
when using a door with a switch as the interlock, do not rely on the switch’s own spring
force to open the contact. The contact mechanism must open immediately in case of an
accident.
Connect the interlock switch to the safeguard input of the drive unit’s EMERGENCY
connector. The safeguard input informs the robot controller that an operator may be inside
the safeguard area. When the safeguard input is activated, the robot stops immediately and
enters pause status, as well as either operation-prohibited status or restricted status (low
power status).
Make sure not to enter the safeguarded area except through the point where the safeguard
interlock is installed.
The safeguard interlock must be installed so that it can maintain a safe condition until the
interlock is released on purpose once it initiates. The latch-release input is provided for
the EMERGENCY connector on the Controller to release the latch condition of the

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2. Safety

safeguard interlock. The latch release switch of the safeguard interlock must be installed
outside of the safeguarded area and wired to the latch-release input.
It is dangerous to allow someone else to release the safeguard interlock by mistake while
the operator is working inside the safeguarded area. To protect the operator working
inside the safeguarded area, take measures to lock out and tag out the latch-release switch.
Presence Sensing Device
The above mentioned safeguard interlock is a type of presence sensing device, since it
indicates the possibility of somebody being inside the safeguard system. When separately
installing a presence sensing device, however, perform a satisfactory risk assessment and
pay thorough attention to its dependability.
Here are precautions that should be noted:
- Design the system so that when the presence sensing device is not activated or a
dangerous situation still exists that no personnel can go inside the safeguard area or
place their hands inside it.
- Design the presence sensing device so that regardless of the situation the system
operates safely.
- If the robot stops operating when the presence sensing device is activated, it is
necessary to ensure that it does not start again until the detected object has been
removed. Make sure that the robot cannot automatically restart.
Resetting the Safeguard
Ensure that the robot system can only be restarted through careful operation from outside
the safeguarded system. The robot will never restart simply by resetting the safeguard
interlock switch. Apply this concept to the interlock gates and presence sensing devices
for the entire system.
Robot Operation Panel
The robot operation panel must not be located inside of the robot work envelope / workcell.
Ensure that the robot system can be operated from outside of the safeguard.
2.4.2 Robot System Installation, Start-up, and Testing
Installation
When installing the robot and robot system, follow the instructions contained in each of
the robot and robot controller manuals.
Start-up and Functional Testing
If the safeguard system is not ready at the time of start-up and functional testing, specify
an area to install the safeguard system (as a temporary measure) and then begin.
During start-up and functional testing, do not allow workers inside the safeguarded area
until the safeguard function is activated.
Before start-up and functional testing, carefully read the related manuals and obtain a good
understanding of safety-related precautions.
Before supplying the robot and robot system with power for the first time, verify the items
listed below.
Items to check before supplying with power
- Prescribed bolts are securely tightened to the robot.
- Electrical connections are set up correctly, and power supply conditions (including
voltage, frequency, and error level) are within the specified range.
- Compressed air source (if applicable) is properly connected.
- Peripheral devices are properly connected.
- Safety device is equipped with an interlock switch, and it functions properly.
- Operating environment conditions conform to the conditions specified in the robot and
controller manuals.

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 2. Safety

Items to check after supplying with power

- Start/stop, mode selection, and other functions work properly.
- Moving axes operate normally, and that the area of motion is limited as stipulated in
the specifications.
- Emergency stop circuit functions correctly.
- Power supply can be shut off.
- Teach operation mode is functioning properly.
- Safety device and interlock switch function correctly.
- Other safeguards (if applicable) are installed correctly in their prescribed locations.
- Robot operates accurately in restricted status (low power status).
- Robot operates properly under rated loads and at maximum speed.
Restarting after a Change
When restarting the robot system after its hardware or software has been corrected or
serviced, strictly observe the following:
- Before supplying the system with power, check the locations where the hardware was
modified.
- Test the functions of the robot system to make sure that it operates correctly.

EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4 15

2. Safety

2.5 Precautions regarding Robot Operation

2.5.1 General Precautions

Before operation, become familiar with the location of all emergency stop switches.
During an emergency, always press the nearest emergency stop switch. There should
never be any emergency stop switches in the system that do not operate.
After an emergency, do not restore the emergency stop circuit until it has been determined
that the entire system is safe to restart.
If your robot is a 6-axis type, record the pulse values of the reference points used for the
calibration. For details, refer to Setup & Operation 3.7 Checking the Basic Orientation in
the Manipulator manual.

2.5.2 Automatic Operation

Ensure that system automatic operation is enabled only while the following requirements
are being met:
- Emergency stop switches are installed in the prescribed location and operate correctly.
- No personnel are inside the safeguarded area of the system.
- Safety procedures that are established separately for the robot system (if applicable) are
being followed.

2.5.3 Teaching Robot Points

If possible, teaching should be performed with no personnel inside the safeguarded area.
Teach mode can be used to allow the robot to be jogged or moved at slow speed when the
safeguard is open. Before going inside the safeguarded area, robot operators that need to
move the robot under servo control must switch Teach mode to ON by using the mode
selector key switch of the teach pendant. Operators then carry the teach pendant while
inside the safeguarded area. As a result, the operation mode cannot be changed from
outside the safeguarded system while somebody is inside the safeguarded area.
Auto Mode and Program Mode
With the safeguard circuit open, the robot motors will be turned off and the robot cannot
be jogged under power. However, the robot can be moved by hand to a position with the
safeguard circuit open and the position can then be taught.
Teach Mode
The robot can be jogged or moved at slow speed as long as the three position enable (dead
man) switch is engaged.
Please observe the following guidelines for teaching points:
- Robot operators must receive training that utilizes the same type of robot. Before
teaching, the operator should be thoroughly familiar with teaching procedures.
- Before teaching, remove all errors and malfunctions.
- Before the robot operator goes inside the safeguard system, confirm that the robot
motors go off when the safeguard is open and that emergency stop switches are
functioning correctly.
- The robot operator should visually check the robot system and safeguard system
interior to ensure that there are no potential hazards.
- Design the system in such a way that prevents the overall robot system from being
started up from any location while the operator is inside the safeguarded area.

16 EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4

 2. Safety

- If there is a possibility of a dangerous situation arising from the operation of a device

other than the robot, such as an actuator, take steps to prevent such operation or ensure
that these devices can only be controlled by the teaching operator.

2.5.4 Return to Automatic Operation

If there are safety devices that have been temporarily disabled for system inspection or
other reasons, always return them to their original status before restarting automatic
operation.

2.5.5 Program Verification

If it is necessary to verify a program on the EPSON RC+ 7.0 while the system is in
unrestricted (high power) status, first make sure that no personnel are inside the
safeguarded area.
If it is necessary to verify a program on Teach Pendant TP1, TP3 (TEST operation mode),
follow the rules below.
- An operator must receive training about the robot of the same type. Program
verification should be done after the operator has a thorough knowledge about the
operation procedure of TEST operation mode.
- Remove all obstacles and failures before the program verification.
- An operator should check that the Motor is turned OFF when the safeguard is opened,
and check if the Emergency Stop switch functions properly before entering inside the
safeguard.
- An operator should check the possibility of risk by checking the robot system and
inside of the safeguard visually.
- If someone is inside the safeguard, do not allow the whole robot system to be
controlled to start operation from outside.
- If there is a possibility that operation of equipment other than the robot, such as an
actuator, may cause danger, do not allow the operation of equipment, or allow only the
program verifier to control the equipment.

2.5.6 Troubleshooting
Troubleshoot from outside the safeguard system. If that is not possible, strictly observe
the requirements below.
- Operators responsible for troubleshooting should be trained and qualified to perform
such work.
- Establish work safety procedures to minimize the danger that operators inside the
safeguard system will be exposed to.

2.5.7 Maintenance
In order to keep the robot and robot system operating safely, maintenance (and inspection)
is important. Adequately trained personnel should perform the procedures required to do
the maintenance work safely. Make sure that maintenance is performed according to the
instructions in the robot and controller manuals (maintenance editions).

EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4 17

2. Safety

If maintenance is required inside the safeguarded area, take the following precautions:
- Shut off the power supply using lockout / tagout to prevent anyone from turning ON
the robot power supply by mistake. For further details, refer to the section Procedure
of Lockout/Tagout in the chapter Safety Precautions in the controller manual.
- If the robot system power supply cannot be shut off, strictly observe the following:
(1) Visually inspect the robot system to ensure that there are no conditions that could lead
to a malfunction.
(2) If it is discovered that the robot system is damaged or malfunctioning, perform the
required repairs and retest it before allowing the operator to go inside the safeguard
system.
- Grant full control of the robot and robot system to those performing maintenance
and/or repairs inside the safeguard system.
- Ensure that the robot system does not respond to any remote control devices.
- Ensure that all emergency stop devices are functioning correctly.
- Before starting the robot system in automatic operation, return all temporarily disabled
safety devices to their original enabled status.
- Do not use tweezers or other metal tools to aid in battery replacement. This could
cause a battery short. Replace a battery using only the specified type and be careful to
observe the polarity of the battery.

2.5.8 Backup of Projects and Controller

After a project has been created or edited, or after system data including robot parameters
has been edited, the project and controller files should be copied and stored in media other
than the hard disk on the PC (e.g. USB memory key). Keep the backup media in a safe
place in case of damaged data on the hard disk
To backup, select [Controller] from the EPSON RC+ 7.0 [Tools] menu and execute
Backup Controller. Refer to the section 5.11.8 Controller Command.
Backup Controller is a function to backup both the project and the controller.
To backup only the project data, select [Copy] from the [Project] menu. Refer to the
section 5.9.11 Copy Command.

■ If your system cannot be restored by Restore Controller, you must restore robot
calibration parameters (Hofs, CalPls) before operating the robot. If you fail to do so, the
CAUTION robot will move to incorrect positions.

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 2. Safety

2.6 End User Instruction Manual

Be sure that the robot system instruction manual supplies a list of all the equipment
included in the system (such as the robots, associated equipment, and safety devices) as
well as a description of how to use each.
Be sure to provide the following in the manual:
- An easy to follow explanation of the robot system and how to install it, as well as a
step by step summary of the system installation and external power supply connections.
- A description of all hazards and how to avoid them.
- A description (including interconnection diagrams) of the safety devices, interacting
functions, and safeguard’s interlocking function against hazardous conditions, in
particular, the safeguard’s interlocking function for devices installed to perform
interactively.
- Precise instructions regarding usage of the system.

2.7 End User Training

Be sure those in charge of safety management confirm that the operators who program,
operate, and maintain the robot and robot system obtain proper training and have the
expertise to conduct the work safely.
Training should include at least the following:
- Study of regulation safety procedures, and safety-related recommendations by robot
manufacturers and system designers.
- Clear explanation of the work involved.
- Description of all control equipment required for the work and their functions.
- Explanation of potential hazards involved in the work.
- Work safety procedures and specific methods of avoiding potential hazards.
- Safety device and interlock function testing and confirmation methods are working
properly.

EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4 19

3. Getting Started

3. Getting Started
This chapter contains instructions for setting up and using EPSON RC+ 7.0. It is
recommended that first time users first read the preceding Safety chapter, then read
through this chapter to get more familiar with the system.
Contents
- Hardware Installation
- Software Installation
- Windows Security Administration

3.1 Hardware Installation

EPSON RC+ 7.0 is used with the Controller. You need to install the controller and robot
before you can use EPSON RC+ 7.0 to develop and run SPEL+ applications.
You need to prepare the PC which has Windows which can run the EPSON RC+7.0, and
which can connect with the Controller using USB or Ethernet.
The Controller comes pre-configured at the factory. For instructions on installation, refer
to the Robot Controller manual.

3.2 Software Installation

EPSON RC+ 7.0 should be installed to the PC with Windows. For details of adding the
options, version upgrade, and re-installation, refer to Appendix B: EPSON RC+ 7.0
Software.

3.3 Windows Security Administration

Users need Administrator rights to use the EPSON RC+. Other users such as Power User,
Limited User, Guest User cannot use EPSON RC+.
To provide security within the EPSON RC+ environment, a Security software option is
available. This option allows you to manage EPSON RC+ users and audit development
activity. Refer to 15. Security for details.

20 EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4

 4. Operation

4. Operation
This chapter contains instructions for operation of the EPSON RC+ 7.0 system. The main
topics are:
- System Power Up Procedure
- Starting EPSON RC+ 7.0
- System Shutdown Procedure
- Writing your first program

4.1 System Power Up Procedure

Follow this procedure to power up the system:
1. Ensure that all safeguards are in place and that all personnel are clear of the equipment.
2. Apply power to the Controller, monitor, and I/O devices.
3. Start the EPSON RC+ 7.0 software on the PC, if the PC is used in the system.

4.2 Starting EPSON RC+ 7.0

There are three ways to start EPSON RC+ 7.0. You can also configure the mode that
EPSON RC+ 7.0 starts in.
Start Method 1
1. Double click on the EPSON RC+ 7.0 robot icon located on the Windows desktop.
Start Method 2
1. Click the Windows <Start> button.
2. Select the EPSON RC+ 7.0 [Program] group.
3. Select [EPSON RC+ 7.0]-[EPSON RC+ 7.0].
Start Method 3
Configure EPSON RC+ 7.0 to start automatically after Windows starts.
For details, refer to 4.2.7 Auto Start.
NOTE When using the RC+ API option, you do not need to start EPSON RC+ 7.0. The library
 provided with RC+ API will load EPSON RC+ 7.0 into your .NET application process
automatically.

4.2.1 Startup Sequence

When EPSON RC+ 7.0 starts, it reads initial settings for the current user and local system
from the Windows registry.
The startup sequence depends on the following two factors:
a. Control device
b. Independent mode
When start mode is other than Independent mode
(Any control device)
If there is no project file specified in the startup command line, the last-opened project will
be opened.
If the start mode is Auto, the [Start Mode] dialog will be displayed (see 4.2.4 Start Mode
Dialog).
If the start mode is Program, the EPSON RC+ 7.0 GUI will be displayed.

EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4 21

4. Operation

When start mode is Independent mode

(Control device : Remote)
If there is no project file specified in the startup command line, the last-opened project will
be opened as read only.
If tasks are currently running, EPSON RC+ 7.0 will prompt to enter Monitor Mode.
If no tasks are currently running, a dialog below will be displayed.

Cooperative mode and Independent mode

The Robot Controller consists of the following two parts.
Real Part : Controls the SPEL+ program (Specialized for the real time control)
Windows Part : Controls the Windows applications (GUI)
The main function of the robot can be run by Real Part and some functions of the
Controller uses the connected Windows Part (See below).
Function RC+ Enabled PC Enabled
Vision Guide PC file
Detail of (Frame Grabber) PC RS-232C
available function RC+ API option Database access
Fieldbus master DLL calling

Real Part and connected Windows Part are started up separately at the each timing.
To operate the robot system without problem, you should synchronize these two parts. At
the shipment of the Robot Controller, the Independent mode which these parts operate
individually is applied.
NOTE According to the design of robot system, it may not need to synchronize Real Part and
 connected Windows Part. In this case, change to Cooperative mode.
For the instructions of this settings, see the section below How to set the Cooperative
mode.
When the controller is in Cooperative mode, it has to wait until both of Real Part and
connected Windows Part can start up without failure.
Meanwhile, on the front surface of the controller displays as below:
RC700 RC90
Seven-segment LED LED
Repeats
Repeats
and
alternately. ,
alternately.

Then, it also has to wait until connected Windows part is ready and RC+ 7.0 can start up
without failure.

22 EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4

 4. Operation

The table below shows the startup sequence when the controller is in Cooperative mode:
RC700 RC90 Console Background
Seven-segment LED LED instruction task

(1) Not
Not
Power started
No display available yet
ON
Blinking
Repeats
(2) Repeats Not
Not
Real Part and started
available
starts up alternately. and yet
alternately.
(3) Repeats Not
Windows Not
and started
part and available
alternately. yet
starts up alternately.
(4)
Already
RC+ Available
Blinking started
starts up
Blinking
(Includes the startup of the Operator Window and RC+ API application)

The table below shows the startup sequence when the controller is in Independent mode:
RC700 RC90 Console Background
Seven-segment LED LED instruction task

(1)
Not Not
Power
No display available started yet
ON
Blinking

(2)
Available Already
Real Part
Blinking *1 started
starts up
Blinking
(3)
Windows Available
Running
part Blinking *1
starts up Blinking
(4)
RC+ Available Running
starts up Blinking
Blinking
*1 When the control device is “PC”:
It waits the command execution from the Operator Window or RC+ API application.
When the control device is other than “PC”:
(2) At Real Part starts up, Remote function becomes enable and starts operating.

NOTE When the controller is in Cooperative mode, the state does not back to wait for the RC+
 connection even after RC+ shutdown. Also when the control device is other than “PC”,
you need to be careful during the RC+ shutdown because the remote command is still
executable.

EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4 23

4. Operation

How to set the Cooperative mode

(1) Select [Setup]-[System Configuration] from the main menu and displays the [System
Configuration] dialog box as shown below.
(2) Select [SPEL Controller Board]-[Preferences].

(5)

(4)
(2)

(3)

(3) Uncheck the [Independent mode] checkbox.

(4) Click <Apply> button.
(5) Click the <Close> button.

4.2.2 Startup Configuration

To configure startup, select [System Configuration] from the [Setup] menu. The [Startup]
section has pages for Start Mode, Auto Start, and Windows Login.

4.2.3 Start Mode

This page has settings for the EPSON RC+ 7.0 start mode.

There are two start modes:

Auto This mode starts the system and displays the Operator Window.
Program This mode allows you to develop your projects. This is the default startup
mode.
Use the <Password> button to change the start mode password.

24 EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4

 4. Operation

4.2.4 Start Mode Dialog

When the start mode is set for Auto, then a dialog is displayed at start up that allows you
to change the startup mode using a password. After a few seconds, if the <Change To
Program Mode> button has not been clicked, the system will initialize and the Operator
Window will be displayed.
You can disable this startup dialog using command line options described later in this
section, 4.2.10 Command Line Options.

If you click the <Change To Program Mode> button, another dialog will be displayed, as
shown below:

To change to Program mode, you must supply the password and click <OK>, or you can
abort startup all together by clicking <Cancel>.
This allows authorized personnel to enter Program mode temporarily to make changes or
adjustments.
NOTE When you change to PROGRAM mode from this dialog, it is only temporary. The next
 time EPSON RC+ 7.0 runs, the original start mode setting will be used.

4.2.5 Start Mode: Program

Program mode is the default start mode. This is the EPSON RC+ 7.0 development
environment, from which you can:
- Create / edit projects.
- Configure the controller and set preferences.
- Run and debug programs.

EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4 25

4. Operation

4.2.6 Start Mode: Auto

Auto mode displays the Operator Window. The Operator Window is configured
according to the settings in [Project]-[Properties].
The Auto mode is set by the control device as follows:
Control Device Description
The Operator Window can be used as a simple operator interface for
PC production.
Remote I/O
Remote Ethernet The Operator window is displayed with no operator buttons to allow any
Remote RS232 diagnostic messages to be viewed.
TP3

4.2.7 Auto Start

You can configure EPSON RC+ 7.0 to automatically start when Windows starts.
From [Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Auto Start] page, set the [Start EPSON RC+ 7.0
after Windows start] check box.
In addition, if you set the checkbox above, you can specify EPSON RC+ 7.0 command
line options (/auto, /nosplash, etc.) in the [Command line options] text box. Refer to the
section 4.2.10 Command Line Options.
When the startup mode is Auto, a main function of the SPEL+ program can be started
automatically. Check the [Auto start SPEL+ program in ## seconds] check box. Time
from the EPSON RC+ 7.0 startup until a main function starts can be specified in the
textbox on the right. In the example below, a main function starts 10 seconds after the
EPSON RC+ 7.0 run. Startup of the main function can be aborted if it is within the
specified time.
NOTE When using auto start, ensure that your application can automatically start safely and
NOTE
inform operators how to abort the startup.
When using the Windows 8, select the [Desktop] tile on the start screen and then check if
 the EPSON RC+ 7.0 starts up automatically.

26 EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4

 4. Operation

4.2.8 Using Monitor Mode

Monitor Mode allows you to monitor operation of the controller. In Monitor Mode, you
can do the following:
- View print output on the Run window
- Monitor I/O status using the I/O Monitor.
- Monitor task status using the Task Manager.
- Monitor variable values using Display Variables.

To enter the monitor mode, follow the steps below.

When control device is remote and independent mode is on
1. Start the EPSON RC+ 7.0.
2. If tasks are running, you will be prompted to connect and monitor operation.
If tasks are not running, you will be prompted to connect in monitor mode, or switch
to the Program mode.

4.2.9 Windows Login

You can configure automatic Windows login from the EPSON RC+ 7.0. In [Setup]-
[System Configuration]-[Startup]-[Windows Login] page, check the [Enable windows
auto login] check box. Then, enter the name and password of the user logging in.
Optionally, you can supply a domain, if required.
However, you must have the authority of Windows Administrator to set login parameters.
To configure automatic Windows login from the EPSON RC+ 7.0, you must reboot the
system the first time. After the reboot, Windows login will be automatic.

EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4 27

4. Operation

4.2.10 Command Line Options

Refer to 4.2.11 Using Command Line Options to see how to use the command line options.
There are command line options for the EPSON RC+ 7.0 that provide the following
functions:
Starting EPSON RC+ 7.0 for a specific project
When you start the EPSON RC+ 7.0, you can optionally specify a project name in the
command line.
ERC70.EXE [drive:project_name]
drive:project_name The drive letter and name of a project. The name can include a
subfolder of the \EpsonRC70\Projects directory.
Example: Open project myapp on drive C: at startup:
ERC70.EXE c:myapp
Change EPSON RC+ 7.0 startup mode
You can select the startup mode and override the startup dialog using command line
options.

To start in Program mode (no password required)

ERC70.EXE /PROG
To start in Auto mode
ERC70.EXE /AUTO
Use these command line options to override and hide the startup dialog and open the
Operator Window directly.
If only the AUTO flag is supplied and the control device is PC, EPSON RC+ 7.0 will open
the project from the last session and display the operator window. EPSON RC+ 7.0 will
only be visible in the Windows Task Manager. When the operator window is closed,
EPSON RC+ 7.0 will be terminated.
NOTE When the control device is PC, you cannot close the operator window while tasks are
 running.
Example: Open project myapp on drive C and display the operator window:
ERC70.EXE c:myapp /AUTO
NOTE The Controller should be ON before starting EPSON RC+ 7.0 with the /AUTO command
 line option. If EPSON RC+ 7.0 cannot communicate with the controller, then an error
message will be displayed with a retry button.
For more details, see 7.6 Operator Window.

Login
You can automatically login from the command line if you are not using the Auto Login
feature for the security Option:
ERC70.EXE /LOGIN "userID", "password"

This is especially useful when you are starting in operator mode.

If the user I/D or password is invalid, it will display an error dialog and exit the EPSON
RC+ 7.0.

28 EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4

 4. Operation

Starting EPSON RC+ 7.0 specifying the language

You can specify the language to use in EPSON RC+ 7.0 GUI.
Japanese : ERC70.EXE /LANG_JAPANESE *1
English : ERC70.EXE /LANG_ENGLISH
German : ERC70.EXE /LANG_GERMAN *2
French : ERC70.EXE /LANG_FRENCH *2
*3
Chinese (Simplified) : ERC70.EXE /LANG_CHINESE_SIMP
*3
Chinese (Traditional) : ERC70.EXE /LANG_CHINESE_TRAD
*1
Available for Japanese OS
*2
Available for English, German, and French OS
*3
Available for Chinese OS
Disabling the EPSON RC+ 7.0 splash window
You can suppress the splash window displayed at startup using the following syntax:
ERC70.EXE /NOSPLASH

4.2.11 Using Command Line Options

Examples of command line options are:
Running from the Windows Run Box
You can specify a command from the Windows [Start] menu-[Run]-[Open] text box.
e.g. C:\EpsonRC70\exe\erc70.exe C:myapp
Making startup icons for your projects
You can create icons that automatically start EPSON RC+ 7.0 for different projects and
start Auto or Program modes.
1. Right click on your desktop and select [New]-[Shortcut].
2. Click <Browse…> in the [Create Shortcut] dialog box.
Select “C:\EpsonRC70\exe\erc70.exe” and click the <OK> button. After the dialog
changes, click the <Next> button.

3. Type a name for the shortcut and click <Finish>.

4. Right click the created icon and select [Properties]. Add an option such as “/AUTO”
or “/PROG” to [Target:].

EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4 29

4. Operation

4.3 Communications with Controller

Your PC running EPSON RC+ 7.0 can communicate with a Controller using USB or
Ethernet.

4.3.1 Configuring Communications with the Controller

To configure communications with the Controller, select [PC to Controller
Communications] from the [Setup] menu. This will open the dialog shown below:

The dialog has a list of connections. The first connection is for USB and is fixed. You
cannot delete it or rename it.
You can add one or more Ethernet connections and give each one a meaningful name.
The name for each connection is also shown in the Connections dropdown list on the main
toolbar. If no name is supplied, the Ethernet IP address is shown in the dropdown list.
For more information on PC to Controller Communications, refer to 5.12.1. PC to
Controller Communications Command.
4.3.2 USB Communications
USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 can be used to communicate with one controller. This is the default
communication method for EPSON RC+ 7.0 and requires no configuration.
To connect to a controller via USB:
1. Connect a USB cable between the PC and the controller.
2. Turn on the Controller.
3. Start EPSON RC+ 7.0.
4. Click the [PC to Controller Communications] button on the tool bar.
5. Ensure that connection #1 (USB) is selected.
6. Click <Connect> button.
7. Click <Close> button.
NOTE If the EPSON RC+ 5.0 is installed in the same computer and is performing the USB
 communication, the EPSON RC+ 7.0 cannot perform the USB communication. Make
sure that the EPSON RC+ 5.0 is disconnected before connecting the EPSON RC+7.0.
NOTE When used with the Robot Controller RC620, the EPSON RC+ 7.0 cannot perform the
 USB communication.

■ When performing the USB communication using the computer with Windows 7 or
later, communication with the Controller is disconnected as the PC enters a sleep
state. Before performing the USB communication, make sure to change the PC
CAUTION setting so that it will not enter the sleep mode.

30 EPSON RC+ 7.0 (Ver.7.3) User's Guide Rev.4

 4. Operation

4.3.3 Ethernet Communications

NOTE The robot controller does not support internet protocol version 6 (TCP/IPv6). When you
 connect the development PC to the robot controller using the Ethernet, make sure to use
internet protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
You can communicate with one or more Controllers from one PC using Ethernet. For
Ethernet communications, each Controller must have a unique IP address. You can set the
IP address, mask, and gateway for the controller from [Setup]-[System Configuration]-
[Controller]-[Configuration]. The gateway setting is only required if you will be accessing
the controller from outside of the local network.
You can connect a PC to a controller directly using an Ethernet cross-over cable, or you
can connect the PC and controller to an Ethernet switch or hub.
Before you can communicate with a controller using Ethernet, you must configure the
controller's IP address, IP mask, and IP gateway. This is accomplished by first connecting
to the controller with USB, and then from the EPSON RC+ 7.0 [Setup]-[System
Configuration]-[Controller]-[Configuration] page, set the IP address, IP mask, and IP
gateway of the controller as shown below.
The following is the configuration of the controller at the time of shipment.
IP Address : 192.168.0.1
IP Mask : 255.255.255.0
IP Gateway : 0.0.0.0
Use the USB connection to configure Ethernet communications.

4.3.4 Connecting When Control Device is not PC

Connecting while control device is not PC and tasks are not running
If your PC is not a control device and tasks are not running, you will see the following
message box:

This allows you to [Leave the controller in Auto mode] to monitor operation, or [Switch
the controller to Program mode] so you can edit and debug programs. If you choose to
[Switch to Program mode], then the remote device cannot start programs until remote
control has been enabled from the Run window.

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4. Operation

Connecting from Remote Control while tasks are running

If the controller is running tasks with the control device set to Remote, you can connect
the PC to the controller to monitor operation. For example, you can connect to a controller
that is running tasks to temporarily monitor display output, tasks, and I/O, and then
disconnect while tasks continue to run.
If the project on the PC is the same as on the controller, you will see the following
message box when connection is established:

If the project on the PC is not the same as the project in the controller, you will see the
following message box when connection is established:

If you choose to monitor controller operation, the Run window will open if EPSON RC+
7.0 is started in Program mode. If EPSON RC+ 7.0 is started in Auto mode, the Operator
window will appear. From the Run window or Operator window, you can view display
output from Print statements executing in the application. You can also use the Task
Manager and I/O monitor.
When monitoring controller operation, the controller remains in Auto mode. You cannot
stop tasks from EPSON RC+ 7.0, because the control device is not PC. If you want to
switch the controller to Program mode, you must first stop all tasks from the current
control device, then connect to the controller from EPSON RC+ 7.0 and choose to switch
to Program mode (see the previous section Connecting while control device is not PC and
tasks are not running).
Disconnecting while tasks are running
You can only disconnect from the controller with tasks running when the control device is
set to Remote.
1. Stop communications with the controller by selecting [Offline] from the [Connection]
dropdown list on the toolbar.
2. You may now disconnect the communications cable between the PC and the controller.
Tasks will continue to run in the controller.

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 4. Operation

4.4 Writing your first Program

After installing the controller, robot, and EPSON RC+ 7.0 software on the RC700 Robot
Controller, follow these instructions to create a simple application program so that you
will become more familiar with the EPSON RC+ 7.0 development environment.
1. Start EPSON RC+ 7.0
Double-click the EPSON RC+ 7.0 icon on the desktop.
2. Create a new project
(1) Select New from the Project Menu.

(2) Type in a name for a project in the [New Project Name] box. e.g. FirstApp
(3) Click OK to create the new project.
When the new project is created, a program called “Main.prg” is created. You will see
the “Main.prg” window open with a cursor flashing in the upper left corner. Now you
are ready to start entering your first program.
3. Edit the program
Type in the following program lines in the “Main.prg” edit window.
Function main
Print "This is my first program."
Fend

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4. Operation

4. Run the program

(1) Press F5 to run the program. (F5 is the hot key for the [Run Window] of the [Run]
Menu). You will see the Status window located at the bottom of the main window
showing the build operation status.
(2) During project build, your program is compiled and linked. Then communications
is established with the controller and project files are sent to the controller. If there
are no errors during build, the Run window will appear.

(3) Click the <Start> button on the [Run] window to run the program.
(4) You should see text similar to the following displayed in the [Status] window:
19:32:45 Task main started
19:32:45 All tasks stopped
On the [Run] window, you will see the output of the print statement.

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 4. Operation

Now let's teach some robot points and modify the program to move the robot.
5. Teach robot points
(1) Ensure that it is safe to operate the robot. Click the <Robot Manager> button on
the toolbar. You will see the [Robot Manager] window with the [Control Panel]
page displayed.

(2) Click on the <Motor On> button to turn on the robot motors. You will be prompted
to confirm the operation.
(3) Answer <Yes> to continue.
(4) Click the [Jog & Teach] tab.

(5) Click the <Teach> button in the lower right corner to teach point P0. You will be
prompted for a point label and description.
(6) Jog the robot by clicking the <+Y> jog button. Hold the button down to continue
jogging. Let go when the robot is about half way out in the work envelope.
(7) Jog the robot down by clicking the <-Z> button.
(8) Now change the current point to P1 by selecting P1 in the Point dropdown list next
to the <Teach> button.
(9) Click the <Teach> button. You will see a confirmation message to teach the point.

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4. Operation

(10) Answer <Yes>.

(11) Click the <+X> button to jog the robot in the +X direction.
(12) Change the current point to P2 by selecting P2 in the Point dropdown list.
(13) Click the <Teach> button. You will see a confirmation message to teach the point.
(14) Answer <Yes>.
(15) Click the <Save Project> toolbar button to save the changes.
6. Modify the program to include robot motion commands
(1) Insert three new Go statements into the Main.prg program as shown below:
Function main
Print "This is my first program."
Go P1
Go P2
Go P0
Fend
(2) Run the program by pressing F5 and then click on the <Start> button on the Run
window.
(3) The robot should move to each of the points you taught.
7. Modify the program to change speed of robot motion commands
(1) Insert the Power, Speed, and Accel commands as shown in the program below:
Function main
Print "This is my first program."
Power High
Speed 50
Accel 50, 50
Go P1
Go P2
Go P0
Fend
(2) Run the program by pressing F5
(3) Click on the <Start> button on the Run window.
The robot should go to each of the points you taught at 50% speed, acceleration,
and deceleration. The Power High statement enables your program to run the robot
at high (normal) power, which in turn allows the robot speed and acceleration to be
increased.

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 4. Operation

8. Backup the project and system configuration

Even though this is only a sample project, we will backup the project and controller
configuration. This is easy to do with EPSON RC+ 7.0. It is important that you keep
regular backups of your applications on an external media such as a USB memory key.
Follow these steps to backup the project and system configuration:
(1) From the [Project] menu, select [Copy].
(2) Change the [Destination Drive] to an arbitrary drive.
(3) Click <OK>. The project will be copied to the external media.
(4) From the [Tools] menu, select [Controller].
(5) Click on the <Backup Controller> button.
(6) Select the arbitrary drive.
(7) Click <OK>. The system configuration will be backed up on the external media.
Now that you have written your first program, you should read 7.1.1 Creating the simplest
application.

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5. The EPSON RC+ 7.0 GUI

5. The EPSON RC+ 7.0 GUI

The chapter contains information on the EPSON RC+ 7.0 GUI.
- Overview - Display Menu
- Project Explorer Pane - Project
- Status Window Pane - Run
- Status Bar - Tools
- Online Help - Setup
- File Menu - Window
- Edit Menu - Help

5.1 GUI Overview

EPSON RC+ 7.0 is a multiple document interface (MDI) application. There is one main
parent window and several child windows which can be opened simultaneously. The main
window has a menu bar, tool bar, and status bar, as shown below. In addition, there is a
Project Explorer pane and Status Window pane.
Main Window
Child Window
Menu Bar

Tool Bar

Project
Explorer

Status Pane

Status Bar

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 5. The EPSON RC+ 7.0 GUI

5.2 Project Explorer Pane

The Project Explorer pane enables you to quickly open any file in the current project or
jump to any function. The project files and functions are organized in a sorted tree
structure.
Open a file or jump to a function : Double-click on the item.
Hide the Project Explorer : Click the X button on the bar above the pane.
Show the Project Explorer : Select Project Explorer from the View Menu.
Resize the Project Explorer : Move the mouse cursor over the right side of the pane,
then drag the pane right or left to the desired width.
You can move the Project Explorer pane to either the left or right side of the main window.
To move the pane, click down on the bar above the pane, then drag to either the left or
right side of the main window and release the mouse button.

Context Menu
The Project Explorer Pane has a context menu for various operations for elements in the
project tree. To access the context menu, right click on an item in the project tree.

Context menu

5.3 Status Window Pane

The status pane displays status messages, such as project build status, system errors and
warnings, etc.
Hide the Status pane : Click the X button on the bar above the pane.
Show the Status pane : Select Status Window from the View Menu.
Resize the Status pane : Move the mouse cursor over the top edge of the pane,
and then drag the top edge up or down.
The Status pane is always located at the bottom of the main window and cannot be moved.
NOTE If the Status pane is closed and an error message is displayed on the status pane, such as
 during project build, the Status pane will automatically be opened so that the error
message can be seen.

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5.4 Status Bar

The status bar located at the bottom of the main window displays the following:
Message area Displays the syntax error for the current line and system
messages.
Operation Mode status Indicates the controller operation mode.
Emergency Stop status Indicates if emergency stop is active.
Safeguard status Indicates if one or more safeguard circuits is open.
Error status Indicates if the controller is in the error state. Put the mouse
cursor over the Error status area to see the warning message.
Warning status Indicates if there is a warning. Put the mouse cursor over
the Warning status area to see the warning message.
Current robot Displays the currently selected robot number, name, type
number, and the dry run status.
Tasks running status Indicates that one or more tasks are running.
Current Line and Column When a program editor window is active, the current line
and column are displayed.
INS / OVR status Indicates insert or overtype mode.

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 5. The EPSON RC+ 7.0 GUI

5.5 Online Help

EPSON RC+ 7.0 has an extensive context sensitive help system.
There are several methods to get help.
- Select [Contents] from the [Help] menu to browse help topics.
- Select [Index] from the [Help] menu to enter the name of a specific topic.
- Select [Search] from the Help Menu to search for a specific topic.
- When editing programs, press F1 with the caret in the keyword of interest.
When a dialog is open, press F1 or click the Help button. For dialogs, the Help button is
located in the window title bar on the right side and is shown as a question mark icon as
shown below.

Help button for a dialog

For MDI child windows, the Help button is located on the main toolbar and is also shown
as a question mark icon as shown below.

Help button for the

active MDI child window

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5. The EPSON RC+ 7.0 GUI

5.6 [File] Menu

The EPSON RC+ 7.0 File Menu includes commands for managing and printing files in the
current project.

5.6.1 New Command (File Menu)

Shortcuts
Toolbar:
Keys: Ctrl + N
The New command is used to add new files to the current project. When the New
command is selected, the New File dialog is opened.

Item Description
File Name Enter a name for the new file in this box. If you supply a valid file
extension, the File Type selection will change to match the extension.
For a file name, two byte characters such as Japanese, Chinese
characters are not allowed.
Up to 24 characters can be input.
File Type Use this dropdown list to select Program, Include or Point file.
Existing Files Shows the files for the selected type currently in the Project folder.
OK Click OK when you are ready to create the new file.
Cancel Cancels the operation.

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5.6.2 Open Command (File Menu)

Shortcuts
Toolbar:
Keys: Ctrl + O
Open one or more files in the current project for editing. You can open program files,
include files, or point files.
If there is a file in the current project folder (as shown in the Edit Project dialog box) and
the file is not in the current project, you will not be able to open the file. You must add the
file to the project before you can open it. This also applies to include files and point files.

Item Description
Program Select this radio button to show a list of program files in the
current project.
Include Select this radio button to show a list of include files in the current
project.
Points Select this radio button to show a list of point files in the current
project.
Select file to open Click on the file name you want to open. You can select more than
one file by using the Ctrl key or Shift key. The Ctrl key allows
you to select or deselect any file. The Shift key allows you to
select a group of files.
Open Opens the selected file(s).
Cancel Cancels the open operation.

TIP You can also double click on a file name in the [Select file to open] list box to open the
 file without having to choose the <OK> button.

5.6.3 Close Command (File Menu)

Shortcuts
Keys: Ctrl + D
Close the currently active window.
Any of the windows can be closed with this command: Programs, Include files, Point files,
Command Window, Run window, I/O Label Editor, user errors.

TIP You can also close a window or dialog box by double clicking on the control box button
 located in the upper left corner of the window or dialog box.

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5.6.4 Save Command (File Menu)

Shortcuts
Keys: Ctrl + S
The [Save] command writes the current file to disk. The current file can be a program file,
include file, points file, I/O label editor, etc. This command is disabled if the current file
does not need to be saved.

5.6.5 Save As Command (File Menu)

Save the program, include file, or point file in the currently active window with a new file
name. The original file will be removed from the project but will remain on the disk. The
new name will be used throughout the current project in place of the old name.
If you use [Save As] on an include file, you must rename the file in each of your #include
statements that refer to it. For a file name, two byte characters such as Japanese, Chinese
characters are not allowed.

5.6.6 Restore Command (File Menu)

Restores the currently active program, include file, I/O labels, user errors, or point files
from disk.
Use this function to change a document to the state it was in since last saved.
You will be prompted to confirm this operation.

5.6.7 Rename Command (File Menu)

Use [Rename] to change the name of the program, include file, or point file you are
currently editing.

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 5. The EPSON RC+ 7.0 GUI

To rename a file
- Click anywhere on the program window
- Select the Open command from the File Menu
- Select the Window from the Window Menu
- Select from the Window Menu list

Select Rename from the File Menu. Type in a new name for the file and click <OK>.
The new file name cannot be the same as the existing files. You will get an error message
if you enter a new name that is already being used.
If you use [Rename] on an include file, you must rename the file in each of your #include
statements that refer to it.
For a file name, two byte characters such as Japanese, Chinese characters are not allowed.

5.6.8 Delete Command (File Menu)

This command allows you to delete a file in the current project folder. You can delete
program files, include files, and point files.
The file does not have to be registered in the project to delete.

Item Description
Select file to delete Click on the file name you want to delete. This file list displays
all .PRG, .INC, and .PTS files in the current project folder.
Delete Deletes the selected file. You will be prompted with a confirmation
message before the file is deleted. If the file is currently open, it will
be closed and removed from the current project before it is deleted
from disk.
Cancel Cancels the delete operation.

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5. The EPSON RC+ 7.0 GUI

5.6.9 Import Command (File Menu)

Import a file from other EPSON RC+ 7.0 projects. Use this command to import program
files, include files, point files, I/O labels, user errors, and macros.
- Program file names for importing must have a .PRG extension.
- Include file names for importing must have a .INC extension.
- Point file names for importing must have a .PTS extension.
- I/O labels must have the file name IOLABEL.DAT
- User errors must have the file name USERERRORS.DAT.
- Macros must have the .MAC extension.

To import a file
1. Select the file type from the [File Type] list box.
2. Navigate to the file you want to import.
3. Click <Open> to continue. If a file name is already used in the project folder, you will
be prompted to confirm overwrite. The file will then be copied to the current project's
folder.
NOTE If you need to import files from previous versions of EPSON RC+ or from SPEL for
 Windows 2.0, you must first import the project using [Project]-[Import], which converts
the point files and label files into EPSON RC+ 7.0 formats. Then you can use File Import
to import the desired files.

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5.6.10 Print Command (File Menu)

Shortcuts
Toolbar:
Keys: Ctrl + P
This command opens the Print dialog box. You can print programs, include files, point
files, I/O labels, and user errors. Also you can print out a project summary.
Each document is printed with a header that includes the project name, product name, file
name, date and time, and page number.

Item Description
Select items to print Check the items in the tree that you would like to print out.
Project Summary Select this check box to print a summary of the programs and
points used in the current project.
Program Files Select this check box to print all program files, or click on the +
button to view all program files and check the ones you want
printed.
Include Files Select this check box to print all include files, or click on the +
button to view all include files and check the ones you want
printed. This check box is not shown if there are no include files
in the current project.
Robot Points Select this check box to print all point files, or click on the +
button to view all point files and check the ones you want printed.
Input Output Labels Select this check box to print a listing of the all of the I/O labels
used in the project.
User Errors Prints a listing of all user errors for the current project. If either
the label or message is non-blank, then the error definition will be
printed.
Print Prints the selected files. This button will be dimmed if nothing is
selected to be printed.
Preview Preview the selected files before printing. This button will be
dimmed if nothing is selected to be printed.
Font... Opens a dialog for selecting the printer font. The selected font is
saved for subsequent printing.
Cancel Closes the dialog box without printing anything.

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5.6.11 Exit Command (File Menu)

Shortcuts
Keys: Alt + F4
Exits from EPSON RC+ 7.0.
If you are running a program from the Run Window and the control device is PC, you will
see a message that a program is running and you will not be allowed to exit. You must
stop all tasks first before you can exit.
If there are any open program files, include files, point files, I/O labels, or user point files
that have not been saved, for each file you will be prompted to save it with Yes, No, or
Cancel.
If you select <Yes>, then the file will be saved.
If you select <No>, then the program will exit without saving the files.
If you select <Cancel>, it will return to the EPSON RC+ 7.0 main window.
If the display of the dialog at EPSON RC+ 7.0 shutdown is enabled, the following dialog
will be displayed at the shutdown and you can select a termination process.
For details on the shutdown dialog, refer to 5.12.3 [Preferences] Command (Setup Menu).

Item Description
Exit EPSON RC+ Exits the EPSON RC+ 7.0.
Shutdown EPSON RC+ Exits the EPSON RC+ 7.0 and shutdown the Windows.
and Windows
Shutdown EPSON RC+ Exits the EPSON RC+ 7.0 and reboot the Windows.
and Restart Windows
OK Executes the selected operation.
Cancel Cancels the operation and close the dialog.

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 5. The EPSON RC+ 7.0 GUI

5.7 [Edit] Menu

The EPSON RC+ 7.0 <Edit> menu includes commands for editing files.
TIP

 You can also access the <Edit> menu by right-clicking anywhere in a program editor
window.

5.7.1 [Undo] Command (Edit Menu)

Shortcuts
Keys: Ctrl + Z
Undo the changes to the currently active program since it was open.

5.7.2 [Redo] Command (Edit Menu)

Shortcuts
Keys: Ctrl+Y
Redo the previous undo.

5.7.3 [Cut] Command (Edit Menu)

Shortcuts
Toolbar:
Keys: Ctrl + X
Copies the current selection into the Clipboard and then deletes the selection.

5.7.4 [Copy] Command (Edit Menu)

Shortcuts
Toolbar:
Keys: Ctrl + C
Copies the current selection into the Clipboard.

5.7.5 [Paste] Command (Edit Menu)

Shortcuts
Toolbar:
Keys: Ctrl + V
Puts the contents of the Clipboard into the currently active document starting at the
insertion point.

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5. The EPSON RC+ 7.0 GUI

5.7.6 [Find] Command (Edit Menu)

Shortcuts
Keys: Ctrl + F
Find a text string in the current program or all programs in the project.
The first time you execute this function, the dialog box will be centered over the main
window. If you reposition it, then the next time Find is executed, the dialog will appear
where you last positioned it.

Item Description
Find What Type the text you want to search for. If any text was selected
when you execute the Find command, it will be displayed here.
When executing the Find with a text string selected, selected text
will displayed. If no text was selected, then the text from the last
Find will be displayed. You are limited to one line of text. If
selecting more than one line before executing Find, the search will
not start.
Current File Searches only in the current program file and include file.
All Files Searches all files in the project.
Whole Word Searches for the full word by itself and not as part of another
word.
Match Case Text must also match lower and upper case in order to be found.
Find Starts the search. If the text is found in a file that is not open, then
the file will be opened to display. This button will be dimmed if
nothing is entered to be searched.
Find All Search for all occurrences and list the results in the Status pane.
Each result shows the file name, line number, and line where the
text was found. You can then double click on a result to open the
file where the text was found. The Find & Replace dialog will
close after the results are displayed. This button will be dimmed if
nothing is entered to be searched.
Close Closes the dialog box.

5.7.7 [Find Next] Command (Edit Menu)

Shortcuts
Key: F3
Find the next occurrence of the search text specified in the last Find command.

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5.7.8 [Replace] Command (Edit Menu)

Shortcuts
Keys: Ctrl + R
Search for a text string and replace it with new text. The first time you execute this
function, the dialog box will be centered over the main window. If you reposition it, then
the next time Replace is executed, the dialog will appear where you last positioned it.

Item Description
Find What Type the text you want to search for. If any text was selected
when you execute the Replace command, it will be displayed
here. If no text was selected, then the text from the last Find will
be displayed.
Replace With Enter the replacement text here. The replacement text can be
empty.
Current File Searches only in the current program file and include file.
All Files Searches all files in the project.
Whole Word Searches for the full word by itself and not as part of another
word.
Match Case Text must also match lower and upper case in order to be found.
Find Finds the next occurrence.
Replace If already found, replaces the current find, otherwise searches for
the next occurrence.
Replace All Replaces all occurrences.
Close Closes the dialog box.

5.7.9 [Select All] Command (Edit Menu)

Shortcuts
Keys: Ctrl + A
Selects the entire program file, include file, point file, I/O labels, or user errors. You can
then execute Cut or Copy.

5.7.10 [Indent] Command (Edit Menu)

Shortcuts
Key: Tab
Move the selected line one tab to the right.

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5.7.11 [Outdent] Command (Edit Menu)

Shortcuts
Keys: Shift + Tab
Move the selected line one tab to the left.

5.7.12 [Comment Block] Command (Edit Menu)

Comments out the selected block of lines by adding the comment character to the
beginning of each line.
To use, select one or more lines to be commented. Then :
- Select Comment Block from the Edit Menu.
- Right click and select Comment Block from the Context Menu.
A comment character will be added to the beginning of each of the selected lines.

5.7.13 [Uncomment Block] Command (Edit Menu)

Removes leading comment character from the selected block of lines.
To use, select one or more lines to be uncommented. Then:
- Select Uncomment Block from the Edit Menu.
- Right click and select Uncomment Block from the Context Menu.
The first comment character from each of the selected lines will be removed.

5.7.14 [Go To Definition] Command (Edit Menu)

Opens the window and sets the line where a function, variable, macro, point label, I/O
label, or user error label is defined.
To use,
- Click on an identifier in a program window,
and select Go To Definition from the Edit Menu.
- Right click on the identifier,
and select Go To Definition from the Context Menu.

Identifier type Display

Function name or Program window where a function name or variable is declared.
variable
Pont label Point file which a label is defined.
I/O label I/O label editor which a label is defined.
User error label User error which a label is defined.

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5.8 [View] Menu

The EPSON RC+ 7.0 View Menu includes commands for opening the Project Explorer
and Status window. In addition, there is a command for viewing the system history.

5.8.1 [Project Explorer] Command (View Menu)

If you have closed the [Project Explorer] pane, you can open it by using this command.
For details, refer to 5.2 Project Explorer Pane.

5.8.2 Status Window Command (View Menu)

If you have closed the [Status Window] pane, you can open it by using this command.
For details, refer to 5.3 Status Window Pane.

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5.8.3 System History Command (View Menu)

This command opens the System History window. This window shows events, errors, and
warnings that have been logged in the current controller's system history.
The data can be sorted by clicking on any column header. To sort multiple columns, hold
down the shift key and click on multiple columns headers.

Item Description
Data To Display Select which data you would like to view.
Choices are All, Events, Errors, and Warnings.
From / To Select the dates you want to view data from. When the window is
first opened, these are automatically set to the first and last dates in
the history data.
Message Contains Type in text to be found in the error message. After typing in the
text, click the Refresh button.
Time Zone Select a time zone. Time of event, warning, and error occurrences
are displayed according to the selected time zone.
Refresh Click this button to reload the data from the controller.
Type Event Information for operation and mode change.
Warning Program can be executed continuously, however, needs
countermeasure.
Error Error occurred in the program or the Robot.
Number For details of the number, refer to SPEL+ Error Message in the
SPEL+ Language Reference.
Message
Function and Function name and the line number are displayed when error
Line number occurred while executing a program.
Robot and Robot and the axis number are displayed when Robot error occurred.
axis number
Task number Task number of the task with error is displayed when error occurred
while executing the program. “0” is displayed for others.
Additional More details are displayed for some errors.
information For details, refer to SPEL+ Error Message in the SPEL+ Language
1 and 2 Reference.

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5.9 [Project] Menu

The EPSON RC+ 7.0 Project Menu includes commands for managing and building
projects.

5.9.1 [New] Command (Project Menu)

The New command is used to create a new EPSON RC+ 7.0 project. Projects can be on
any disk drive on the system. They are stored in the \EpsonRC70\Projects folder on the
selected drive. Subfolder can also be created.

Item Description
Project Name Type in a new name for the project. The name can include
alphanumeric characters along with underscores.
For a project name, two byte characters such as Japanese, Chinese
characters are not allowed.
Template Select a project template. The new project will be a copy of the
template project.
Select Drive Select the desired disk drive for the new project.
Select Project Folder This is a list of folders and projects on the selected drive. If you
click on a name in this list, it will be displayed in the New Project
Name text box. You can then edit the name, or you can create a
new project with the same name as one that has already been
created. In the later case, you will be prompted to overwrite the
old project if it is in the same folder.
New Folder Creates a new folder in the currently selected folder.
OK Creates the new project.
Cancel Aborts creating a new project.

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5.9.2 [Open] Command (Project Menu)

Use this command to open an EPSON RC+ 7.0 project. When the project is opened, the
previous project is closed. You will be prompted to save changes.

Item Description
Select Drive Select the desired disk drive for the project you want to open.
Select Project to Open Select a project name from the list box. To open a folder, double
click on the folder or click the + box located to the left of the
folder.
Read Only If you set this check box and open a project, you cannot edit the
program file, include file, point file, I/O label, and user error.
Open Opens the selected project.
Cancel Cancels the operation.
Project Info Displays general project properties for the selected project. To
view project information, first select a project in the list, then
click the <Project Info> button.

NOTE Project information for a project can be changed by selecting [Properties] from the
 [Project] menu after opening the project.

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5.9.3 Recent Projects Submenu (Project Menu)

The Recent Projects submenu contains up to eight of the most recently used projects.
When you select a project in the menu, the current project is closed and the selected
project is opened the same as if you used the [Open] command from the [Project] menu.

5.9.4 [Close] Command (Project Menu)

Use the [Close] command to close the current project. Several menu and toolbar
commands will be disabled after the project is closed.

5.9.5 [Edit] Command (Project Menu)

The [Edit] command is used to define which program files, include files, and point files
are to be used in the current project.
The [Project Files] contains a list of files in the current project folder. You can select
which files to view from the [File Type] list box.
The [Project Make] contains a project make tree that includes program files, include files,
and point files.

The files shown in the file list are in the current project disk directory. Before you can use
a file in the project, you must put it into the project make tree using the <Add> button.
To create a new program
1. Type the name of program file in the [File Name] text box in the Program Files section.
Add the PRG extension to the file name. For a file name, two byte characters such as
Japanese, Chinese characters are not allowed.
2. Click the <Add> button. You will be prompted to create a new file. Answer <Yes> to
create the file and put it in Program Files folder in the project make tree.
To add an existing program file
1. Select the Program in the [File Type] list box.
2. Select the program file name you want to add to the project from the list box.
3. Click the <Add> button, or
double click on the program file name in the file list box.
The file will be added to the Program Files folder in the project make tree.

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To create a new include file

1. Type the name of the include file in the [File Name] text box.
Add the INC extension to the file name. The name of the include file can also be the
same name as a program. For a file name, two byte characters such as Japanese,
Chinese characters are not allowed.
2. Click the <Add> button. You will get a message asking if it is okay to create the new
file. Click <Yes> to create the file and put it in the Include Files folder in the project
make tree.
To add an existing include file to the project
1. Select Include in the <File Type> list box.
2. Select the include file name you want to add to the project from the list box.
3. Click the <Add> button, or
double click on the include file name in the file list box. The file will be added to the
list of include files of [Project Build] tree.
To add a new point file
1. Type the name of the point file you want to create into the [File Name] text box.
Add the PTS extension. For a project name, two byte characters such as Japanese,
Chinese characters are not allowed.
2. Select the robot folder you want to register from the Robot Points folder in the [Project
Build] tree.
3. Click the <Add> button. You will be prompted to create a new file. Click <Yes> to
create the file and put it in the selected robot of the Robot Points folder.
To add an existing point file to the project
1. Select Points from the [File Type] list box.
2. Select the robot folder you want to register from the Robot Points folder in the [Project
Build] tree.
3. Select the point file name you want to add to the project from the list.
4. Click the <Add> button. The file will be put in the selected robot of the Robot Points
folder.
To remove a program file, include file, or point file
1. Select the file you want to remove in the [Project Build] tree.
2. Click the <Remove> button to remove the file from the [Project Build]. The file is not
deleted from the project folder, so you will still see the file in the file list.
To add a new robot
Click the <New Robot> button. A robot will be added to the Robot Points folder in the
[Project Build] tree.
To set a default point file
1. Select a point file to set as the default from each robot of Robot Points folder in the
[Project Build] tree.
2. Click the <Set as default> button. The file will be set as the default of the registered
robot.
NOTE The common point file is a point file that is available for all robots on the controller. To
 use this point file, you need to load it from the SPEL+ program to the robot using
LoadPoints command.
The default point file is a point file that is automatically loaded to a robot with the project
load. Each robot can have one point file as the default.

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5.9.6 [Save] Command (Project Menu)

Shortcuts
Toolbar:
This command saves the active program file, include file, point file, I/O labels, or user
errors. This menu selection will be dimmed if nothing needs to be saved.

TIP It’s a good idea to save files frequently while you are editing project files. Just click the
 disk button on the toolbar to save all of your files.

5.9.7 [Save As] Command (Project Menu)

Saves all files in the current project to a new drive and/or project name. The current
project will be preserved.

Item Description
New Project Name Type in a new name for the project. The name can include
alphanumeric characters along with underscores but cannot
include two byte characters such as Japanese, Chinese characters.
The maximum number of characters is 24. You can use the same
name as the current project if you select a drive and folder that is
not the same as the current project folder and the folder drive.
New Project Drive Drives for the new project location.
Select Project Folder Click on the desired folder for the project.
New Folder Click this button to create a new folder under the Projects folder.
OK Saves the project using the new name and location.
Cancel Cancels the operation.

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5.9.8 [Rename] Command (Project Menu)

This command renames the current project. The project folder and all associated project
files are also renamed.

Item Description
New Project Name Type in a new name for the project. The name can include
alphanumeric characters along with underscores but cannot
include two byte characters such as Japanese, Chinese
characters.
Existing Project This list box shows other projects on the selected drive. The
new name you choose cannot be one of the names in this list.
OK Renames the project.
Cancel Cancels the operation.

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5.9.9 [Import] Command (Project Menu)

The Project Menu Import Command uses a wizard to import projects from a PC, the
current controller, or a controller status folder.
When a project is imported, the files are copied to a new project folder, so the original
project is not changed.
NOTE If the project to be imported is an EPSON RC+ 3.x / 4.x / 5.x /6.x project or a SPEL for
 Windows 2.0 project, the files are converted to EPSON RC+ 7.0 format.
The sections below have instructions for importing a project from each type of source
location.
Importing a PC project
Follow these steps to import a project from a PC:
1. Select Import from the [Project] menu to open the [Import Project] dialog box.
2. Select <PC> and click <Next>.

3. Select the project type. You can select from the following:
- EPSON RC+ 7.0
- EPSON RC+ 3.x / 4.x / 5.x / 6.x
- SPEL for Windows 2.0

NOTE When project for EPSON RC+ 3.x / 4.x / 5.x /6.x or SPEL for Windows 2.0 is imported,
 the project is converted to project for EPSON RC+ 7.0 by automatic processing.
For details, refer to Appendix A: Automatic Processing of Project Import.

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4. Select the drive. After you select the project type and drive, the project list will be
updated to show the projects available for import. Select the project to import in the
list and click <Next>.
5. The new project name is set to the name of the imported project. You can modify the
destination project name if desired. Select the destination drive and project folder, then
click <Next>.

6. Verify the import source, import project, and destination project. Check [Open
Destination Project After Import] if you want the project to open after import.

7. Click the <Import> button. If the destination project already exists, you will be asked
if you want to overwrite it.

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Importing a Controller project

Follow these steps to import a project from a controller:
1. Select Import from the [Project] menu to open the [Import Project] dialog box.
2. Select <Controller> and click <Next>.

3. The new project name is set to the name of the current project in the controller. You
can modify the new project name if desired. Select the destination drive and project
folder, then click <Next>.

4. Verify the import source, import project, and destination project. Check [Open
Destination Project After Import] if you want the project to open after import.

5. Click the <Import> button. If the destination project already exists, you will be asked
if you want to overwrite it.
6. The project in the destination project will be built.

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Importing a Controller Status project

NOTE

 The projects using Vision Guide cannot be imported from the Controller Status Folder.

Follow these steps to import a project from a Controller Status Folder:

1. Select [Import] from the [Project] menu to open the [Import Project] dialog box.
2. Select <Controller Status Folder> and click [Next].

3. Select a controller status folder and click <OK>.

4. The new project name is set to the project found in the controller status folder. You
can modify the new project name if desired. Select the destination drive and folder,
then click <Next>.

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5. Verify the import source, import project, and destination project. Check [Open
Destination Project After Import] if you want the project to open after import.

6. Click the <Import> button. If the destination project already exists, you will be asked
if you want to overwrite it.

5.9.10 [Export] Command (Project Menu)

The Project Menu Export Command uses a wizard to export projects to EPSON RC+ 6.0
projects.
When a project is exported, the files are copied to a new project folder, so the original
project is not changed.
NOTE SPEL+ commands and syntax added to the EPSON RC+ 7.0 are not supported by EPSON
 RC+ 6.0. It is recommended to change the compiler version according to the version of
your controller and check the compatibility before exporting projects. For details, refer to
[Project]-[Properties]-[Compiler] Page in 5.9.15 [Properties] Command (Project Menu).
Follow these steps to export a project:
1. Select EPSON RC+ 7.0 menu-[Project]-[Export] to display the [Export Project] dialog.
2. Select a drive. A project list will be refreshed and exportable projects will be displayed.
Select a project you want to export from the list and click <Next> button.

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3. Name of a new project is set to the name of the exported project. The name of the new
project can be changed. Select the destination drive and project folder. Then, click
<Next>.

4. Confirm the export source and destination.

5. Click <Export>. If the destination already exists, you will be asked whether or not to
overwrite the project.

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5.9.11 [Copy] Command (Project Menu)

The [Copy] command copies all files in the current project to a specified drive, folder, and
project name. You can use the current project name for the destination name if you select
a new drive or folder. You can also specify a new name for the destination project.
You should use the [Copy] command to make backup copies of your project on a regular
basis.

Item Description
Destination Type in a name for the new copy of the project.
Project Name The name can include alphanumeric characters along with underscores
but cannot include two byte characters such as Japanese, Chinese
characters. The maximum number of characters is 24. You can use the
same name as the current project if you select a drive and folder that is
not the same as the current project's drive and folder.
Destination Drive Drives for the project copy.
OK Performs the copy process.
Cancel Cancels the operation.

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5.9.12 [Delete] Command (Project Menu)

This command deletes an entire project from a PC disk. All files in the project folder will
be destroyed.

Item Description
Project Drive Select drive for the project to delete.
Project To Delete Select a project to delete from the list.
Delete Delete the project. You will be prompted to confirm the operation.
Cancel Cancel the operation.

5.9.13 [Build] Command (Project Menu)

Shortcuts
Toolbar: Keys: Ctrl + B
This command builds the current project so that it can be executed. The Build command
does the minimum amount of work required to bring the project up to date in the robot
controller. For example, if a change was made to one program file in the project, then
Build will compile the changed file, link it with the remaining object files (if they exist),
and send the new files to the controller.
When sending the required files to the compact vision, make sure to rebuild not build.
During the build process, the status window displays each step of the build. If there are
any errors, they will be displayed on the status window.

5.9.14 [Rebuild] Command (Project Menu)

Shortcuts
Keys: Ctrl + Shift + B
Rebuilds the entire current projects. All program files are re-compiled, linked, and sent to
the controller. All point files in the project are sent to the controller.
If using the camera of the compact vision, rebuild to send the required files to the compact
vision.

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5.9.15 [Properties] Command (Project Menu)

[Project]-[Properties]-[General] Page
Use this page to view and edit general properties for the current project. All project
property settings are stored in the project file, which is also stored in the controller during
project build.

Item Description
Name The name of the current project.
Created Date and time when the project was created.
Last Modified Date and time when the project was last modified.
Version User version number of the project. You can type any text here.
Description A description of the project. You can type any text here.
Notes Any project notes can be entered into this section.
Apply Set current values after changes have been made.
Restore Revert back to previous values.
Close Close the Project Properties dialog.

TIP When the [Open Project] dialog is used, clicking the <Project Info> button will open a
 dialog that contains the general project properties entered on this page.

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[Project]-[Properties]-[Source Files In Controller] Page

This page allows you to select which source files will be stored in the controller during
project build.
After changes are applied, the next project build will clear the project in the controller and
perform a rebuild.

Item Description
Select Source Files To This is a list of the source files in the project. Select which
Store in Controller source files you want to have stored in the controller.
Apply Set current values after changes have been made.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values.
Close Closes the [Project Properties] dialog.

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[Project]-[Properties]-[Encrypted Files] Page

This page allows you to encrypt files in the current project.
For details on using encrypted files, refer to section 7.8 Using Encrypt Files.
■ USE EXTREME CAUTION!

Keep a record of the password(s) used for encryption in a safe place. Once a
file is encrypted, it can only be opened with the password you enter. If you
CAUTION
forget the password, the file contents CANNOT BE RECOVERED

Item Description

Normal Files This is a list of the source files in the project that are not encrypted.
Select which source files you want to encrypt.
Encrypted Files This is a list of the source files in the project that are encrypted.
Select which source files you want to decrypt.
Encrypt >> Encrypts the files selected in the [Normal files] list. When this
button is clicked, you will be prompted for a password that will be
used to access these encrypted files.
<<Decrypt Decrypts the files selected in the [Encrypted files] list. When this
button is clicked, you will be prompted for the password that was
used to encrypt the files.
Apply Set current values after changes have been made.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values.
Close Closes the [Project Properties] dialog box.

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[Project]-[Properties]-[Compiler] Page
This page allows you to configure the compiler settings.

Item Description
Compiler Version [Default] is the normal setting.
When the projects cannot be built because new SPEL+ language
keywords have been added that conflict with your variable names,
you can select a previous version to build the projects. Specify the
controller version that compiles the project.
Strict Compile Checks the Boolean type strictly.
If the program contains following descriptions, an error will occur.
Boolean variables are assigned to other numerical types
Specifies a wait time to Wait
Compares Boolean types
Globals must be Checks the Global variables (including Global Preserve variables)
declared in each for each file.
file used
When this item is checked, you must declare Global variables in
each file in which they are used, otherwise an error will occur at
build time.
TIP

 Enabling this item reduces a build time of a project which uses

many Global variables.
Apply Sets current values after changes have been made.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values.
Close Closes the [Project Properties] dialog box.

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[Project]-[Properties]-[Operator Settings]-[Operator Window]-[General] Page

This page allows you to configure the general settings for the Operator Window.

Item Description
Window Title Type in the title that you want to appear at the top of the
operator window.
Window Size Choose Normal or Maximized.
Font Click on the <Font> button to open the fonts dialog. Choose
the font you desire for the operator window. The current font
name and size is displayed next to the <Font> button.
Vision Display If this check box is set, the Vision Guide image will be
displayed in the operator window.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values.
Close Closes the [Project Properties] dialog box.

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[Project]-[Properties]-[Operator Settings]-[Operator Window]-[Controls] Page

This page allows you to configure the controls for the Operator Window.

Item Description
Pause and Continue Check this box if you want the <Pause> and <Continue> buttons to
be displayed. This will allow the operator to pause and continue
from the operator window.
I/O Monitor Check this box if you want the <I/O Monitor> button to be
displayed. This will allow the operator to view input and output
status.
Robot Manager Check this box if you want the <Robot Manager> button to be
displayed. This will allow the operator to open the Robot Manager
from the operator window.
System History If this check box is set, the <System History> button will appear.
You can check the system history.
Apply Set current values after changes have been made.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values.
Close Closes the [Project Properties] dialog.

Program Selections Details

Each project can have up to 64 programs that can be started from the Operator Window.
The programs are named main, main1 main2, … main63. Each program has an associated
startup function using the same name as the program (main, main1, main2…main63).
In the program selections grid, you can define a friendly name for each of the 64 programs.
You can also define which selections will be displayed in the Operator Window program
list by checking the Enable checkbox.

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[Project]-[Properties]-[Operator Settings]-[Robot Manager] Page

Use this page to configure the Robot Manager for operators.

Item Description
Page and options Check the pages that you want the operator to have access to
enabled for operators when the Robot Manager is displayed from the operator window.
In some pages, there are additional options.
Allow SFree / SLock Allows the operator to free or lock joints from the [Control
Panel] page.
Allow Home Allows the operator to home the robot from the [Control Panel]
page.
Allow Teach Allows the operator to teach points from the [Jog & Teach] page.
Teach only defined Only defined points are shown in the point list on the [Jog &
points Teach] page.
Prompt for new When the operator teaches a new point, a dialog will be
point information displayed for entering the point label and description.
Allow Motion Allows the operator to execute motion commands from the [Jog
Commands & Teach] page.
Allow Edit Allows the operator to edit point data on the [Points] page.
Allow Delete Allows the operator to delete points on the [Points] page.
Apply Set current values after changes have been made.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values.
Close Closes the [Project Properties] dialog box.

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[Project]-[Properties]-[Operator Settings]-[I/O Monitor] Page

Use this page to configure the I/O Monitor for operators.

Item Description
Select views for Configures the I/O views that operators use when opening the
operators [I/O Monitor] from the [Operator Window].
You can configure the custom views.
Allow I/O status Check this box if you want to allow operators to turn on or off
change for operator the inputs and outputs.
Apply Set current values after changes have been made.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values.
Close Closes the [Project Properties] dialog box.

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[Project]-[Properties]-[Vision]
The Compact Vision can manage two vision projects simultaneously. Each vision project
can be used by one controller, so two controllers can use the same camera.
In this page, you can configure the vision project number of the Compact Vision used for
this project.
Project 1 is used by default.

Item Description
Smart Camera Select the vision project number.
Project Numbers
Apply Set current values after changes have been made.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values.
Close Closes the [Project Properties] dialog box.

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[Project]-[Properties]-[GUI Builder]
On this page, you can specify the startup form for GUI Builder and also set the value of
the help file used in your project.

Item Description
Startup Form Select the startup form for the current project. If no forms have
been created in GUI Builder, then there will be no forms in the
list.
Help File Set help file that will be used by forms in GUI Builder.
Apply Set current values after changes have been made.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values.
Close Closes the [Project Properties] dialog box.

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5.10 [Run] Menu

The EPSON RC+ 7.0 [Run] menu includes commands for running and debugging
programs.

5.10.1 [Run Window] Command (Run Menu)

Shortcuts
Toolbar: Key: F5
Opens the [Run] window to run a program.
Before opening the [Run] window, all files will be saved automatically if there are any
unsaved files and then the project will be built. If there are any errors during build, the
Run window will not be opened.
(If the Auto File Save preference is off in [Setup]-[Preferences]-[Workspace], you will be
prompted to save all files if there are any unsaved files.)
After the [Run] window opens, you must click the <Start> button to initialize program
execution.
For more information, see 7.5.1 Run Window.

5.10.2 [Operator Window] Command (Run Menu)

Shortcuts
Keys: Shift + F5
Opens the [Operator] window.
Before opening the [Operator] window, all files will be saved automatically if there are
any unsaved files and then the project will be built. If there are any errors during build,
the [Operator] window will not be opened.
(If the Auto File Save preference is off in [Setup]-[Preferences]-[Workspace], you will be
prompted to save all files if there are any unsaved files.)
If the project is ready to run (last build was successful), then the [Operator] window will
be opened.
For more information, see 7.6 Operator Window.

5.10.3 [Step Into] Command (Run Menu)

Shortcuts
Toolbar: Key: F11
Execute the current source line. If the current line is a function, the next step will be the
first line in the function.

5.10.4 [Step Over] Command (Run Menu)

Shortcuts
Toolbar: Key: F10
Execute the current source line. If the current line is a function, the entire function will be
executed.

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5.10.5 [Walk] Command (Run Menu)

Shortcuts
Key: F12
Execute lines until after the next motion command or output command, depending on the
Walk stops for output commands preference on the [Setup]-[System Configuration]-
[Controller]-[General] page.

5.10.6 [Resume] Command (Run Menu)

Shortcuts
Toolbar: Key: F7
Opens the [Resume Tasks] dialog box. Use this command to resume one or more halted
tasks. This command is available only when one or more tasks are in halt mode.

Item Description
Select tasks to resume A list of all currently halted tasks. Click on one or more tasks
to resume.
Resume Click to resume.
Select All Click to select all of the tasks in the list.
Cancel Cancel the operation and close the dialog.

5.10.7 [Stop] Command (Run Menu)

Shortcuts

Toolbar:
Stops all tasks. This command is disabled when no tasks are running.

5.10.8 [Toggle Breakpoint] Command (Run Menu)

Shortcuts
Toolbar: Key: F9
Sets the selected line as a breakpoint or returns it to normal. When a line is a breakpoint, a
breakpoint icon is displayed in the program window left margin.
You can set breakpoints while tasks are running.
If a line cannot be a breakpoint (such as a blank line), then the breakpoint icon will not
appear for that line.

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5.10.9 [Clear All Breakpoints] Command (Run Menu)

Shortcuts
Keys: Ctrl + Shift + F9
Clears all breakpoints.

5.10.10 [Display Variables] Command (Run Menu)

Shortcuts
Key: F4
Displays a dialog box that shows the values for all variables in robot controller memory.

To change a variable value

1. Check the [Edit] checkbox.
2. Type the new value in the [Value] column. As you type in new values, the text color
changes to red, indicating that the value is new and as not been written.
3. Click the <Write> button to save the changes. Click <Read> or uncheck [Edit] to
cancel changes and restore the previous values.
When an array is displayed, the first element is shown. You can change which element to
view by typing in the desired array subscript and then clicking the <Read> button.

The Preserved page displays the Global Preserve variables. The numbers of used and
available bytes for preserved variables are also displayed.
You can save the values of Global Preserve variables in the controller to a file on the PC
by clicking the <Save> button. The default file name is “GlobalPreserves.dat”.
A “GlobalPreserves.dat” file is also saved by using Backup Controller from the Tools
Menu.
You can load the global preserve variables that are stored in the file on the PC by clicking
<Load> button.
For module variables, you must select the desired program.
Local variables are not displayed unless one or more tasks have reached a breakpoint or
have been halted from the Task Manager. You can view local variables for each function
in the call stack for each halted task.

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5.10.11 [Call Stack] Command (Run Menu)

The Call Stack dialog displays the function call stack for one task.

The Call Stack command is available when a program window is clicked which contains a
function that is currently halted.
The most recent function is at the top of the list, and parent functions are listed afterwards
in descending order. The last function is the task function.
Each row in the list shows a program, function, and line number.
You can view the code for any of the function calls in the list by selecting a function, then
clicking <Show>. The program window for the function you selected is then displayed
and the line of the function call is marked by a yellow arrow in the editor left margin.

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5.11 [Tools] Menu

EPSON RC+ 7.0 has several GUI tools to support the system development. All tools can
be accessed from the [Tools] menu. Many also have tool bar buttons and hot keys.
The Tools Menu includes the following selections:
- Robot Manager
Motor control, Jog & Teach, change robot parameters.
- Command Window
Execute SPEL+ commands directly.
- I/O Monitor
Monitor and change I/O status.
- Task Manager
Monitor and control task status.
- Macros
Opens the Macro Window.
- I/O Label Editor
Edit I/O labels.
- User Error Editor
Edit user errors.
- Controller
Do maintenance on the controller, such as backup, restore, and export status.

5.11.1 [Robot Manager] Command (Tools Menu)

Shortcuts
Toolbar: Key: F6
This command opens the Robot Manager window. This window contains several tabs that
are used to control the robot motors and power, jog the robot and teach points, and
view/edit several parameters for the robot.
You can configure how the Robot Manager window can be viewed in the development
environment from the [Setup]-[Preferences]-[Robot Manager]-[General] page.
MDI window The Robot Manager is displayed as a child window along
with the other child windows inside the EPSON RC+ 7.0
development environment main window.
Dialog The Robot Manager is displayed as a modal dialog which is
displayed in the foreground over the development
environment main window.
NOTE If the screen resolution is less than 1024 x 768, the Robot Manager will always be
 displayed in dialog mode so it can fit on the screen.

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[Control Panel] Page

The Control Panel page contains buttons for basic robot operations, such as turning motors
on/off and homing the robot. It also shows status for Emergency Stop, Safeguard, Motors,
and Power.

Status Indicators
Indicator Description
Emergency Stop Indicates if Emergency Stop has occurred.
To clear the Emergency Stop status, click <Reset>.
Safeguard Indicates whether the Safeguard input is on or off.
Motors Indicates whether the robot motors are on or off.
Power Indicates whether the robot motor power is high or low.

Controls Description
Robot Select a robot.
MOTOR OFF Turns off all robot motors of the selected robot.
MOTOR ON Turns on all robot motors of the selected robot.
POWER LOW Puts the robot servo system in low power mode.
POWER HIGH Puts the robot servo system in high power mode.
J1 to J4 checkboxes You can free one or more joints using the checkboxes.
Not available for 6-axis robots (including N series).
Free All Click this button to free all joints from the servo control.
Lock All Click this button to lock all joints under the servo control.
Reset Resets the robot servo system and Emergency Stop condition.
Home Moves the robot to the position specified by the HomeSet
command.

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[Jog and Teach] Page

The [Jog & Teach] page is primarily used for jogging the robot to a desired position and
teaching a point using the current coordinates and orientation.
You can jog the robot in World, Tool, Local, Joint, or ECP modes. You can also execute
motion commands.

Jog Controls
The [Robot Manager]-[Jog & Teach] page contains several controls, described below.
[Robot]
Select a robot.
[Jogging] Group
This group contains controls for setting jog mode, speed, and jog buttons.
Mode
This dropdown list contains the following choices jog mode.
World Jogs the robot along the X, Y, Z axes in the current local, tool, arm, and
ECP. For robots with 4 DOF (Cartesian coordinate or SCARA), you can
also jog U (roll). For robots with 6 DOF (vertical 6-axis (including N
series)), you can jog U (Z axis rotation of the base coordinate system), V
(Y axis rotation of the base coordinate system), and W (X axis rotation of
the base coordinate system). This is the default setting.
Tool Jogs the robot in the coordinate system defined by the current tool.
Local Jogs the robot in the coordinate system defined by the current local.
Joint Jogs each joint of the robot. A separate set of jog buttons will appear when
using joint mode when using non-Cartesian robots.
ECP Jogs the robot along the axes of the coordinate system defined by the
current external control point. Coordinates are World coordinates.

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Speed
The speed for jogging and motion commands can be changed by selecting Low or High.
When the Robot Manager is first open, the speed is set to Low. Jogging is always in low
power mode. The speeds and accelerations associated with the jog speed settings are
shown in the next page.
SCARA robot RS series
Jog Speed Jog Method Speed Accel Decel
Continuous World/Tool/ECP XYZ 10 mm/sec 100 mm/sec2 200 mm/sec2
Continuous World/Tool/ECP UVW 2 deg/sec 20 deg/ sec2 40 deg/ sec2
Low Continuous Joint * 10 deg/sec2 20 deg/sec2
Default PTP Default PTP
Step 1/5 of default PTP speed
acceleration deceleration
Continuous World/Tool/ECP XYZ 50 mm/sec 100 mm/sec2 200 mm/sec2
Continuous World/Tool/ECP UVW 10 deg/sec 20 deg/ sec2 40 deg/ sec2
High Continuous Joint * 10 deg/sec2 20 deg/sec2
Default PTP Default PTP
Step Default PTP speed
acceleration deceleration
* Speed of Continuous Joint depends on the robot model
Vertical 6-axis robot, N series
Speed Jog Method Speed Accel Decel
2
Continuous World/Tool/ECP XYZ 10 mm/sec 200 mm/sec 400 mm/sec2
Continuous World/Tool/ECP UVW 2 deg/sec 20 deg/sec2 40 deg/sec2
Low Continuous Joint * 20 deg/sec2 40 deg/sec2
Default PTP Default PTP
Step 1/5 of default PTP speed
acceleration deceleration
Continuous World/Tool/ECP XYZ * 200 mm/sec2 400 mm/sec2
Continuous World/Tool/ECP UVW 15 deg/sec 20 deg/sec2 40 deg/sec2
High Continuous Joint * 20 deg/sec2 40 deg/sec2
Default PTP Default PTP
Step Default PTP speed
acceleration deceleration
* Speed of Continuous Joint and High speed Continuous XYZ depends on the robot model.
Jog Buttons
Use the jog buttons to jog the robot throughout the work envelope. They can be controlled
only by the mouse.
The robot jogs one step at a time as you click the button in either “Long”, “Medium”, or
“Short” mode of the Jog Distance. The robot jogs continuously by holding the button
down.
To jog continuously without stepping, set the Jog Distance to Continuous. See How to jog
robot for details
You can change the orientation of the jog buttons to align your PC monitor with the robot
from [Setup]-[Preferences]-[Robot Manager]-[Jogging].
The jog buttons are displayed differently depending on the Jog mode. For World, Local,
Tool, and ECP jogging, the X, Y, Z, U, V, W buttons appear (V and W are only for 6-axis
robots (including N series)). For Joint jogging, the joint buttons labeled J1 - J6 appear.
The X, Y, and Z buttons jog the robot in the Cartesian axis.
The U buttons rotate the Tool coordinate system of the Z axis. (roll)

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For 6-axis robots (including N series), the V buttons rotate the Tool coordinate system of
the Y axis. (pitch).
The W buttons rotate the Tool coordinate system of the X axis. (yaw).

Local
This drop down list is used to select the current Local for jogging and teaching. Only
Locals that have been defined are shown in the list. When you teach a point, the Local
point attribute defaults to the current local number.
Tool
This drop down list is used to select the current Tool for jogging and teaching. Only Tools
that have been defined are shown in the list.
Arm
This drop down list is used to select the current Arm for jogging and teaching. Only Arms
that have been defined are shown in the list. Arms are not used with 6-axis robots
(including N series).
ECP
This drop down list is used to select the current ECP for jogging. Only ECPs that have
been defined are shown in the list. ECPs are only allowed if the External Control Point
option has been activated.
Current Position Group
This group displays the current position of the robot. There are three ways to display
position. World displays the current position and tool orientation in the selected local
coordinate system, Joint displays the current joint values, and Pulse displays the current
encoder pulse count for each joint.
Current Arm Orientation Group
This group displays the current arm orientation.
6-axis robot : Hand orientation, Elbow orientation, wrist orientation,
J1Flag value, J4Flag value, J6Flag value
N : Hand orientation, Elbow orientation, wrist orientation,
J4Flag value, J6Flag value
RS series : Hand orientation, J1Flag value, J2Flag value
Others : Hand orientation

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Jog Distance Group

This group contains text boxes that are used to specify the distance that each axis moves
when its corresponding jog button is pressed. There are radio buttons for selecting
Continuous, Long, Medium, and Short jog distances. When “Continuous” is selected, the
robot is jogged in continuous mode and the jog distance text boxes are grayed out. When
“Long”, “Medium”, or “Short” are selected, the robot is jogged in step mode for the
distance specified in the jog distance text box for the axis being jogged.
To change a jog distance, first select the distance to be changed, then type in the new value.
Distance Set Value * Default Value
Short 0 to 10 0.1
Medium 0 to 30 1
Long More than 0 to 180 10
* If you enter a too large value, an error message appears when you attempt to jog.
When the jog mode is changed, the jog distance units change appropriately between
millimeters (mm) and degrees (deg).
NOTE When the jog distance is longer than the default, jog distance is reset to default status by
 rebooting the controller.
[Teach Points] Tab
This tab shows the current point file name and point number.
Use the <Teach> button to register the current robot position.
Use the <Edit> button to select and view the current point in the Points tab.
See How to teach points for more information.
Execute Motion Tab
This tab executes motion commands.
Click <Execute> from this group to execute the motion.

When [USE LJM (Least Joint Motion)] checkbox is checked, posture of the manipulator is
automatically adjusted to reduce the motion distance.
The default setting is unchecked.
The [Execute Motion] tab can be disabled from [Setup]-[Preferences]-[Robot Manager]-
[Jog & Teach].

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How to jog
In the upper left hand corner of the [Jog & Teach] page, you will see a control group
called Jogging that contains jog buttons. In the World, Local, Tool, and ECP jog modes,
the robot is jogged in the Cartesian coordinate system (X, Y, Z). In the Joint jog mode,
each robot joint can be jogged separately.
The jog speed is determined by the Speed setting. In step mode, each time you click a jog
button, the robot moves along the appropriate axis by the amount specified in the [Jog
Distance] control group. In continuous mode, when a jog button held down, the robot
moves continuously using linear interpolated motion.

NOTE For robots other than the 6-axis robots, the jog motion in step mode is PTP (point to point)
 motion. It is difficult to predict exact jog motion trajectory. Therefore, be careful that the
robot doesn't collide with peripheral equipment and that the robot arms don’t collide with
the robot itself during jogging.
For the 6-axis robots, the jog motion is CP (Continuous Path) motion. Note that when
jogging near the singularity, if you try to pass through the singularity, a warning dialog
below will appear.

Click the <OK> button and click the same Jog button again to jog using PTP motion and
pass the singularity.
It is difficult to predict exact jog motion trajectory in the PTP motion. Therefore, be
careful that the robot doesn't collide with peripheral equipment and that the robot arms
don’t collide with the robot itself during jogging. Also, if you attempt the other jogs or
operations, it cancels the switching to PTP motion. So when jogging near the singularity
again, the same warning dialog will appear.
If passing the singularity in the continuous jog motion, the following warning message
will appear.

When jogging in continuous mode, if an out of range condition occurs, the robot motors
will turn off and an error will be displayed. In this case you must execute a Reset and
Motor On from the Control Panel page to continue the jog.
To jog
Select the jog mode: World, Tool, Local, Joint, or ECP.
Select the jog speed: “Low” or “High”.
Select “Continuous”, “Long”, “Medium”, or “Short” jog distance. You can type in the
desired jog distance when “Continuous” is not selected.
Click on one of the jog buttons with the left mouse button. If you hold the mouse button
down, the robot will continue to jog.
When jogging is started, the jog button color changes from yellow to cyan. After jogging
is completed, the jog button color returns to yellow.
If you click any jog button during a step jog, the robot will stop.

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TIP
You can change the orientation of the jog buttons for the robot by selecting [Preferences]-

 [Robot Manager]-[Jogging] from the [Setup] menu. This allows you to align the
orientation of the jog buttons with the orientation of the robot motion.

Jogging in Teach Mode

You can jog and move the robot at slow speed with the safeguard open by using the Teach
Pendant.
See the Robot Controller option: Teach Pendant TP1, TP2, or TP3 manual.

How to teach points

To move the robot to the target point, the point data indicating the robot position is
necessary.
Follow these steps to teach points from the [Robot Manager]:
1. Select the point file you are teaching points for from the [Point File] dropdown list box
on the [Teach] page.
2. Select the point number you want to teach in the [Points] box.
3. Jog the robot to the desired position or free some or all axes to manually move the
robot into position.
4. Click on the <Teach> button. This will save the robot's current position data. If the
Prompt for New Point Data preference is active, you will be prompted for a point label
and description.
Point labels can include up to 32 alphanumeric characters and underscores. Only
alphabets can be used for the first letter. Characters can be upper case or lower case.

(As an alternative to clicking the <Teach> button, on the [Points] tab you can type in
the coordinates of the point.)

Saving your work

Robot Manager MDI Child
To save your work, use the [File] menu to select [Save]. You can also execute [Project]-
[Save] or click the <Save all files> toolbar button.
When you want to restore the data without saving the point files, select [Restore] from the
[File] menu.
Robot Manager Dialog
When you close the [Robot Manager], you will be prompted if you want to save your
changes. Answer <Yes> to make your changes permanent or <No> to cancel saving of the
changes.

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[Points] Page

You can input/delete the point data. When a point file is selected, the robot controller
loads the file into memory.
As points are taught on the [Robot Manager]-[Jog & Teach] page, the spreadsheet on the
Points page is updated.
When the Robot Manager is used as an MDI child window, you can save the point data by
typing Ctrl + S to the point file.

Item Description
Robot Select a robot.
Point File Select a point file.
Delete Pxxx Deletes the selected point. You will be prompted to confirm the operation.
Delete All Deletes all points in the file. You will be prompted to confirm the
operation.
Save Saves the current values.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values. You will be prompted to confirm the
operation.

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[Arch] Page

This page allows you to configure the depart Z and approach Z settings in the robot's Arch
table. Arch is used for the Jump, Jump3, and Jump3CP motion commands. There are
seven different setting pairs in the Arch table.
For details on using Arch, see the SPEL+ Language Reference: Arch Statement.

To change Arch settings

1. Put the cursor in the Depart Z or Approach Z cell of the row you want to change.
2. Type in the new value.
Press the TAB key to move to the next cell.
Item Description
Robot Select a robot.
Apply Set the current values.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values.
Defaults Click the defaults button to display factory default settings.

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[Locals] Page

This page allows you to define local coordinate systems for a robot. When the page is
selected, the current values are displayed.
A grid is used to display all of the values for the locals you can define. Local “0” is the
base coordinate system and cannot be changed from this page.
NOTE To change the base coordinate system, use the Base command from the command window.
 See the SPEL+ Language Reference for more information.
When a local is undefined, then all fields for that local will be blank. When you enter a
value in any of the fields for an undefined local, then the remaining fields will be set to
zero and the local will be defined when you click the <Apply> button.
For details on using Local, see the SPEL+ Language Reference: Local Statement.

Navigating the grid

Use the TAB key to move to the next field. Use the arrow keys or the mouse to move to
any field.
Item Description
Local Wizard Click this button to start the Local Wizard. Follow the instructions for
each step to define a local. See details in the next section.
X The X coordinate of the local origin in the base coordinate system.
Y The Y coordinate of the local origin in the base coordinate system.
Z The Z coordinate of the local origin in the base coordinate system.
U Rotation angle of the local about the base Z axis (roll).
V Rotation angle of the local about the base Y axis (pitch).
W Rotation angle of the local about the base X axis (yaw).
Apply Saves the current changes.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values.
Clear Clears all values for the selected local.

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Using the Local Wizard

A wizard is provided for defining a local coordinate system. You can define a local using
a single point or three points, as described in the following sections.

Using the Local Wizard to teach a single point local

1. Open the [Robot Manager] and click on [Locals] to show the [Locals] page.
2. Click the <Local Wizard> button. You will see the dialog shown below.

3. Click the <Next> button to proceed with the Local setting using the Jog & Teach.
For details of the Local setting, refer to 7. Vision Calibration in the Vision Guide 7.0
Software manual.

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4. Select the local number you want to define. For [How many points will be used],
select [1 – Origin]. Since this is a single point local, you will just teach the origin of
the new coordinate system. If you want to use the U, V, or W axes for the orientation
of the coordinate system, check the [Use U, V, W tool coordinates for local rotation]
checkbox. If this checkbox is unchecked, the new coordinate system is offset from
local 0 in X and Y, but is not rotated about any axis. Click the <Next> button.

5. We will now teach the local origin point. Click the <Teach> button to open the [Local
Wizard Teach Point] dialog box.

6. Jog the robot until the end effector is aligned with the local origin point. Then click the
<Teach> button.

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7. The new local definition is displayed as shown below. Click <Finish> to accept the
new definition.

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Using the Local Wizard to teach a three point local

1. Open the [Robot Manager] and click on [Locals] to show the [Locals] page.
2. Click the <Local Wizard> button. You will see the dialog shown below.

3. Click the <Next> button to proceed with the Local setting using the Jog & Teach.
For details of the Local setting, refer to 7. Vision Calibration in the Vision Guide 7.0
Software manual.

4. Select the local number you want to define. For [How many points will be used],
select [3 - Origin, X, Y]. Since this is a three point local, you will teach the origin of
the new coordinate system, and then teach one point anywhere along the X axis and
one point anywhere along the Y axis. Select which axis will be used to align the
coordinate system. For example, if you select X, then the new coordinate system X
axis will be aligned to the X axis point that you will teach in a later step. The Y axis
point will be used to determine tilt. Click the <Next> button.

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5. We will now teach the local origin point. Click the <Teach> button to open the [Local
Wizard: Teach Point] dialog box.

6. Jog the robot until the end effector is aligned with the origin point. Then click the
<Teach> button. The next step will be displayed.

7. We will now teach a point on the local X axis. Click the <Teach> button and jog the
robot until the end effector is aligned with a point anywhere along the X axis of the
new coordinate system. Click the <Teach> button on the [Teach Point] dialog box to
continue.

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8. We will now teach a point on the local Y axis. Click the <Teach> button and jog the
robot until the end effector is aligned with a point anywhere along the Y axis of the
new coordinate system. Click the <Teach> button on the [Teach Point] dialog box to
continue.
9. The new local definition is displayed as shown below. Click <Finish> to accept the
new definition.

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[Tools] Page

This page allows you to define tool settings for a robot. When the tab is selected, the
current values are displayed.
A grid is used to display all the values for all 15 tools you can define.
When a tool is undefined, then all fields for that tool will be blank. When you enter a
value in any of the fields for an undefined tool, then the remaining fields will be set to zero
and the tool will be defined when you click the <Apply> button.
For more information on tools, see the SPEL+ Language Reference: TLSet Statement.

Navigating the grid

Use the <TAB> key to move to the next field. Use the arrow keys or the mouse to move
to any field.
Item Description
Robot Select a robot.
Tool Wizard This button starts the Tool Wizard. Follow the instructions for each step of
the wizard to define a tool. See details in the next section.
X The X coordinate of the tool.
Y The Y coordinate of the tool.
Z Z offset of tool.
U Rotation angle of the tool about the Z axis (roll).
V Rotation angle of the tool about the Y axis (pitch).
W Rotation angle of the tool about the X axis (yaw).
Apply Sets the current values.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values
Clear Clears all values for the selected tool.

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Using the Tool Wizard

For SCARA Robots
1. Select [Robot Manager]-[Tools] tab to show the [Tools] page.
2. Click the <Tool Wizard> button. You will see the dialog box shown below.
Select the tool number to define and click the <Next> button.

3. Click the <Next> button to proceed with the Tool setting using the Jog & Teach.
For details of the Tool setting, refer to 7. Vision Calibration in the Vision Guide 7.0
Software manual.

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4. Jog the robot until the tool is aligned with the reference point. Then click the
<Teach> button to show the [Jog & Teach] dialog box. Jog the robot so that the tool
is aligned with the reference point.

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5. Click the <Teach> button to display the following dialog box. After rotating the U
axis as shown below to change the angle, jog the X and Y axes until the tool is aligned
with the reference point. Click the <Teach> button to show the [Jog & Teach] dialog
box. Match the tool and the reference point.

6. Click the <Teach> button. The new tool definition is displayed as shown below.
Click <Finish> to apply the new definition.

NOTE

 The robot can be calibrated with a different posture from the wizard.

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For 6-axis robots (including N series)

NOTE There are two calibration methods for 6-axis robots. 3D Tool moves the robot in X, Y, Z,
 U, V, and W directions to calibrate, while 2D Tool moves the robot in X, Y, Z, and U
directions. The robot can be calibrated with 2D Tool only when the robot posture is “V=0
degree, W=0 degree”, or “V=0 degree, W=180 degree (-180 degree).
NOTE

 When comparing 2D Tool and 3D Tool, 2D Tool has following advantages and
disadvantages. Choose the suitable method according to the intended use.
Advantages:
- Shorter calibration time than 3D Tool
- Since V and W axes are not moved, peripherals and cables are less likely to
interfere the calibration
Disadvantages:
- Calibration accuracy may be worse than 3D Tool
- The Z-axis direction offset is not performed automatically (*1)
*1: If the Z-axis direction offset is required, enter the offset value in the following dialog
box after calibration.

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1. Select [Robot Manager]-[Tools] tab to show the [Tools] page.

2. Click the <Tool Wizard> button. You will see the dialog box shown below.
Select either 3D Tool or 2D Tool.

3. Click the <Next> button to proceed with the Tool setting using the Jog & Teach.
For details of the Tool setting, refer to 7. Vision Calibration in the Vision Guide 7.0
Software manual.

4. If using 3D Tool, select the tool number to define and the number of points to teach,
and click the <Next> button.

NOTE The “number of points to teach” is the amount of times to teach the same point

 (reference point) in the robot motion range while changing only the tool direction. The
number to teach should be at least three. Although it depends on the teaching accuracy
of each point, more accurate tool setting can be set by increasing the number.
To increase the tool setting accuracy, set the angle of approximately 10 degrees or
more for J5 pulse in order to avoid singularity near 0 degree when teaching the
reference point.

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5. Jog the robot until the tool is aligned with the reference point. Then click the
<Teach> button to show the [Jog & Teach] dialog box. Match the tool and the
reference point.

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6. Click the <Teach> button to show the following dialog box.

If using 3D Tool, rotate the U, V, and W axes as shown below, and then jog the X, Y,
and Z axes until the tool is aligned with the reference point. Repeat teaching until the
robot can reach the reference point from other tool orientation as often as you
specified in (3).
If using 2D Tool, rotate only the U axis as shown below, and then jog the X, Y, and Z
axes until the tool is aligned with the reference point.
Clicking the <Teach> button displays the [Jog & Teach] dialog box for both 3D Tool
and 2D Tool. Match the tool and the reference point.
NOTE When moving the U, V, and W axes, move the arm upward in order to avoid collision
 of the tool and the reference point.
For 3D Tool:

For 2D Tool:

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7. The new tool definition is displayed as shown below. Click <Finish> to apply the
new definition.

NOTE Although it is recommended to calibrate the robot with the same posture as the wizard, it
 is possible to calibrate the robot with the different robot posture from wizard.

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[Arms] Page

This page allows you to define Arm settings for a robot. When the tab is selected, the
current Arm values are displayed. The tab is disabled if the current robot does not support
the Arm command.
A grid is used to display all the values for all 15 arm configurations you can define.
When an arm is undefined, then all fields for that arm will be blank. When you enter a
value in any of the fields for an undefined arm, then the remaining fields will be set to zero
and the tool will be defined when you click the <Apply> button.
For more information on arm parameters, see the SPEL+ Language Reference: ArmSet
Statement.

Navigating the grid

Use the <TAB> key to move to the next field. Use the arrow keys or the mouse to move
to any field.
Item Description
Robot Select a robot.
Arm Wizard Open the wizard for configuring the additional arm using the camera.
Define the tool by following the instructions.
For details of the Local setting, refer to 7. Vision Calibration in the Vision
Guide 7.0 Software manual.
L2 Dist Distance between the center of joint 2 and the center of the orientation joint
in millimeters.
J2 Offset Angle of the line from the center of joint 2 to the center of the orientation
joint in degrees.
Z Offset The Z offset between the new orientation axis and the standard orientation
axis.
L1 Dist Distance between the center of the shoulder joint and the center of the
elbow joint in millimeters.
U Offset The angle offset between the standard orientation zero position and the new
orientation axis zero position in degrees.
Apply Set current values.
Restore Revert to the previous values.
Clear Clear all values for the selected arm

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[ECP] Page

This page allows you to define ECP (external control point) settings for a robot. When the
page is selected, the current values are displayed.
NOTE If the ECP option is not enabled in the controller, this page will not be visible.
 For detailed information on using external control points in your application, refer to
6.16.5 ECP Coordinate Systems (Option).
A grid is used to display all of the values for all ECPs you can define.
When an ECP is undefined, then all fields for that ECP will be blank. When you enter a
value in any of the fields for an undefined ECP, then the remaining fields will be set to
zero and the ECP will be defined when you press the <Apply> button.

Navigating the grid

Use the <TAB> key to move to the next field. Use the arrow keys or the mouse to move
to any field.
Item Description
Robot Select a robot.
X The X coordinate of the ECP.
Y The Y coordinate of the ECP.
Z The Z coordinate of the ECP.
U Rotation angle of the ECP about the Z axis (roll).
V Rotation angle of the ECP about the Y axis (pitch).
W Rotation angle of the ECP about the X axis (yaw).
Apply Set current values.
Restore Revert back to the previous values.
Clear Clear all values for the selected ECP.

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[Pallets] Page

This page allows you to define the pallet (Pallet). When the page is selected, values for
the available pallet are displayed. When a Pallet is undefined, then all fields for the Pallet
will be blank. The Pallet will be defined when you press the <Apply> button.
For more information on Pallet, see the SPEL+ Language Reference: Pallet Statement.

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Navigating the grid

Use the <TAB> key to move to the next field. Use the arrow keys or the mouse to move
to any field.
Item Description
Robot Select a robot.
Points Specify the point variable to use for pallet definition.
Select either 3 or 4.
Columns Specify the division number of Point number 1(coordinate system data 1)
and Point number 2 (coordinate system data 2) by an integer. The range is
from 1 to 32767. (Division 1 × Division 2 <32767)
Rows Specify the division number of Point number 1(coordinate system data 1)
and Point number 3 (coordinate system data 3) by an integer. The range is
from 1 to 32767. (Division 1 × Division 3 <32767)
Outside Optional. Creates an accessible pallet outside the specified columns and
rows
X Set the X coordinate in millimeters.
Y Set the Y coordinate in millimeters.
Z Set the Z coordinate in millimeters.
U Set the U coordinate in degrees.
V Set the V coordinate in degrees.
W Set the W coordinate in degrees.
Apply Set current values.
Restore Revert back to the previous values.
Clear Clear all values.

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Using the Pallet Wizard

1. Select [Robot Manager]-[Tools] tab to show the [Pallets] page.
2. Click the <Pallet Wizard> button. You will see the dialog box shown below.

3. Select the pallet number to define, the number of points to teach, the number of rows
and columns, and whether to use “Outside”. Then, click the <Next> button.
NOTE
If a pallet is a well ordered rectangular shape, only 3 of the 4 corner points should be
 specified. However, in most situations, it is recommended to use 4 corner points to
define a pallet.
4. Click the <Teach> button to show the [Teach first point] page.

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5. Jog the robot to the first corner to teach the position of it. Click the <Teach> button to
show the following dialog box.

6. Teach the second to forth corners by following the steps (4) and (5).
7. The new pallet definition is displayed as shown below. Click <Finish> to apply the
new definition.

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[Box] Page

This page allows you to define Box (approach check area) settings for a robot. When the
page is selected, the current values are displayed. When a Box is undefined, then all fields
for that Box will be blank. When you enter a value in any of the fields for an undefined
Box, then the remaining fields will be set to zero and the Box will be defined when you
press the <Apply> button.
For more information on Box, see the SPEL+ Language Reference: Box Statement.

Navigating the grid

Use the <TAB> key to move to the next field. Use the arrow keys or the mouse to move
to any field.
Item Description
Robot Select a robot.
Min X Type in the minimum X limit value in millimeters.
Max X Type in the maximum X limit value in millimeters.
Min Y Type in the minimum Y limit value in millimeters.
Max Y Type in the maximum Y limit value in millimeters.
Min Z Type in the minimum Z limit value in millimeters.
Max Z Type in the maximum Z limit value in millimeters.
Polarity Sets the polarity to output I/O at approach check.
Apply Sets current values.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values.
Clear Clears all values.

Setting both values to zero disables the limits.

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Using the Box Wizard

1. Select [Robot Manager]-[Boxes] tab to show the [Boxes] page.
2. Click the <Box Wizard> button. You will see the dialog box shown below.

3. Select the Box number to define and click the <Next> button.
4. Click the <Teach> button to show the [Teach first corner of box] page.

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5. Jog the robot to the first corner to teach the position of it. Click the <Teach> button to
show the following dialog box.

6. Teach the second to forth corners by following the steps (4) and (5).
7. Select the polarity to output the I/O

8. The new box definition is displayed as shown below. Click <Finish> to apply the new
definition.

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[Plane] Page

This page allows you to define Plane (approach check plane) settings for a robot. When
the page is selected, the current values are displayed. When a Plane is undefined, then all
fields for that Plane will be blank. When you enter a value in any of the fields for an
undefined Plane, then the remaining fields will be set to zero and the Plane will be defined
when you press the <Apply> button.
For more information on Plane, see the SPEL+ Language Reference: Plane Statement.

Navigating the grid

Use the <TAB> key to move to the next field. Use the arrow keys or the mouse to move
to any field.
Item Description
Robot Select a robot.
X Sets the X origin of the coordinate for approach check plane.
Y Sets the Y origin of the coordinate for approach check plane.
Z Sets the Z origin of the coordinate for approach check plane.
U Sets the U origin of the coordinate for approach check plane.
V Sets the V origin of the coordinate for approach check plane.
W Sets the W origin of the coordinate for approach check plane.
Apply Set current values.
Restore Revert back to the previous values.
Clear Clear all values.

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Using the Plane Wizard

1. Select [Robot Manager]-[Planes] tab to show the [Planes] page.
2. Click the <Plane Wizard> button. You will see the dialog box shown below.

3. Select the plane number to define and the number of points to teach, and then click the
<Next> button.
NOTE You can select either “1” or “3” for the number of points to teach. If you select “1”,

 the robot posture at teaching will be reflected. If you select “3”, the robot posture
will not be reflected. For details, refer to the SPEL+ Language Reference: Plane
Statement.
4. Click the <Teach> button to show the [Teach plane origin point] page.
If the number of point to teach is “1”:

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5. Jog the robot to the reference point to teach the position of it. Click the <Teach>
button to show the following dialog box.

6. The new plane definition is displayed as shown below. Click <Finish> to apply the
new definition.

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If the number of points to teach is “3”:

1) Jog the robot to the reference point to teach the position of it (Point #1). Click
the <Teach> button to show the following dialog box.

2) Teach the X axis specified point (Point #2) and the Y axis specified point (Point
#3) in the same way as the step 1).
7. The new plane definition is displayed as shown below. Click <Finish> to apply the
new definition.

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[Weight] Page

This page is for changing the Weight parameters for the robot.
For details on the Weight parameters, see the SPEL+ Language Reference: Wight
Statement.

Item Description
Robot Select a robot.
Weight Type in the new total weight of the payload on the robot.
Kg/Lb Choose which unit the weight is represented in: kilograms or pounds.
Length Type in the new length.
Apply Sets the current values.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values.
Defaults Displays factory default settings.

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[Inertia] Page

This page is for changing the Inertia parameters.
For details on the Inertia parameters, see the SPEL+ Language Reference: Inertia
Statement.

Item Description
Robot Select a robot.
Load inertia Type in the new load inertia of the payload on the robot in kg⋅m2. This
includes the inertia of end effector plus the part to be carried.
Eccentricity Type in the new eccentricity value in millimeters. This is the distance from
rotational center of joint 4 to the center of gravity of end effector and part.
Apply Set the current values.
Restore Revert back to the previous values.
Defaults Press the defaults button to display factory default settings.

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[XYZ Limits] Page

This page allows you to configure limits for X, Y and Z motion in the robot envelope.
For details on the XYZ limits, see the SPEL+ Language Reference: XYLim Statement.

Item Description
Robot Select a robot.
X, Y, Z Type in the minimum and maximum X, Y, and Z limit values. Setting
both values to zero disables the limits.
Read Current Click this button to read the value from the current robot position. The
button text shows the axis and minimum or maximum depending on
which text field has the current focus.
Apply Set the current values.
Restore Revert back to previous values.
Defaults Set default values.

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[Range] Page

This page allows you to configure the robot joint software limits.
For more information on Range, see the SPEL+ Language Reference and the manual for
the robot you are using.
For details on configuring the motion range, see the SPEL+ Language Reference: Range
Statement.

Item Description
Robot Select a robot.
J1 - J6 Type in the minimum and maximum encoder pulse values for each joint.
Read Current Click this button to read the current joint value of the robot into the
current field. The button text will change depending on which text field
has focus.
Apply Save the current changes.
Restore Revert back to the previous values.
Defaults Set the default values.

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[Tools]-[Robot Manager]-[Home Config] Page

Home Config allows you to configure the optional user home position.
For details on configuring the home position, see the SPEL+ Language Reference:
HomeSet Statement.

Changing home position

When you select the [Home Config] tab, the current home position is read from the robot
controller and displayed in the text boxes. If the home position has never been defined,
then the text boxes will be blank.
To define the home position, you can enter an encoder position value for each of the four
robot joints in the text boxes, or you can select the [Jog & Teach] page to jog the robot to
the desired home position, then select the [Home Config] page and click the <Read
Current Position> button to read the current encoder position values.
Changing home order
The home command executes in steps. The number of steps equals the number of joints
on the robot. Select the home step number for each joint using the dropdown list for each
joint. More than one joint can be homed in the same step.
Testing home
After making changes to the home position and home order, you can click the [Robot
Manager]–[Control Panel] tab and click the <Home> button.
Item Description
Robot Select a robot.
Read Current Click this button to read the current position encoder pulse value into the
currently selected text field. The button text will change according
which text field is selected.
Defaults Set the value of the [Home order] group box to the default value.
Apply Save the current changes.
Restore Revert back to the previous values.

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5.11.2 [Command Window] Command (Tools Menu)

You can execute SPEL+ commands from the robot controller and view the results.
To open the Command window
Select Command Window from the Tools Menu
Or
Click on the button on the toolbar.
Or
Type Ctrl+M

To execute SPEL+ commands from the Command window

1. Type in the desired command after the prompt (>). Commands can be entered in upper
or lower case.
2. Press <Enter> to execute the command. The cursor can be anywhere on the line when
you press <Enter>.
3. Wait for the prompt to return before typing in a new command.
When an error occurs, an error number will be displayed along with an error message.
You can use the arrow keys or the mouse to move the cursor to any line in the window that
starts with a prompt (>) character and execute it by pressing <Enter>.

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Command Window Keys

Key Action

Ctrl+A Select entire window.

Ctrl+C Stop the program and initialize robot controller. If a robot motion
command is in progress, the prompt will return when the command has
been completed.
Ctrl+V Execute Paste command. Paste from Clipboard to current selection.
Ctrl+W Re-display last command line after the prompt.
Ctrl+X Execute Cut command. Cut current selection and put in Clipboard.
Ctrl+Z Undo last change.
Ctrl+Home Go to the top of the window.
Ctrl+End Go to last prompt at end of the window.
? Translates to "PRINT " when used as the first character of a command.
This can be used to display variables or any statement that requires a
PRINT command.

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5.11.3 [I/O Monitor] Command (Tools Menu)

The I/O Monitor window lets you monitor all controller hardware inputs and outputs and
also memory I/O. There are up to four views available: one standard view and three
custom views.
On the standard view, there are two grids. For each grid you can specify which type and
size of I/O to monitor.
For each custom view, you can specify a list of any combination of input, output, or
memory. By default, there is one custom view available. To use the other two custom
views, right click on a tab and check the views you want to be visible. See the section
Custom I/O Views later in this chapter.
Labels that have been defined using the [I/O Label Editor] are displayed next to each bit,
byte, or word.
After the [I/O Monitor] window has been opened, the input and output status for the
current view is constantly updated.
The I/O monitor will always be displayed on top of other child windows, such as program
windows and point windows.
If a description has been entered for an I/O port (bit, byte, or word) in the I/O Label Editor,
then a tool tip will be displayed when the mouse pointer is over the row containing the
port.
You can turn outputs on and off by double clicking on the output LED images in the
Status column.

Grid partition lever

To open the I/O Monitor

Select I/O Monitor from the Tools Menu.
Or
Click on the tool bar button.
Or
Type Ctrl + I.

Using the I/O Monitor

Select the [Standard View] tab.
Scroll through the grids to locate the desired inputs or outputs to monitor.
You can split each grid into two scroll regions by selecting the split bar in the upper right
corner of the grid and dragging it down. Each scroll region can be individually scrolled.
To turn an output off or on, double click on the LED image for the desired output.
When Virtual I/O is active, you can turn input bits on and off by double clicking on the
input LED images in the Status column.
To view bytes and words in hexadecimal format, check the [Hexadecimal Values]
checkbox.

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You can resize the I/O monitor in the vertical direction to show more data. Move your
mouse pointer to the lower right corner of the window to activate a size handle, then click
down and drag the window down or up to the desired size.

Custom I/O Views

You can configure up to three custom I/O views. In each view, you can add any
combination of I/O. You can also change the name of each view and hide each view.

To change a view
1. Click on a custom view tab. If none are currently shown, right click on the [Standard
View] tab and select one of the three custom views to show it.

2. Click the <Add> button to add a new row to the list.

3. Select the <Type> by clicking in the [Type] column, then click the arrow to view a list
of I/O types and select one.
4. In the [Port] column, select the port (bit, byte, or word, depending on I/O type).
5. Add more rows as needed by repeating steps 2 - 4.
<Apply>: Save the changes
<Delete>: Delete a row
<Restore>: Cancel changes.
To rename a view
1. Click on a custom view tab. If none are currently shown, right click on the [Standard
View] tab and select one of the three custom views to show it.
2. Right click on the view tab and select [Rename].
3. Enter the new name for the view.

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5.11.4 Task Manager Command (Tools Menu)

The Task Manager window allows you to Halt (suspend), Resume (continue), and Quit
(abort) tasks.
To open the Task Manager
Select Task Manager from the Tools Menu.
Or
Type Ctrl + T.
Or
Click on the button on the toolbar.
Operation
The Task Manager is used for suspending, resuming, stepping, and stopping tasks.
When Task Manager is started, you will see a grid containing status information for 32
tasks standard tasks and 11 trap tasks. Also, you will see the status information of 16
background tasks if the background task is enabled. There are 8 items shown for each task.
To view all of the columns, use the scroll bar or resize the window.
Task Number of task from 1 to 32 and 11 trap tasks.
Name Name of the function that was started as a task.
Status Current task status: Run, Wait, Halt, Pause, Aborted, Finished.
Type Task types
Normal This task is a normal task
NoPause This task does not pause with Pause statement or when
Pause input or Safety Door open occur.
NoEmgAbort This task continuously processes during the Emergency
Stop or error occurrence.
Line Current task line number.
Function Current task function name.
Program Current task program name.
Start The date and time that the task was started.
CPU CPU load factor of each task. This function assists problem detection of
the user created tasks.
In the following Example 1, the function repeats until the standard input I/O bit port 1
turns ON.
Since Sw() is the command in which the tasks are not switched, this task occupies the
process. It may affect other user tasks or the whole system of the Controller. In order to
specify such tasks, use the CPU load factor display.

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Restrictions
Displayed values do not guarantee the accuracy. Due to limitations of measuring method,
some differences are included. The load factor of the properly created program is minimal.
Also, in a program like Example 2, commands are executed by other system tasks.
Therefore, the load factor is displayed as “0”.
Example 1)
Function main
Do
Do
If Sw(1) = On Then Exit Do
Loop
Go P(0)
Loop
Fend

Example 2)
Function main
Do
Print "TEST"
Loop
Fend

Item Description
Halt Suspends the selected task. The halted task can be resumed by the
<Resume> button. Halt can only be executed when a task is running
(status is Run). When Halt is executed, the <Resume> button will be
enabled. If a motion command associated with Halt is executed, the
motion will be completed before the task reaches the Halt state.
The task also temporarily stops when the task is NoPause type or
NoEmgAbort type.
Resume After one or more tasks are suspended with the <Halt> button, clicking
<Resume> make the halted tasks continue where they left off. First, a
confirmation dialog is displayed.
Quit This button stops the selected task permanently. You cannot resume a
task once you have executed Quit. To restart the task, you must start it
from within a program or from the Run window. The task also stops
when the task is NoPause type or NoEmgAbort type.
Pause This button pauses tasks that can be paused. After pause, you must use
either <Continue> or <Stop>.
The task does not pause when the task is NoPause type or
NoEmgAbort type.
Continue This button continues all tasks that were paused with the <Pause>
button.
Stop This button stops all tasks.

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To Halt, Step, Walk, and Resume a task

The <Halt> button will become active after you select a running task.
Click the <Halt> button to stop the task you selected for a moment.
After a task has been halted, the source code will be displayed and the next step will be
indicated. You can click on the <Resume> button to resume execution. (You can also
execute [Step Into], [Step Over], or [Walk] from the [Run] Menu.)
To Pause and Continue tasks
Pause allows you to "suspend" all tasks that can be suspended.
Click on the <Pause> button to pause available tasks. The robot will decelerate to a stop
immediately.
After executing Pause, click on <Continue> to resume all suspended tasks.
To view source code at the current execution line
Select a task row. Then right click and select [Go To Line]. The program editor will be
opened at the current execution line

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5.11.5 Macros Command (Tools Menu)

You can create SPEL+ command macros using the Macro Editor. Macros consist of one
or more SPEL+ statements that can be executed from the command window. A macro
statement may use global variables, I/O labels, and point labels. You can assign a macro
to each of the Alt function keys except for Alt+F4, which is a Windows shortcut to close
the application.
1. Select [Tools]-[Macros] to open the [Command Macros] dialog box.

2. Type the macro statements in the [Macro] text box.

3. Click the <Apply> button to save changes.
4. Click <Execute> to run the macro.
5. Click <Close> to close the dialog. You will be prompted to save the macros you have
created or changed.
To open a macro and execute it, type <Alt> + function key. Then click <Execute> to run
it. Macros never execute by pressing the function key. The separate execute step is
provided for safety, since macros can move the robot and control I/O.
Macros can be executed while tasks are running. If invalid commands are executed while
tasks are running, an error will occur.

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5.11.6 [I/O Label Editor] Command (Tools Menu)

The I/O label editor lets you define meaningful names for inputs, outputs, and memory I/O
for each project. The labels can be used in your programs, from the Command window, or
in macros. They are also displayed in the I/O Monitor window.
To open the I/O Label Editor
Select I/O Label Editor from the Tools Menu.
Or
Type Ctrl + L.
Or
Click on the button on the toolbar.

The I/O Label Spreadsheet

When you select [I/O Label Editor] from the [Tools] menu, a window opens that contains
a tree and a spreadsheet editor.
The tree on the left side of the window shows the various types of I/O for the controller.
For each type of I/O you can view and edit labels for bits, bytes (8 bits), and words (16
bits).
The first column of the spreadsheet shows the bit, byte, or word number, depending on
which type of I/O you are viewing.
The second column contains the label for each bit, byte, or word in column 1. You can
type in up to 32 characters for a label. Label characters can be alphanumeric or
underscore.
The third column contains the description associated with the label.
If you add a description to an I/O point, then the description will be displayed as a tool tip
on the I/O Monitor.
NOTE - The I/O Label Editor shows all available I/O types on your controller.
 - For the Editor version, the I/O Label Editor shows the all I/O types.
For example, you can edit Fieldbus I/O labels, but you may not have a Fieldbus board
installed in the controller.

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To add or edit a label

Select the type of I/O you want to label in the tree. After you select the I/O type, the
spreadsheet will be refreshed to display the labels for that type. The number of rows in the
spreadsheet equals the number of bits, bytes, or words available for the type you have
selected.
Use the mouse to scroll through the spreadsheet and put the cursor in the [Label] field next
to the bit, bytes, or words number that you want to add a label to. Type in the label, which
can be up to 32 alphanumeric characters without any spaces. Optionally, you can type a
description for the label in the [Description] field.
After adding or editing labels, save the changes by executing [Save] from the [File] menu
or by clicking on the <Save Project> toolbar button. If any duplicate labels are
detected, an error message will be displayed and the save operation will be aborted. You
must correct the duplication before you can save the labels successfully.
To cut and paste labels and descriptions
You can cut and paste labels and descriptions by selecting with the mouse, then executing
[Copy], [Cut], and [Paste] from the [Edit] menu.
You can also cut and paste entire rows using the following steps:
1. Select one or more rows by using the row selectors on the left and execute either the
[Cut] or [Copy] command from the [Edit] menu. When selecting multiple rows, hold
down the shift or control key while selecting rows with the mouse.
2. Select the row where you want to start the paste by clicking the row selector on the left
of the row.
3. Execute the [Paste] command from the [Edit] menu.

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5.11.7 User Error Editor Command (Tools Menu)

The User Error Editor allows you to define user errors.

User error numbers can be from 8000 to 8999.

Labels can be up to 16 characters in length.
It is recommended that you use the ER_ prefix for each error label and use all caps for the
label. This makes it easy to see error labels in your code.
Some user error examples:
Error # Label Message
8000 ER_VACUUM Vacuum error has occurred.
8001 ER_INDEXOT Indexer overtime has occurred.

In your program code, use the Error statement to generate a user error. For example:
On Vacuum
Wait Sw(VacOn), 1
If Tw = 1 Then
Error ER_VACUUM
EndIf

The user error information is stored in the current project directory in a file called
UserErrors.dat.
You can use the [Import] command from the [File] menu to import user errors from other
projects.
After adding new error definitions, save the changes by executing Save from the [File]
menu or by clicking on the <Save Project> toolbar button. If any duplicate labels are
detected, an error message will be displayed and the save operation will be aborted. You
must correct the duplication before you can save the labels successfully.

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5.11.8 [Controller] Command (Tools Menu)

Select Controller from the [Tools] menu to open the [Controller Tools] dialog box.
From the [Controller Tools] dialog box, you can save and restore the complete controller
configuration and the project using the [Backup Controller] and [Restore Controller]
commands. You can also save and view controller status, and reset the controller.
Before servicing the system, you should execute [Backup Controller] and store the system
configuration on an external media such as a USB memory key.
If required, you can use [Restore Controller] to restore previously stored data.

Backup Controller
Use Backup Controller to save controller configuration data on your PC.
The current status is saved in a folder containing several files. The controller
configuration settings, task status, I/O status, robot status, etc. are saved in these files.
This is useful for users to send a snapshot of the controller status to a system vendor or to
Epson technical support, should the need arise.
NOTE

 Backup Controller is equivalent to connecting a USB memory key to the controller and
pressing the TRIG button on the controller to save controller status.
Controller status is stored in a folder named “B” followed by the controller type, the
controller serial number, and the date / time.
You can configure the controller whether to save the project files in the status folder or not.
See [Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Controller]-[Preferences].
1. Select [Tools]-[Controller].
2. Click on the <Backup Controller> button to open the [Browse For Folder] dialog box.

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3. Select the disk drive and parent folder where you want to save the information. You
can create a new parent folder by clicking the <Make New Folder> button.
4. Click <OK>. A new folder containing the backup files will be created in the selected
folder named “B” followed by the controller type, the controller serial number, and the
date / time.
Restore Controller
Use Restore Controller to load controller settings from previously saved backup data. You
cannot restore the controller data while tasks are running. If you attempt to do so, an error
message will be displayed.
To restore controller configuration:
1. Select [Tools]-[Controller].
2. Click on the <Restore Controller> button to open the [Browse For Folder] dialog box.

3. Select the drive and folder where the information is stored. Controller backup
information is stored in a folder that is named “B” followed by the controller type, the
controller serial number, and the date / time.
NOTE

 You can also select a folder containing export controller status information.
4. Click <OK> to display the dialog to select the restore data.

Robot names, serial numbers, calibrations checkbox

This checkbox allows you to restore the robot name, robot serial number, Hofs data,
and CalPls data. Make sure that the correct Hofs data is restored. If the wrong Hofs
data is restored, the robot may move to wrong positions.
The default setting is unchecked.
Robot maintenance configuration checkbox
This checkbox allows you to restore the parts consumption data.
For details, refer to the following manual.
Robot controller RC700 / RC700-A Maintenance 6 Alarm.
This is not checked by the default setting.

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Project checkbox
This checkbox allows you to restore the files related to projects.
The default setting is unchecked.
When the project is restored, all the values of Global Preserve variables are restored.
For details about Global Preserve variable backup, refer to 5.10.10 [Display Variables]
Command (Run Menu).
Vision hardware configuration checkbox
This checkbox allows you to restore the vision hardware configuration.
For details, refer to the EPSON RC+ 7.0 option: Vision Guide 7.0.
This is not checked by the default setting.
Security configuration checkbox
This checkbox allows you to restore the security configuration.
For details, refer to 15. Security.
This is not checked by the default setting.
Force Sensing I/F configuration checkbox
This checkbox allows you to restore the Force Sensing I/F configuration.
For details, refer to EPSON RC+ 7.0 option Force Control 7.0.
This is not checked by the default setting.

5. Click the <OK> button to restore the system information.

NOTE Restore the system configuration saved using Backup Controller only for the same system.
 When different system information is restored, the following warning message appears.

Click the <No> button to cancel restoration of data except for special situations such as
controller replacement.
NOTE When restoring the backup which includes the data of the robot configured to the Drive

NOTE
Unit, be sure to restore the data while the Drive Unit is connected and turned on.


When restoring the backup including the unsupported robot information to the target
controller, an error occurs.
NOTE You cannot restore the backup including PG to the virtual controller.

View Controller Status
Click the <View Controller Status> button to view the status data stored from a previous
status export (see the Export Controller Status section above).

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To view controller status:

1. Select [Tools]-[Controller].
2. Click on the <View Controller Status> button to open the [Browse For Folder] dialog.

3. Select the drive and folder where the information is stored. Controller status
information is stored in a folder that is named “B” followed by the controller type, the
controller serial number, and the date / time.
4. Click <OK> to view the selected controller status.
5. The [Controller Status Viewer] dialog will be displayed.

6. Select items to view from the tree on the left side of the dialog.
7. To view another controller status, click the ellipses button next to the Status Folder
name and select a new status folder.
Reset Controller
Use the <Reset Controller> button to reset the SPEL controller.
Maintenance
It shows the parts consumption data for the Controller or Manipulator parts.
For details, refer to Maintenance 6. Alarm in the RC700 / RC700-A Controller Manual.

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5.12 [Setup] Menu

The [Setup] menu contains the following commands:
- PC to Controller Communications
- System Configuration
- Preferences
- Options

5.12.1 [PC to Controller Communications] Command (Setup Menu)

To configure communications with the Controller, select [PC to Controller

Communications] from the [Setup] menu. The [PC to Controller Communications] dialog
will be displayed as shown below:

Item Description
Connect Connect the selected communication.
Disconnect Disconnect the communication.
Add Add communication information of Ethernet or a virtual controller.
Clicking this button opens the dialog to specify the communication
type.
Program execution time
In the virtual controller, programs
will execute continuously for up to
one hour.
If continuous execution is over one
hour, a warning message appears.
You can execute the program again
after the warning is displayed, and the
continuous execution timer will be
reset.
Delete Deletes selected communication information. Connection #1 “USB”
cannot be deleted.
Apply Saves changes.
Restore Restores to previous settings.
Work Offline You can build a project without connecting to the controller in Offline
mode. Some functions such as Robot Manager are not available in this
mode.
Auto Connect If the connection is enabled, connects to the controller automatically.
Close Closes the dialog.

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5.12.2 [System Configuration] Command (Setup Menu)

The [System Configuration] command opens a dialog that contains several pages that are
used to configure the system for the EPSON RC+ 7.0 environment.

To open the [System Configuration] dialog, select [Setup]-[System Configuration] .

[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Startup]
[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Startup]-[Start Mode] Page
From the Start Mode page, you can choose whether EPSON RC+ 7.0 starts in Auto mode
or Program mode.

Item Description
Auto Select Auto to start EPSON RC+ 7.0 in Auto mode. Refer to 4. Operation
for details.
Program Select Program to start EPSON RC+ 7.0 in Program mode. Refer to 4.
Operation for details.
Password Click this button to change the password required to enter Program mode
from Operator mode when EPSON RC+ 7.0 starts.
Apply Saves the current changes.
Restore Reverts back to previous settings.
Defaults Click this button to set the default startup mode.
Close Closes the System Configuration dialog.

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[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Startup]-[Auto Start] Page

Item Description
Start EPSON RC+ after Check this box if you want EPSON RC+ 7.0 to automatically
Windows start start after Windows starts.
Command line options Enter the command line options used when EPSON RC+ 7.0
is automatically started. This is active only when the Start
EPSON RC+ 7.0 with Windows start checkbox is not
checked.
Auto start SPEL+ Check this box if you want to execute the main program after
program a delay.
This is active only when starting in Operator mode and the
control device is “Self”.
Apply Saves the current changes.
Restore Reverts back to previous settings.
Close Closes the System Configuration dialog.

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[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Startup]-[Windows Login] Page

The Windows Login page allows you to configure the automatic login when Windows
starts.

Item Description
Enable windows auto Check this box if you want to automatically login to Windows
login when it starts. You must supply a valid user name, password,
and domain.
User Name Enter the name of a valid Windows user on the system.
Password Enter the login password for the user.
Domain Optional. If the PC is the member of a domain, enter the name
here.
Apply Saves the current changes.
Restore Reverts back to previous settings.
Close Closes the System Configuration dialog.

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[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Controller]
[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Controller]-[General] Page
This page allows the user to view general information about the controller.

Item Description
Serial # Displays the serial number of the current controller.
MAC Address Displays the MAC Address of the controller.
Firmware Version Displays the firmware version used in the current controller.
Date / Time Displays the current date and time in the controller.
Project Name Displays the name of the project in the controller.
Close Closes the Setup Controller dialog.

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[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Controller]-[Configuration] Page

This page allows the user to view and change the controller configuration settings.

Item Description
Name Use this text box to change the controller name. You may
use any name up to 16 characters long using alphanumeric
characters and underscore.
IP Address Use this text box to set current IP address of the LAN-1
port. The IP Address must be on the same subnet as the PC.
IP Mask Use this text box to set the IP mask of the LAN-1 port.
Note that the IP Mask must match the IP mask used for your
network.
IP Gateway Use this text box to set the IP gateway of the LAN-1 port.
This is only required if you will be accessing the controller
from outside of the local network.
Control Device Allows you to select the Control Device.
TP Password Allows you to change the TP password.
T2 Password Allows you to change the TP2 password.
Apply Saves the current changes. If necessary, the controller will
be reset to use the new settings.
Restore Reverts back to previous settings.
Close Closes the Setup Controller dialog.

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[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Controller]-[Preferences] Page

This page contains controller preference settings.

RESET command turns off outputs

When this preference is turned on, all outputs other than remote control outputs will be
turned off when a Reset instruction is executed. The default setting is off.
NOTE The outputs of the standard I/O, expansion I/O, and Fieldbus I/O are included in the
 “outputs” mentioned in the above preferences [RESET command turns off outputs] and
[Outputs off during Emergency Stop]. Memory I/O is not affected by these preferences.
Therefore, memory I/O bits are not turned off by the RESET command execution or
during Emergency Stop.
Outputs off during Emergency Stop
When this preference is turned on, all outputs other than remote control outputs will be
turned off when emergency stop occurs. Also, no outputs can be turned on until the
emergency stop condition is cleared. The default setting is on.
Uncheck this preference to execute I/O On/Off using the NoEmgAbort task or background
task after Emergency Stop. If it remains checked, the execution order of turn off by this
preference and turn on using the task are not guaranteed.
NOTE You should design your system to always remove all power to output devices when
 emergency stop occurs. Even if the controller turns off outputs, the I/O hardware could
malfunction.
Allow motion with one or more joints free
When this preference is turned on, motion commands can be executed after SFree has
been used to free one or more joints. The default setting is off.
Walk stops for output commands
When checked, the Walk command from the Run Menu will execute lines until after the
next motion or output statement (whichever comes first). When unchecked, the Walk
command will execute lines until after the next motion statement and will not stop for
output statements. The default setting is on.
Dry run
This preference allows you to run programs without a robot connected to the controller.
All program statements will work. Motion statements will execute approximately the
same amount of time as when connected to a robot.

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Virtual I/O
This preference allows you to run programs using virtual I/O. When Virtual I/O is enabled,
I/O commands do not affect the hardware I/O. There are also several commands available
for turning on inputs from within a program. The default setting is off.
NOTE
Remote function is also available when virtual I/O is enabled.

Include project files when status exported
This preference allows you to configure whether project files are included or not when the
controller status is exported. Refer to 5.11.8 [Controller] Command (Tools Menu). The
default setting is on.

Safeguard open stops all tasks

Check this option to cause all normal tasks and NoPause task to stop when the safeguard is
open. Only NoEmgAbort task and background tasks will continue.
This option can be used in applications where pause / continue are not required.
The default setting is off.

Auto safeguard position recovery

This preference allows you to move a robot back to the position where it was at the
safeguard opened when continuing the program execution.
Auto recover ON Automatically turns ON a motor and moves a robot in low power
status to the position where it was when the safeguard opened.
Continues the usual cycle. (Default)
Auto recover OFF In the Run Window and Operator Window, when an operator clicks
the Continue button, a dialog with a Recover button will be shown.
The operator needs to hold down the Recover button until the motor
is ON and the robot’s return is finished. Otherwise the robot will
stop before reaching final position.
After verifying that the robot’s return is finished, the operator clicks
the Continue button to continue the usual cycle.
For more information, refer to 15. Security – Recover motion to safeguard open position.

Independent Mode
This preference allows you to use the controller without interfacing with the Windows
(Independent mode).
Use this option when you want to use the controller through the external device using
Remote I/O. This option is checked by default.
Initialize global variables when Main XX function started
This preference allows you to initialize the global variables as the main function becomes
active.
Turn off this preference when you sue the global variables from the background task.
Otherwise, the variables will be initialized by the controller and the variable-access
conflict from tasks will occur. This is turned on by default.

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Enable background tasks

This preference allows you to execute background tasks. This is turned off by default.
Enable advanced task commands
This preference allows you to execute StartMain, Cont, Recover, Reset Error commands.
This is turned off by default.
■ Before you execute StartMain, Cont, Recover, Reset Error commands, you should
understand each command's specification and verify that the system has the appropriate
condition to execute these commands.
CAUTION Improper use, such as executing commands continuously in a loop, can reduce the
security of system.

Enable CP – PTP connection when CP is ON

This preference allows you to overlap the trajectories of CP motion and PTP motion
during CP ON.
NOTE Over-speed error or Over-acceleration-speed error may occur according to the motion
 acceleration / deceleration speed setting. If the error occurs, adjust the acceleration /
deceleration speed setting or uncheck this checkbox.
Auto LJM (Least Joint Motion)
This preference allows you to enable Auto LJM at the controller start up. To disable Auto
LJM temporarily, use AutoLJM Off command.
NOTE If Auto LJM is enabled at all times, this function automatically adjusts the posture of the
 robot to reduce the motion distance, even when you intended to move the joint widely.
Therefore, it is recommended to disable Auto LJM at the controller start up and operate
the robot as you desired using AutoLJM On command or LJM function.
Disable LJM in Teach Mode
This preference allows you to invalidate LJM in the TEACH mode. The LJM function
becomes invalid regardless of the command of AutoLJM. The default setting is
unchecked.
Disable Point flag check
This preference allows you to continue operation even when point flags, one was specified
as a target point and the other one after the motion completion, do not match in a CP
motion.
However, if the flags do not match at the transferring point while CP On is used, the robot
will stop at the point and the motion will not become a path motion.
Motor off when Enable switch off in Teach Mode
This preference is read-only. It shows whether motors will be turned off when the Enable
switch is off during Teach Mode.
Enable robot maintenance data
This preference allows you to enable the parts consumption management for the Controller and
robot parts.
The default setting is unchecked.
NOTE

 Initial status (at shipment) of controller firmware Ver.7.2.0.x or later is enabled.

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Motor power low when ForcePowerLow signal OFF

This preference allows you to specify whether or not to invert the logic of the ForcePowerLow
signal input value.
When this checkbox is selected, the ForcePowerLow signal will work as the forced low power
function which operates the robot in the low power mode when remote I/O input signal is Low.
When this checkbox is unchecked, the ForcePowerLow signal will work as the forced low
power function which operates the robot in the low power mode when the remote I/O input
signal is High.
The default setting is unchecked.
For details of the ForcePowerLow signal, refer to 12.1.6 Remote Inputs.
ForcePowerLow signal change pauses all tasks
This preference allows you to specify whether to stop or temporarily stop the tasks when the
input of the ForcePowerLow (forced low power) signal is changed.
When this checkbox is selected, all tasks and commands will be temporarily stopped when the
remote I/O input signal is changed. The program execution can be continued.
When this checkbox is unchecked, all tasks and commands will be stopped when the remote
I/O input signal is changed. The program needs to be restarted.
The default setting is unchecked.
For details of the ForcePowerLow signal, refer to 12.1.6 Remote Inputs.
Reserved tasks for API
This setting is used to execute more than one Spel class methods of the RC+ API.
You can set up to 16 tasks. The default is 0.
NOTE The RC+ API tasks use some of the normal tasks. Therefore, if this setting is used, the
 number of normal tasks available for the Spel+ programs will be as follows:

(Normal tasks) = 32 - (RC+ API tasks)

Disable Test (T2)
This preference is read-only. It shows whether the execution of Test (T2) of TP3 is
prohibited.

[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Drive Unit]

This page displays the status of the Drive Unit. It shows Output, Robot, and Axis settings
of each Drive Unit.

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[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Robots]
[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Robots]-[Model] page

Item Description
Model Displays the robot model.
Type Displays the robot type.
Reach Displays the robot length (J1 + J2 for SCARA robots) or reach for
6-axis robots.
Max payload Displays maximum payload of the robot.
Add Adds a robot.
Remove Deletes a robot.
Close Closes the System Configuration dialog.

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[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Robots]-[Robot**]-[Additional Axes]

For details of the additional ST axis, refer to 10.2 Configuration of Additional Axes.

Item Description
S Axis Displays the configuration of additional S axis.
T Axis Displays the configuration of additional T axis.
Apply Saves the current changes.
Restore Reverts back to previous settings.
Add Adds an additional axis.
Remove Deletes an additional axis.
Close Closes the dialog.

[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Robots]-[Robot**]-[Configuration] page

Item Description
Name Enter a Name for the robot.
Serial # Enter the Serial number of the robot.
Joint These checkboxes determine if the respective joint is enabled
or disabled.
Apply Saves the current changes.
Restore Reverts back to previous settings.
Close Closes the Setup Controller dialog.

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[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Robots]-[Robot**]-[Calibration] Page

You can calibrate each joint of the robot from this page.

Item Description
Joint to Calibrate Select the joint that you want to Calibrate.
Calibrate Starts the Calibration Wizard dialog that walks you through the
calibration process.
Calpls These are the Calpls settings for each joint. Normally, the
calibration wizard will calculate these values.
Hofs These are the Hofs settings for each joint. Normally, the
calibration wizard will calculate these values.
Load Cal Use this button to load data from a previously save calibration file.
After the data is loaded, the grid will be refreshed to show the
values.
Save Cal Use this button to save the calibration data to a calibration file.
Apply Saves the current changes.
Restore Reverts back to previous settings.
Close Closes the Setup Controller dialog.

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[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Robots]-[Robot**]-[Amplifiers] Page

This page shows the power values for the motor amplifiers installed in the controller.

Item Description
Robot Amplifiers This shows the power for each robot amplifier currently in
the controller along with the associated drive unit and
amplifier number.
Close Closes the System Configuration dialog.

[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Inputs / Outputs] Page

This page shows the I/O hardware installed in the controller. There are no settings to
configure.

[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Inputs / Outputs]-[Fieldbus Master]

For details of Fieldbus master, refer to the following manual:
Robot Controller RC700/RC90 option: Fieldbus I/O manual
[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Inputs / Outputs]-[Fieldbus Slave]
For details of Fieldbus slave, refer to the following manual:
Robot Controller RC700/RC90 option: Fieldbus I/O manual
[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Remote]
For details of Remote function, refer to 12. Remote Control.

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[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Remote Control Inputs] Page

Use this page to configure the controller remote control inputs.

Item Description
Input # Select an input bit to use for the corresponding input signal. Select "Not
used" to disable the remote input.
For example, if “Start” is assigned to I/O input bit 0, select “Not used” to
use this as a normal I/O input.

Apply Saves the current changes.

Restore Reverts back to previous settings.
Defaults Click this button to set the default remote inputs. First, a dialog box will
be displayed asking you which type of inputs to use for defaults: Standard,
Fieldbus master, or Fieldbus slave I/O. You can also select Clear All to set
all remote inputs to Not used.
Load Reads the assigned remote inputs and outputs from a file on the PC and
save it in the controller.
Save Saves the assigned remote inputs and outputs shown in the dialog to a file
on the PC.
Close Closes the Setup Controller dialog.

NOTE

 Both the remote inputs and outputs are loaded or saved together when using <Load> or
<Save>.

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[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Remote Control]-[Outputs] Page

Use this page to configure the controller remote control outputs.

Item Description
Output # Select an output bit to use for the corresponding output signal. Select "Not
used" to disable the remote output.
For example, if “Ready” is assigned to I/O output bit 0, select “Not used”
to use this as a normal I/O output.
Apply Saves the current changes.
Restore Reverts back to previous settings.
Defaults Click this button to set the default remote outputs. First, a dialog box will
be displayed asking you which type of outputs to use for defaults:
Standard, Fieldbus master, or Fieldbus slave I/O. You can also select
<Clear All> to set all remote outputs to “Not used”.
Load Reads the assigned remote inputs and outputs from a file on the PC and
save it in the controller.
Save Saves the assigned remote inputs and outputs shown in the dialog to a file
on the PC.
Close Closes the Setup Controller dialog.

NOTE Both the remote inputs and outputs are loaded or saved together when using <Load> or
 <Save>.

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[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[RS232]
[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[RS232]-[PC] Page
Use this page to configure the RS232 ports on PC.

To configure an RS-232 port

1. Select [System Configuration] from the [Setup] menu and select the page for the
RS232C port you want to configure.
2. Select the [PC port] and change the settings as desired.
3. Set the [Enable] check box.
4. Click <Apply> to save the new settings and click <Close>.

[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[RS232]-[CU] Page

There is one page for each PS232C port. If there are no RS232C ports installed in the
special slot, then no selections are visible in the tree.

To configure an RS-232 port

1. Select [System Configuration] from the [Setup] menu and select the page for the
RS232C port you want to configure.
2. Change the settings as desired.
3. Click <Apply> to save the new settings and click <Close>.

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[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[TCP/IP] Pages

There is one page for each TCP / IP port in the controller.

To configure a TCP/IP port

1. Select [System Configuration] from the [Setup] menu and select the page for the
TCP/IP port you want to configure.
2. Enter the host name or IP address for the controller or PC that you want this controller
to communicate with.
3. Enter the TCP/IP port number. This must be the same port number that is used on the
host device. It must be different from any of the other TCP/IP port numbers used for
the other TCP/IP ports.
4. Change the other settings as desired.
5. Click <Apply> to save the new settings and click <Close>.

[Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Conveyor Encoder]

For details, refer to 16. Conveyor Tracking.

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5.12.3 [Preferences] Command (Setup Menu)

The Preferences command opens a dialog that contains several pages that are used to
configure user preferences for the EPSON RC+ 7.0 environment. To open the
[Preferences] dialog box, select [Setup]-[Preferences].
[Setup]-[Preferences]-[Workspace] Page
From this page, you can configure your workspace preferences.

Item Description
Auto file save Checking this box will cause EPSON RC+ 7.0 to automatically
save any open files before executing a command that requires
the file to be saved. For example, if a file needs to be saved
before executing a project build, the file will automatically be
saved before running the build. Default is On.
Stop compile after Stops compile after first error occurs. This makes it easier to see
first error the first error in the status pane and allows you to fix one error at
a time. Default is On.
Display the shutdown Displays the shutdown dialog when closing the EPSON RC+
dialog on exit 7.0. For details, refer to 5.6.11 Exit Command (File Menu).
Default is Off.
Do not open last project If this radio button is selected, the last project will not be opened
when EPSON RC+ 7.0 is started.
Open last project and If this radio button is selected, the last project will be opened
program file and any program windows that were previously opened will be
opened.
Open last project and If this radio button is selected, the last project will be opened
all windows and all windows will be restored to their previous locations.
This is the default setting.
Show Tip of the Day If this check box is on, the Tip of the Day dialog will be
displayed when EPSON RC+ 7.0 is started.
Apply Saves the current changes.
Restore Reverts back to previous settings.
Default Sets the default values.
Load Reads the preferences previously saved on the PC.
Save Saves the preferences to a file on the PC.
Close Closes the Preferences dialog.

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[Setup]-[Preferences]-[Editor] Page
This page is used to configure your preferences for the program editor windows.

Item Description
Auto Indent Check this box if you want new lines to follow the indentation
for the previous line. Also, lines will automatically be indented
after Do, If, Else, For, Select, and Case statements. Default is
on.
Auto End Construct Check this box if you want EPSON RC+ 7.0 to add the end
construct statement for a loop construct. For example, if you
enter a For statement, then a Next statement will be added
automatically. Default is on.
Margin Indicators Check this box to display a margin on the left side. This margin
is used to indicate lines with breakpoints, current step line,
current execution line. Default is on.
Function Separators Check this box to display a line after each Fend statement.
Default is on.
Syntax Help Check this box to enable the Syntax Help window. The Syntax
Help window displays syntax for a keyword after it has been
typed. Default is on.
Above Line Select this button to display the syntax help above the input line.
Below Line Select this button to display the syntax help below the input line.
Tab Stops Type in the number of columns to move for the TAB key.
Default is 4.
Font Click on the Font button to open the fonts dialog. Choose the
font you desire for the editor. The monitor window also uses the
editor font. The current font name and size is displayed next to
the <Font> button.
Apply Applies the current settings.
Restore Reverts back to the previous settings.
Defaults Sets default value.
Load Reads the preferences previously saved on the PC.
Save Saves the preferences to a file on the PC.
Close Closes the Preferences dialog.

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[Setup]-[Preferences]-[Robot Manager]
[Setup]-[Preferences]-[Robot Manager]-[General] Page
This page lets you configure your preferences for the Robot Manager.

Item Description
Display Choose if you want the Robot Manager to be displayed as an MDI
Window or as a Dialog.
Apply Applies the current settings.
Restore Reverts back to the previous settings.
Defaults Sets default values.
Load Reads the preferences previously saved on the PC.
Save Saves the preferences to a file on the PC.
Close Closes the Preferences dialog

The Robot Manager can be displayed as an MDI child window (default) or as a dialog.
When displayed as an MDI child, the Robot Manager is displayed in the MDI document
area and can remain open while you work with other windows and dialogs. When
displayed as a dialog, you can only work with the Robot Manager controls until you close
the dialog. When using screen resolutions less than 1024 × 768, only the Dialog mode is
allowed.

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[Setup]-[Preferences]-[Robot Manager]-[Jogging] Page

This page lets you configure the Robot Manager Jog and Teach page.

Setting Jog Button Orientation

Item Description
Robot Select a robot.

The jog button orientations are useful for “aligning” your PC monitor with the robot’s
Cartesian coordinate system. Align the buttons so that the robot moves in the direction of
the arrows.
You can change the orientation of the jogging buttons and arrow keys for the X and Y
axes by selecting the desired top button from the Top Button dropdown list.
You can also click on one of the buttons to change it to the top button position.
Program Mode Options
NOTE

 These options affect the Robot Manager Jog & Teach page when used from program mode.
These settings do not affect the Robot Manager when used for operators in auto mode,
such as for the Operator Window or from RC+ API. To configure the Robot Manager for
operators, see [Project]-[Properties]-[Operator Settings]-[Robot Manager].
Item Description
Confirm teach Check this box if you want a confirmation prompt each
time you press the <Teach> button on the Robot Manager
Jog & Teach page.
Enable motion commands Check this box if you want to execute motion commands
(Go, Jump, etc.) from the Robot Manager Jog & Teach
page.
Prompt for new point Check this box if you want to be prompted for point label
information and description when a new point is taught using the
Teach button.
Apply Applies the current settings.
Restore Reverts back to the previous settings.
Defaults Sets default values.
Load Reads the preferences previously saved on the PC.
Save Saves the preferences to a file on the PC.
Close Closes the Preferences dialog.

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[Setup]-[Preferences]-[Run Window] Page

This page allows you to change preferences for the Run Window.

Item Description
Confirm Start This checkbox allows you to select if you want to see a
confirmation message box before a program is started.
Clear text window on start Checking this will cause the Run Window text pane to be
cleared each time the <Start> button is clicked.
Allow multiple tasks to be Checking this allows you to start a task from the Run
started window while other tasks are running. The <Start> button
will not be disabled after starting a task.
Font Click on the <Font> button to open the fonts dialog.
Choose the font you desire for the Run window. The
current font name and size is displayed next to the <Font>
button.
Apply Applies the current settings.
Restore Reverts back to the previous settings.
Defaults Sets default values.
Restore Reverts back to the previous settings.
Defaults Sets default values.
Load Reads the preferences previously saved on the PC.
Save Saves the preferences to a file on the PC.
Close Closes the Preferences dialog.

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[Setup]-[Preferences]-[Command Window] Page

This page allows you to change preferences for the Command Window.

Item Description
Preserve contents Checking this option will cause the command window to
preserve its contents between sessions.
Font Click on the Font button to change the font for the Command
window.
Apply Saves the current changes.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values.
Defaults Set default values.
Load Reads the preferences previously saved on the PC.
Save Saves the preferences to a file on the PC.
Close Closes the Preferences dialog.

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[Setup]-[Preferences]-[Language] Page
This page allows you to change the EPSON RC+ 7.0 GUI language.

When EPSON RC+ 7.0 is installed on a Windows system using a Western language, then
the English, German, and French selections are available.
When it is installed on a Windows system using Japanese, then English and Japanese are
available.
When it is installed on a Windows system using Chinese, then English, Chinese
(Simplified), and Chinese (Traditional) are available.
After selecting the desired language, you must reboot EPSON RC+ 7.0.
Item Description
Language This set of option buttons allows you to choose which language to use
for the EPSON RC+ 7.0 GUI.
Apply Saves the current changes.
Restore Reverts back to the previous values.
Defaults Set the default language.
Load Reads the preferences previously saved on the PC.
Save Saves the preferences to a file on the PC.
Close Closes the Preferences dialog.

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5.12.4 [Options] Command (Setup Menu)

This dialog allows you to view and enable options in the controller.
EPSON RC+ 7.0 uses a key that is stored in the Spel controller board to enable options on
the system.

If an option is not enabled, you can purchase it from your distributor. When you call to
purchase, you must give the Options Key Code to the operator. You will then be given a
code to enable the option for the current software options key.
After receiving the code, click the <OK> button and enter the code. The option you
purchased should now be enabled.

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5.13 [Window] Menu

The [Window] menu contains selections for managing the currently open EPSON RC+ 7.0
child windows.

5.13.1 [Cascade] Command (Window Menu)

Use Cascade to show all of the currently open files in windows of the same size, stacked
one on top of another.

5.13.2 [Tile Vertical] Command (Window Menu)

Use Tile Vertical to evenly display all open windows vertically.

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5.13.3 [Tile Horizontal] Command (Window Menu)

Use Tile Horizontal to evenly display all open windows horizontally.

5.13.4 [Arrange Icons] Command (Window Menu)

Arrange the icons for all child windows that have been minimized.

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5.13.5 [Close All] Command (Window Menu)

This command closes all EPSON RC+ 7.0 child windows.

5.13.6 1, 2, 3 Command (Window Menu)

A listing of currently open document windows is displayed at the bottom of the [Window]
menu.
When you choose an open window from the listing, you make that document active. A
check mark appears in front of the document name of the currently active window.

5.13.7 [Windows] Command (Window Menu)

This command displays a dialog that contains a list of all currently open EPSON RC+ 7.0
windows.

Item Description
Activate Brings the selected window into focus.
Save Saves the contents of the selected windows.
Close Closes the selected windows.
OK Closes the dialog.

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5.14 [Help] Menu

The [Help] menu contains selections for accessing the help system and manuals along with
version information.

5.14.1 [How Do I] Command (Help Menu)

Select [How Do I] to view topics that contain information for performing common tasks in
EPSON RC+ 7.0.
Shortcuts
Keys: Ctrl + F1

5.14.2 [Contents] Command (Help Menu)

This command opens the Contents view for the EPSON RC+ 7.0 online help system.
From the Contents view, you can navigate through all of the topics in the help system.
Double-click on a book icon to open or close the subtopic list contained within the book
folder.

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5.14.3 [Index] Command (Help Menu)

This command opens the Index view for the EPSON RC+ 7.0 online help system.
From the Index view, as you begin typing in a keyword, the alphabetical topic list will
show the keywords starting with the letters you have typed.

5.14.4 [Search] Command (Help Menu)

This command opens the Search view for the EPSON RC+ 7.0 online help system.
From the Search view, you can type in one or more keywords and click List Topics to
show a list of all topics containing one or more of the keywords. The keywords are
highlighted in the topics as shown below.

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5.14.5 [Manuals] Submenu (Help Menu)

The Help Menu Manuals submenu contains selections for each of the manuals in Adobe
PDF format. These include manuals for EPSON RC+ 7.0, SPEL+ Language Reference,
Controller, Robot, and the Options.

5.14.6 [About EPSON RC+ 7.0] Command (Help Menu)

The About command displays a dialog box showing the current version of the EPSON
RC+ 7.0 software, along with copyright and license information. When calling technical
support about EPSON RC+ 7.0, you should report the version you are using from this
dialog.

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6. The SPEL+ Language

This chapter contains information about the SPEL+ Language.

Contents
- Overview
- Program structure
- Commands and statements
- Function and variable names
- Date types
- Operators
- Working with variables
- Working with strings
- Multi-statements
- Labels
- Comments
- Error handling
- Multi-tasking
- Robot coordinate systems
- Robot arm orientations
- Robot motion commands
- Working with robot points
- Input and output control
- Using Traps

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 6. The SPEL+ Language

6.1 Overview
SPEL+ is a BASIC-like programming language that runs in the controller. It supports
multitasking, motion control, I/O control.
Programs are written in ASCII text and then compiled into executable object files.
Several language instructions can also be executed in immediate mode from the Command
window.

6.2 Program Structure

6.2.1 What is a SPEL+ program?

A SPEL+ program is a collection of functions, variables, and macros. You can put one or
more statement in each line of a program (Multi-Statement). Every program file has a
“.prg” extension and is stored in the project directory.
Each project must include at least one program and define the function called "main".
"Function main" is the default definition. If “Function main” is not found, an error occurs.
In addition, you can define other 63 main functions in the same project. Each program has
own start function: main1, main2…main63. Each of the main functions can be started
from the [Operator window], the remote console, or RC+ API.
A function definition begins with the Function statement and ends with the Fend statement.
The following program file contains two function definitions. Function Main calls
function “Func1”.
MAIN.PRG
Function Main
Call Func1
...
Fend
Function Func1
Jump pickpnt
...
Fend

6.2.2 Calling functions

You can execute a user function by using the Call statement. The function can reside in
any program file in the current project. You can also omit the Call statement if you don't
need the return value. When Call is omitted, then parentheses for the arguments must not
be supplied. To get a return value, use the function in the right hand side of an expression.
Here are some examples:
Call MyFunc(1, 2)
MyFunc 1, 2
Print MyFunc(1, 2)

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6.3 Commands and Statements

Commands and statements consist of a SPEL+ instruction followed by the parameters for
that instruction.
A command is executed immediately. You can execute commands from the Command
window or from the Macros dialog box.
Statements can be used only in programs.
Statements can include more than one SPEL+ instruction. When you put several
statements in a line of a program (Multi-Statement), use a semi-colon (;) to separate
instructions.
The maximum length for a line is 512 characters.

6.4 Function and Variable Names (Naming restriction)

The function name can include up to 64 characters. The variable name can include up to
32 alphanumeric, Japanese, or underscore characters. Characters can be upper case or
lower case.
The following names are valid:
Function main
Real real_var
Integer IntVar
Function and variable names cannot begin with an underscore.
SPEL+ keywords cannot be used as function or variable names.
String variables must have an additional dollar sign ('$') suffix, as shown in the example
below:
Function Test
String modname$
Print "Enter model name:"
Line Input modname$
Print "model is ", modname$
Fend

Restrictions for naming in SPEL+ language

- Characters can be alphanumeric, Japanese, or underscore character.
- Use alphabets for the first letter.
- Characters can be upper case or lower case.
- No keywords can be used.
- Maximum limits of names are as follows. (For one –byte character)
Name Max. limit
Point label 32
I/O label 32
User error label 16
Function name 64
Variable name 32
Line label 32

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6.5 Data Types

You can declare different types of data in your program. All variables must be declared.
The following table shows the different data types for the SPEL+ language.

Data Type Size Range

Boolean 2 byte True or False
Byte 2 byte −128 to +127
Double 8 bytes −1.79E+308 to 1.79E+308 Number of significant figure is 14
Int32 4 bytes −2147483648 to +2147483647
Int64 8 bytes −9223372036854775808 to +9223372036854775807
Integer 2 bytes −32768 to +32767
Long 4 bytes −2147483648 to +2147483647
Real 4 bytes −3.40E+38 to 3.40E+38 Number of significant figure is 6
Short 2 bytes -32768 to +32767
String 256 bytes All ASCII characters Up to 255 characters
UByte 2 bytes 0 to +255
UInt32 4 bytes 0 to 4294967295
UInt64 8 bytes 0 to 18446744073709551615
UShort 2 bytes 0 to 65535

6.6 Operators
The following table shows the operators for the SPEL+ language.

Keyword
Example Description
or Symbol
+ A+B Addition
− A-B Subtraction
* A*B Multiplication
/ A/B Division
** A**B Exponentiation
= A=B Equal
> A>B Greater than
< A<B Less than
>= A>=B Greater than or equal
<= A<=B Less or than equal
<> A<>B Not equal
And A And B Performs logical and bitwise AND operation.
Returns the remainder obtained by dividing a numeric
Mod A Mod B
expression by another numeric expression.
Not Not A Performs logical or bitwise negation of the operand.
Performs the bitwise Or operation on the values of the
Or A Or B
operands.
Performs the bitwise Xor operation on the values of the
Xor A Xor B
operand.

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6.7 Working with Variables

6.7.1 Variable scopes

There are three different scopes for variables in SPEL+:
- Local
- Module
- Global

6.7.2 Local variables

Local variables are available to all statements in the same function. Functions using local
variable names cannot refer to the same local variables in other functions. This is why
they are called locals, because they are local to the function they are being used in.
To declare local variables in a function, use one of the variable declaration instructions at
the beginning of the function after the Function statement:
Boolean, Byte, UByte, Integer, Short, UShort, Long, Int32, UInt32, Int64, UInt64,
Real, Double, String
For example, the following function declares several local variables:
Function test
Integer intVar1, intVar2
Real realVar
String dataStr$
Integer array(10)
.....
Fend

6.7.3 Module variables

Module variables are available to all functions in the same program file.
To declare module variables in a program, use one of the variable declaration instructions
at the beginning of the program before any Function statements:
Boolean, Byte, UByte, Integer, Short, UShort, Long, Int32, UInt32, Int64, UInt64,
Real, Double, String
TIP In order to indicate that a variable is module level, precede the name with "m_", as shown
 in the example below. With this, you can improve the program readability.
For example, the following function declares several module level variables:

' Module level vars, used by all functions in this file

Integer m_IntVar1, m_IntVar2
Real m_RealVar
String m_DataStr$
Integer m_Array(10)
Function main
m_IntVar1 = 25
Call test
Fend

Function test
Print m_IntVar1
Fend

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6.7.4 Global variables

Global variables can be shared between all functions in a project. The Global instruction
is used to declare a global variable.
To declare global variables in a program, use the Global instruction with the desired
variable type (Boolean, Byte, UByte, Integer, Short, UShort, Long, Int32, UInt32, Int64,
UInt64, Real, Double, String) at the beginning of the program before any Function
statements:
TIP In order to indicate that variables are global, precede the name with "g_", as shown in the
 example below. With this, you can improve the program readability.
Program: MAIN.PRG
Global Integer g_TotalCycles
Function main
Call LoadPart
...
...
Fend
Program: LOADPART.PRG
Function LoadPart
Jump pick
On gripper
Wait .1
Jump place
Off gripper
Wait .1
g_TotalCycles = g_TotalCycles + 1
Fend
For more information, see Data Types.

6.7.5 Global Preserve variables

You can preserve global variable values by using the optional Preserve parameter when
you declare global variables.
Preserved variables are stored in the controller’s SRAM.
If the data type of a preserved variable or the number of dimensions is changed, the
variable values will be cleared.

NOTE Be careful about the backup battery power, because you will lose the data of global
 preserve variables stored in SRAM if the battery is weak.

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6.7.6 Arrays
You can declare local, module, and global variables with up to three dimensions as arrays
for all data types.
To declare an array, use this syntax:
dataType name ( ubound1 [ , ubound2 [ , ubound3] ] )
SPEL+ arrays are zero based. The first element is referenced with a value of zero.
The total available number of array elements for local variables is 200 for strings and 2000
for all other types.
The total available number of array elements for global preserve variables is 400 for
strings and 4000 for all other types.
The total available number of array elements for global and module variables is 10,000 for
strings and 100,000 for all other types.
To calculate the total elements used in an array, use the following formula. (If a
dimension is not used, substitute 0 for the ubound values.)
total elements = (ubound1 + 1) * (ubound2 + 1) * (ubound3 + 1)

Array declaration examples:

' Global string array
Global String gData$(10)
Function main
' Arrays local to this function
Integer intArray(10)
Real coords(20, 10)
Use Redim to change the bounds of an array at run time.
Integer a(10)
Redim a(20)
To preserve values when using Redim, add the Preserve optional argument.
Integer a(10)
Redim Preserve a(20)
Use UBound to get the maximum element number.
Integer i, a(10)
For i = 1 to UBound(a)
a(i) = i
Next i

6.7.7 Initial values

All variables are initialized when first used except for Global Preserve variables. Strings
are set to empty, and all other variables are set to zero.

6.7.8 Clearing arrays

Execute Redim (without Preserve) to clear all of the elements of array variables.

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6.8 Working with Strings

A string in SPEL+ is a set of ASCII characters (Code &h01 ~ &hff) with a maximum
length of 255.
You must declare strings in your programs with the String instruction.
All string variable names must end with a dollar sign ($) suffix.
The following table shows the string commands available in SPEL+.
Keyword Description
Asc Returns the decimal ASCII value of the first character in a string.
Chr$ Converts an ASCII value into a one character string.
FmtStr Formats a numerical or date/time expression.
FmtStr$ Formats a numerical or date/time expression.
Hex$ Returns a string containing the hexadecimal value of a number.
InStr Returns the position of a substring within a string.
LCase$ Returns the specified string in lower case characters.
Left$ Returns a substring beginning with the first character of a string.
Len Returns the length (number of characters) of a string.
LTrim$ Returns the specified string with left spaces removed.
Mid$ Returns a substring of a string.
ParseStr Parses a string into an array of tokens.
Right$ Returns a substring from the end of a string.
RTrim$ Returns the specified string with right spaces removed.
Space$ Returns a string containing a specified number of space (ASCII 32)
characters.
Str$ Converts a number to a string.
String Declare a string variable in a program.
Tab$ Returns a tab string.
UCase$ Returns the specified string in upper case characters.
Val Converts a string to a number.

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6.9 Working with Files

SPEL+ has several commands for handling files.
Keyword Description
AOpen Opens a file for append.
BOpen Opens a file for binary access.
Close Closes a file.
FileExists Checks if a file exists.
FolderExists Check if a folder exists.
FreeFile Returns an unused file handle.
Input Inputs one or more variables from a file
Kill Deletes a file.
Line Input Inputs line from a file.
Read Reads a specified number of bytes into a string variable.
ReadBin Reads binary data.
ROpen Opens a file for reading.
Seek Sets the current file pointer.
Flush Writes data buffer to disk.
WOpen Opens a file for writing.
Write Writes out a variable at the current file pointer without appending a line
terminator.
WriteBin Writes binary data.

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Before using a file you must open it with one of the following commands: AOpen, Bopen,
ROpen, and WOpen. And specify a file number in the Open statement. File number can
be 30 ~ 63.
Here is an example to save a text file and read it.

Function SaveData(ByRef data$() As String)

Integer fNum, i

fNum = FreeFile
WOpen "c:\mydata\data.txt" As #fNum
' Store the count
Print #fNum, UBound(data$)
For i = 0 To UBound(data$)
Print #fNum, data$(i)
Next i
Close #fNum
Fend

Function LoadData(ByRef data$() As String)

Integer fNum, i

fNum = FreeFile
ROpen "c:\mydata\data.txt" As #fNum
Input #fNum, i
Redim data$(i)
For i = 0 To UBound(data$)
Input #fNum, data$(i)
Next i
Close #fNum
Fend

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6.10 Multi-statements
A program statement can contain several statements separated by semi-colons. The total
length of a multi-statement program line cannot exceed 255 characters.
For example:
Function Test
Pass P1; Pass P2; Go P3 ' Multi-statement
Fend
It is not recommended to use multi-statements. Multi-statements can make your code
more difficult to read and debug.

6.11 Labels
A program line is an alphanumeric name followed by a colon (":") that marks a location in
a program for a GoTo or GoSub statement. The name may be up to 32 characters long and
can include alphanumeric characters and the underscore ("_") character if it is not the first
character. You cannot use any SPEL+ keywords as labels.
For example:
Function Main
Do
Jump P1
Jump P2
If Sw(1) Then GoTo MainAbort
Loop
MainAbort: ' Program label
Print "Program aborted"
Fend

6.12 Comments
Use comments to add notes to your programs. An apostrophe character (') starts a
comment.
Example:
Function Main
' ****** Main Demo Program ******
Xqt conveyor ' Start up the task for conveyor
Do
Print "Press ENTER to run demo cycle"
Print "Press CTRL+C to quit"
Input dumy
Call demo ' Execute the demo function
Loop ' Return to start of main loop

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6.13 Error Handling

When an error occurs in a SPEL+ function, you can cause execution to be transferred to an
error handling routine for processing the error. The routine must be inside a function
definition.
The table on the next page shows the program instructions that are used for error handling.
Item Purpose
OnErr Use the OnErr statement to define the location of the error handling routine.
Err Use Err to retrieve the number for the current error status. Use this in the
error handling routine to determine which error has occurred.
Error Generate a user defined error which can be caught by an error handler.
Era Use Era to retrieve the axis number for which the error occurred.
This is normally used in the error handling routine.
Erl Use Erl to retrieve the line number in which the error occurred.
This is normally used in the error handling routine.
Ert Use Ert to retrieve the task number in which the error occurred.
This is normally used in the error handling routine.
ErrMsg$ Use ErrMsg$ to retrieve the error message associated with a specified error
number.
Errb Use Errb to retrieve the robot number in which the error occurred.
This is normally used in the error handling routine.

User Errors
You can define your own error messages by using the User Error Editor which is available
from the Tools Menu. For details refer to 5.11.7 User Error Editor Command (Tools
Menu).

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Example
The following example shows a simple error handling routine. When an error occurs,
program execution goes to the ErrHandler label, where the error handler starts. The error
number is displayed and the operator is asked to continue or not. If the operator enters
"N" then the program executes the Quit All statement to end the program.

Function Main
String cont$
Integer i
OnErr Goto Errhandler
For i = 1 To 10
Jump P(i)
Next i
Exit Function
' *** Error handler ***
Errhandler:
enum = Err
Print "Error #", enum, " occurred"
Print "Continue (Y or N)?"
Line Input cont$
Select cont$
Case "y", "Y"
EResume Next
Default
Quit All
Send
Fend

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6.14 Multi-tasking
For some applications, you may want to control other equipment besides the robot, such as
conveyors, pick and place units, etc. By using multi-tasking, you can control this other
equipment with their own tasks.
SPEL+ supports up to 32 normal tasks and 16 background tasks (48 tasks in total) running
simultaneously. A task is a function that has been started by the system or by the Xqt
statement.
Use the Xqt statement to start another task from within a function. You can optionally
specify a task number from 1 to 32 in the Xqt statement.
A task started from a background task is started as a background task. You can execute up
to 16 background tasks simultaneously.
The table below shows the program instructions that are used for multitasking.
Statement Purpose
Xqt Starts a function as a task.
Halt Temporarily suspends execution of a task.
Resume Resumes a task that has been halted.
Quit Stops a task.
Signal Sends a signal to one or more tasks that are waiting for the signal using
WaitSig.
SyncLock Locks a resource for use by the current task and blocks other tasks from
using the resource until SyncUnlock is executed.
WaitSig Waits for a signal from another task.
Pause Pause all tasks.
One example for starting another task is to run a conveyor system for the robot work cell.
Program: MAINTASK.PRG
Function Main
Xqt Conveyor ' Start the conveyor task
Do
...
...
Loop
Fend
Program: CONVTASK.PRG
Function Conveyor
Do
Select True
Case Sw(10) = On
Off convCtrl
Case Sw(11) = On
On convCtrl
Send
Loop
Fend

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6.15 Using Multiple Robots

You can control more than one robot in the same project. Use the Robot statement to
switch the current robot for the current task. For most applications, you should use a
separate task for each robot.
Each robot has its own set of point files. You can configure which point files to use in the
Project Editor. The default point file you configure for each robot is automatically loaded
into memory when the main task is started.
The following program is an example where two robots run simultaneously, each with its
own task.

Function main
Xqt Robot1
Xqt Robot2
Fend

Function Robot1
Robot 1
Speed 50
Do
Jump pick
On gripper1
Wait .1
Jump place
Off gripper1
Wait .1
Loop
Fend

Function Robot2
Robot 2
Speed 50
Do
Jump pick
On gripper2
Wait .1
Jump place
Off gripper2
Wait .1
Loop
Fend

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6.16 Coordinate Systems

6.16.1 Overview
This section describes the coordinate systems for different types of robots supported in
SPEL+. Right-handed rule is used for all coordinate systems.
The following coordinate systems are used in SPEL+:

Robot Coordinate System This is the native coordinate system of the robot.
This is also known as the default base coordinate system
or world coordinate system.
Local Coordinate System This is a user defined coordinate system located
somewhere within the working envelop.
Tool Coordinate System This is the coordinate system of the tool mounted on the
robot end-effector. This is also known as the end effector
coordinate system.

World/
Tool ECP
Base Local

Figure: Transform order of the position/orientation from origin to tool.

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6.16.2 Robot Coordinate Systems

Robot Coordinate System of SCARA Robot

Y+
Center of Joint #3

Origin

X+

Robot coordinate system Z axis Robot coordinate system U axis

± 360 degrees
+Y +U

+X

−Z
-U

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Robot Coordinate Systems of 6-Axis Robot

Table Top Mounting Ceiling Mounting

Side (Wall) Mounting

In the robot coordinate system, +Z axis is defined in the opposite direction of gravity. X
and Y axes are defined in horizontal plane as shown in the figures above.
The position and orientation are designated by the position data (X, Y, Z) and the
orientation data (U, V, W).
Roll-Pitch-Yaw angles are used for the orientation data.
U corresponds to roll (Z-axis rotation), V corresponds to pitch (Y-axis rotation), and W
corresponds to yaw (X-axis rotation).
The orientation is designated by rotating the coordinate axis of U, V, and W, in that order
(movable axis expression).

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Robot Coordinate System of Ceiling Mounting SCARA Robot (RS series)

View from this

Y+
direction

Origin

X+

Robot coordinate system Z axis Robot coordinate system U axis

+Y

± 360 degrees View from this

direction

Z＝0 -X

-Z -U +U
Center of Joint #3

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Robot Coordinate Systems of N Series Robot

Table Top Mounting Ceiling Mounting

+Z

+X +Y +Z

+X +Y

+Y
+X

6.16.3 Local Coordinate Systems

This is a user defined coordinate system.
With SPEL+, up to 15 relative positional relationships from the robot coordinate system
can be defined as local coordinate systems.
Point data is assigned with a local number from 1 to 15 as the local coordinate system, and
the numbers can be used for point data attributes.
For example, program change can be minimized by using the local coordinate system,
even when the robot orientation and position are changed.
To define a local coordinate system, use the Local statement or Robot Manager of the
EPSON RC+.
The local coordinate system “0” matches the robot coordinate system (Base). Therefore,
when “0” is used for the local number in the point editor or simulator, it is same as
specifying the robot coordinate system.

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6.16.4 Tool Coordinate Systems

This is the coordinate system of the tool mounted on the Joint #6 flange.
Point data is defined by the position and orientation of the tool coordinate system with
respect to a robot coordinate system or a local coordinate system. The position is specified
by the position data (X, Y, Z) and the orientation is specified by the orientation data (U, V,
W) that correspond with roll, pitch, and yaw.
You can also define and use your own tool coordinate systems. To define the tool
coordinate systems, use Tlset or Robot Manager of the EPSON RC+.
The default TOOL 0 coordinate systems are defined as follows according to the robot type.
SCARA Tool 0 coordinate system
The origin of tool 0 for SCARA robots is the center of the forth joint (rotation joint).
When the fourth joint is adjusted to the position of 0 degrees, the tool 0 coordinate system
axes are parallel to the robot coordinate system axes (see the figure below.)
The tool 0 coordinate system rotates as the fourth joint rotates.

yt0
yt1

Tool 1 coordinate system

xt1

Y
b c

xt0
a
Tool 0 coordinate system

Robot coordinate system

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6-axis Tool 0 coordinate system

Table and ceiling mounting robots:
The origin of tool 0 is the center of the flange on the sixth joint. When all joint angles are
0 degree, the vertically upward direction is the tool X axis, the tool Y is the same direction
of X axis in the base coordinate system, and the tool Z axis is perpendicular to the sixth
joint flange. (See the figure below).
The tool 0 coordinate system moves as the 6-axis robot changes its orientation.

Wall mounting robots:

The tool 0 coordinate system is defined as below. (tl: abbreviation of Tool)

Table Top Mounting Ceiling Mounting

Side (Wall) Mounting

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N series Tool 0 coordinate system

Ceiling mounting robots:
When all joint angles are 0 degree, the tool 0 coordinate system has the X axis in –X axis
direction, Y axis in the Y axis direction, and the Z axis in the –Z axis direction on the
robot coordinate system. (See the figure below)

Wall mounting robots:

When all joint angles are 0 degree, the tool 0 coordinate system has the X axis in –X axis
direction, Y axis in the Y axis direction, and the Z axis in the Z axis direction on the robot
coordinate system. (See the figure below)

Table Top Mounting Ceiling Mounting

+Z

+Y +X

+X

+Z +Y

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6.16.5 ECP Coordinate Systems (Option)

Specify a coordinate system whose origin point is on the tip of the outside fixed tool
(hereafter referred to as the external control point or ECP) to move the robot arm holding a
part in the trajectory made on the external control point along with the part’s edges.
The following figures give a concrete example.
An ordinal Move statement controls the moving speed and orientation change of the tool
center point (TCP). In the case of Move statement with the ECP argument, the part’s edge
is controlled to take a straight and constant-speed trajectory instead of TCP. In the
following example of no ECP, TCP takes a straight trajectory but the part’s edge is distant
from ECP.
If there is no orientation change, the trajectory is the same as normal operation of Move
command.

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Want to move at a constant External Control Point

speed / posture change Teaching end point
along this side

Teaching start point

ECP coordinate system Robot coordinate system

Path along ECP

TCP path TCP path

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 6. The SPEL+ Language

The following commands are available for optional ECP:

- Move command
- Arc3 command
- Curve and CVMove commands
- ECP jog motion in Robot Manager
Use the ECPSet statement for defining an ECP coordinate system. A maximum of 15 ECP
coordinate systems can be defined.
For details, refer to 17. ECP Motion.

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6.17 Robot Arm Orientations

When developing a robot program, it is necessary to specify the point data taught for a
particular arm orientation. If you fail to do so, the position can deviate slightly depending
on the arm orientation, which in turn can cause the arm to follow an unexpected path,
resulting in interference with peripheral equipment. This can be dangerous! To prevent
this from happening, the orientation that the arm will be in when moved to the given point
should be specified ahead of time in the point data. Such information can also be changed
from the program.

6.17.1 SCARA robot arm orientations

With two types of arm orientation, a SCARA robot can move to nearly any position and
orientation within a given work envelope. Examples are shown in the figures on the next
page.

Lefty arm orientation Righty arm orientation

Examples of moving to the same point using Lefty and Righty arm orientations

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6.17.2 6-axis robot arm orientations

The 6-axis robot can be operated in different arm orientations within a given work
envelope as shown below:
Righty hand orientation (Arm #1)
NoFlip wrist orientation Flip wrist orientation
Above elbow
orientation

Arm #1

Below elbow
orientation

Lefty hand orientation (Arm #1)

Above elbow
orientation

Arm #1

Below elbow
orientation

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The following enlarged figures of right hand orientation are to assist understanding.
NoFlip wrist orientation Flip wrist orientation
Above elbow
orientation

Below elbow
orientation

To specify orientation for the 6-axis robot, add a forward slash (/) followed by L (for Lefty
hand orientation) or R (Righty hand orientation), A (Above elbow orientation) or B
(Below elbow orientation), and NF (NoFlip wrist orientation) or F (Flip wrist orientation).
There are eight available orientations as shown below, however, the 6-axis robot cannot be
operated in all of the orientations depending on point.
Available Orientation

1 /R /A /NF 5 /R /A /F
2 /L /A /NF 6 /L /A /F
3 /R /B /NF 7 /R /B /F
4 /L /B /NF 8 /L /B /F

At some points in the work envelope, the 6-axis robot can have the same position and
orientation even if the fourth joint or the sixth joint is rotated 360 degrees. To distinguish
these points, the J4Flag and J6Flag point attributes are provided.
To specify the J4Flag, add a forward slash (/) followed by J4F0 (-180 < the forth joint
angle <= 180) or J4F1 (the forth joint angle <= -180 or 180 < the forth joint angle).
To specify the J6Flag, add a forward slash (/) followed by J6F0 (-180 < the sixth joint
angle <= 180), J6F1 (-360 < the sixth joint angle <= -180 or 180 <the sixth joint angle <=
360), or J6Fn (-180*(n+1) < the sixth joint angle <= 180*n or 180*n <the sixth joint angle
<= 180*(n+1)).

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Singularity
The orientation in the boundary where the arm orientation switches to the other.
Hand singularity : The boundary where Righty hand orientation and Lefty hand
orientation switch
Elbow singularity : The boundary where Above elbow orientation and Below elbow
orientation switch
Wrist singularity : The boundary where NoFlip wrist orientation and Flip wrist
orientation switch

Hand singularity Elbow singularity Wrist singularity

For the 6-axis robot, Hand / Wrist singularities exist also inside the motion range. When
jogging near the singularity, follow the directions below.
PTP motion near the singularity
When jogging a robot from point P1 near the singularity to a point calculated by point
operations such as P1+X(10), the robot may move to unintended direction because the arm
orientation is not properly specified.
For example, when jogging from a point where the wrist is NoFlip to another point
calculated by point operations, if the wrist keeps the NoFlip orientation while jogging,
Joints #4 and #6 may rotate widely (by approx. 180 degrees).
In this case, switch to the Flip wrist orientation to jog smoothly through the wrist
singularity. This phenomenon occurs not only with the point operations but also when
creating points automatically with Pallet command or the result values that run from vision
sequence.

Proper motion

Unintended motion (Joints #4, #6 rotate 180 degrees)

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However in the cases, it is difficult for users to specify the proper arm orientations by a
program. For this LJM function is a useful command. LJM function switches the arm
orientations to enable the least motion of the joints. For the details of LJM function, refer
to SPEL+ Language Reference manual.
Also, AutoLJM command can automatically apply LJM function to the motion commands
which are included in a particular section of the program without using LJM function.
For details of AutoLJM command, refer to the SPEL+ Language Reference.
In addition, you can set AutoLJM function to be enabled at the controller start up by
setting preferences of the controller. However, if Auto LJM is enabled in preferences, this
function automatically adjusts the posture of the manipulator to reduce the motion distance,
even when you intend to move the joint widely. Therefore, it is recommended to build a
program using AutoLJM command or LJM function to operate the manipulator as you
desired.
If you specify all points by teaching, the arm orientations are also recorded. Therefore, the
manipulator moves to the taught position without using LJM function or AutoLJM.
Instead, the manipulator may move differently from the taught position by the use of LJM
and AutoLJM.

LJM function for CP motion command

LJM function and AutoLJM command described above are also available for CP motion
commands. However, since CP motion commands give priority to operate based on
specified trajectories, the manipulator sometimes reach to the point with a different
posture from the specified one. At this time, if CP motion command is used with CP On,
an error from 4274 to 4278 will occur according to the mismatched point flag. To avoid
the error, operate the manipulator with CP Off, or match the point flag of a target point
and the one after motion completion. If operated with CP Off, the error does not occur
and the manipulator can continue operation from the point where the mismatch happened.
Also, you can set the controller’s preference so that the mismatches of flags are not
considered as an error at the controller startup. However, path motions which use CP On
will be disabled.

CP motion near the singularity (singularity avoiding function in CP motion)

When executing Move or CP motion near the singularity, the joint speed may increase
rapidly. The overspeed error will occur and the joints will move widely and interfere with
peripherals. In particular, the position of Joint #1 near the hand singularity and Joints #2 -
#6 near the wrist singularity change greatly.
EPSON RC+ 7.0 has a singularity avoiding function to prevent acceleration errors during
the execution of CP motion commands that pass the wrist singularity described above.
With this function, the manipulator takes a detour to avoid an acceleration error by passing
a different trajectory and returns to the original trajectory after passing the singularity. For
details of the singularity avoiding function, refer to AvoidSingularity in the SPEL+
Language Reference.
Singularity avoiding function is enabled as default. If you want to avoid the error by
reducing the motion speed in order to maintain the trajectory accuracy, you can disable the
function temporarily by setting “0” to AvoidSingularity.
If you cannot avoid errors even if you use the singularity avoiding function, use PTP
motion to enable the least motion of the joints or arrange the manipulator installation
position and hand offset volume to prevent the CP motion near the singularity.

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6.17.3 RS series arm orientations

The RS series can be operated in various arm orientations within a given work envelope as
shown below:

Lefty arm orientation Righty arm orientation

J1 F0 arm orientation J1 F1 arm orientation

J2 F0 arm orientation J2 F1 arm orientation

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To specify the arm orientation of the RS series, add a forward slash (/) followed by:
- L (for Lefty hand orientation) or R (Righty hand orientation)
- J1F0 or J1F1
- J2F0 or J2F1.
For the RS series robots, some points in the work envelope can have the same position and
orientation even if J1 or J2 is rotated 360 degrees.
To distinguish these points, the J1Flag and J2Flag point attributes are provided.

To specify the J1Flag, add a forward slash (/) followed by:

- J1F0 (−90 < the first joint angle <= 270), or
- J1F1 (−270 < the first joint angle <= −90 or 270 < the first joint angle <= 450)
To specify the J2Flag, add a forward slash (/) followed by:
- J2F0 (−180 < the second joint angle <= 180), or
- J2F1 (−360 < the second joint angle <= −180 or 180 < the second joint angle <= 360)
There are eight available orientations as shown below.
Note that some combinations are not available depending on the point.

Available Orientation
1 /R /J1F0 /J2F0
2 /L /J1F0 /J2F0
3 /R /J1F1 /J2F0
4 /L /J1F1 /J2F0
5 /R /J1F0 / J2F1
6 /L /J1F0 / J2F1
7 /R /J1F1 / J2F1
8 /L /J1F1 / J2F1

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Singularity
The orientation in the boundary where the arm orientation switches to the other.
Hand singularity : The boundary where Righty hand orientation and Lefty hand
orientation switch (X=0, Y=0)

Hand singularity
When jogging near the singularity, follow the directions below.

PTP motion near the singularity

When jogging a robot from point P1 near the singularity to a point calculated by point
operations such as P1+X(10), the robot may move to unintended direction because the arm
orientation is not properly specified.
For example, when jogging from a point where the hand is Righty to another point
calculated by point operations, if the hand keeps the Righty orientation while jogging,
Joints #1 may rotate widely (by approx. 180 degrees). In this case, switch to the Lefty
hand orientation to jog smoothly through the wrist singularity.
This phenomenon occurs not only with the point operations but also when creating points
automatically with Pallet command or the result values that run from vision sequence.
However in the cases, it is difficult for users to specify the proper arm orientations by a
program. For this LJM function is a useful command. LJM function switches the arm
orientations to enable the least motion of the joints. For the details of LJM function, refer
to SPEL+ Language Reference manual.
Also, AutoLJM command can automatically apply LJM function to the motion commands
which are included in a particular section of the program without using LJM function.
For details of AutoLJM command, refer to the SPEL+ Language Reference.
In addition, you can set AutoLJM function to be enabled at the controller start up by
setting preferences of the controller. However, if Auto LJM is enabled in preferences, this
function automatically adjusts the posture of the manipulator to reduce the motion distance,
even when you intend to move the joint widely. Therefore, it is recommended to build a
program using AutoLJM command or LJM function to operate the manipulator as you
desired.
If you specify all points by teaching, the arm orientations are also recorded. Therefore, the
manipulator moves to the taught position without using LJM function or AutoLJM.
Instead, the manipulator may move differently from the taught position by the use of LJM
and AutoLJM.

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CP motion near the singularity (singularity avoiding function in CP motion)

When executing Move or CP motion near the singularity, the joint speed may increase
rapidly. The overspeed error will occur and the joints will move widely and interfere with
peripherals. In particular, the position of Joint #1 near the hand singularity changes
greatly.
EPSON RC+ 7.0 has a singularity avoiding function to prevent acceleration errors during
the execution of CP motion commands that pass the hand singularity described above.
With this function, the manipulator takes a detour to avoid an acceleration error by passing
a different trajectory and returns to the original trajectory after passing the singularity. For
details of the singularity avoiding function, refer to AvoidSingularity in the SPEL+
Language Reference.
Singularity avoiding function is enabled as default. If you want to avoid the error by
reducing the motion speed in order to maintain the trajectory accuracy, you can disable the
function temporarily by setting “0” to AvoidSingularity.
If you cannot avoid errors even if you use the singularity avoiding function, use PTP
motion to enable the least motion of the joints or arrange the manipulator installation
position and hand offset volume to prevent the CP motion near the singularity.

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6.17.4 N series arm orientations

The N series can be operated in various arm orientations within a given work envelope as
shown below:
Arm orientation
Righty arm orientation Lefty arm orientation

Above elbow orientation

Below elbow orientation

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To specify orientation for the N series robot, add a forward slash (/) followed by L (for
Lefty hand orientation) or R (Righty hand orientation), A (Above elbow orientation) or B
(Below elbow orientation), and NF (NoFlip wrist orientation) or F (Flip wrist orientation).
There are eight available orientations as shown below, however, the 6-axis robot cannot be
operated in all of the orientations depending on point.
Available Orientation

1 /R /A /NF 5 /R /A /F
2 /L /A /NF 6 /L /A /F
3 /R /B /NF 7 /R /B /F
4 /L /B /NF 8 /L /B /F

At some points in the work envelope, the 6-axis robot can have the same position and
orientation even if the fourth joint or the sixth joint is rotated 360 degrees. To distinguish
these points, the J4Flag and J6Flag point attributes are provided.
To specify the J4Flag, add a forward slash (/) followed by J4F0 (-180 < the forth joint
angle <= 180) or J4F1 (the forth joint angle <= -180 or 180 < the forth joint angle).
To specify the J6Flag, add a forward slash (/) followed by J6F0 (-180 < the sixth joint
angle <= 180), J6F1 (-360 < the sixth joint angle <= -180 or 180 <the sixth joint angle <=
360), or J6Fn (-180*(n+1) < the sixth joint angle <= 180*n or 180*n <the sixth joint angle
<= 180*(n+1)).

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Singularity
The orientation in the boundary where the arm orientation switches to the other.
Hand singularity : The boundary where Righty hand orientation and Lefty hand
orientation switch
Elbow singularity : The boundary where Above elbow orientation and Below elbow
orientation switch
Wrist singularity : The boundary where NoFlip wrist orientation and Flip wrist
orientation switch

Hand singularity Elbow singularity Wrist singularity

For the N series robot, Hand / Wrist singularities exist also inside the motion range like the
6-axis robot. When jogging near the singularity, pay attention to the same points as the 6-
axis robot. For details, refer to 6.17.2 6-axis robot arm orientations.

The following describes the elbow singularity area which is unique for N series robot.

Elbow singularity area

For the N series robot, the singularity exists where the P point is on the sphere shown in
the figure below. The P point cannot be inside the sphere. Therefore, CP motion to pass
inside the sphere is not available.

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Elbow singularity area avoidance motion

When the robot passes through the sphere as shown in the figure below, the robot behaves
differently depending on the mode of singularity avoiding function (AvoidSingularity).
Mode: SING_AVOID
The robot moves to the end point while avoiding the elbow singularity area as indicated
with a red line (P-point trajectory) in the figure below. Also, an error occurs in the
following cases.
- If SpeedS setting value is too large, error 4242, 4243, 4255, or 5044 occurs.
The errors can be prevented by setting SpeedS lower.
- If the motion is stopped/paused, or the safety door is opened during the singularity
avoiding motion (PTP motion), error 4242, 4250, 4252, or 4256 occurs.
Do not stop the operation or open the safety door during the singularity avoiding
motion.
- If the singularity avoiding motion mode (SING_AVOID) is selected for N series, an
error 4255 or 4256 occurs.

Mode: Other than SING_AVOID

The error 4252 occurs when the robot touches the elbow singularity area as indicated with
a blue line (P-point trajectory) in the figure below.

Elbow singularity area

Elbow singularity neighborhood

Start point End point

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Note:
- The pass motion can be confirmed by the sample simulator program “N2_sample”.
- With Jump3, Jump3CP, and JumpTLZ, the motion to pass the elbow singularity
area is not available. (Shoulder and wrist singularity pass motions are possible.)
- In the singularity avoiding motion, the Joint #4 and #6 may rotate largely.
- In the singularity avoiding motion, onward and backward paths may differ.
- To display the elbow singularity area and its neighborhood on the simulator, select
[Render Singularity Area of Elbow] in the [Simulator setting] dialog box.

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6.18 Robot Motion Commands

SPEL+ includes several commands for controlling the robot from your programs.

6.18.1 Homing the robot

The Home command moves the robot to a user defined "park" or "idle" position. This
command works for all robots. It is mainly used for absolute encoder robots that normally
do not need to be mechanically homed. Use the HomeSet command to set the home
position and the Hordr command to set the home order.

6.18.2 Point to point motion

Point to point (PTP) commands move the tool center point of the robot from its current
position to a specified point. Motion of the tool center point may not be in a straight line.
To set the speed for point to point commands, use the Speed command. To set
acceleration and deceleration, use the Accel command.
Command Description
Go Move directly to a point using point to point motion.
Jump Jump to a point. First move up to the current LimZ setting, the move over
the destination point, then move to the point. The Arch table settings
determine the Jump profile.
Jump3 Jump to a point in 3 dimensions. Move in a straight line with the same
orientation until the recede point. The motion between the recede points is
PTP motion.
Pass Move near one or more points.
TGo Move directly to a point in a tool coordinate system.
BGo Move in a PTP motion to the relative specified point in Base / Local
coordinate system

6.18.3 Linear motion

Linear motion commands move the tool center point of robot from its current position to a
specified point in a straight line. Liner motion is a CP (Continuous Path) motion.
To set velocity (speed) for straight motion, use the SpeedS command. To set acceleration
and deceleration, use the AccelS command.
Command Description
Move Move in a straight line to the specified point.
TMove Move in a straight line to the specified point in a tool coordinate system.
Jump3CP Jump to a point in 3 dimensions using CP motion. Move in a straight line
until the recede point. The motion between the recede points is also a
straight line motion.
BMove Move in a straight line to the relative specified point in Base / Local
coordinate system

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6.18.4 Curves
Curves commands move the robot in a circular arc. Curves is a CP (Continuous Path)
motion.
To set velocity (speed) for Curves, use the SpeedS command. To set acceleration and
deceleration, use the AccelS command.
Command Description
Arc Move the robot through one point to another point using circular
interpolation.
Arc3 Move the robot in 3D using circular interpolation.
Curve Creates a file containing a path specification.
CVMove Executes a path specified by Curve.

6.18.5 Joint motion

Command Description
JTran The JTran command can be used to move one joint of the robot to a
position specified in degrees or millimeters, depending on the joint type.
The speed and acceleration are the same as for point to point motion
commands -- i.e., specified with Speed or Accel commands.
PTran The PTran command can be used to move one joint of the robot to an
encoder pulse position. The speed and acceleration are the same as for
point to point motion commands -- i.e., specified with Speed or Accel
commands.
Pulse The Pulse command can be used to move all joints of the robot to encoder
pulse positions. The speed and acceleration are the same as for point to
point motion commands -- i.e., specified with Speed or Accel commands.
PG_Scan The PG_Scan command can be used to rotate a pulse generator axis of a
Joint-type single axis PG robot continuously in CW/CCW directions. (To
rotate it continuously, you need to enable the continuous rotation
parameter.) The speed and acceleration are the same as for point to point
motion commands -- i.e., specified with Speed or Accel commands.

6.18.6 Controlling position accuracy

Use the Fine command to adjust position accuracy for the end of a motion command. Fine
specifies, for each joint, the allowable positioning error for detecting completion of any
given move. The lower the Fine settings, the more accurate the final position of the joint,
which can cause slower performance. Conversely, large Fine settings can speed up motion
commands, but position accuracy will decrease. For many applications, the default
settings can be used.

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6.18.7 CP Motion Speed / Acceleration and Tool Orientation

When you attempt to change only the tool orientation while keeping the tool tip of the
robot arm at the specified coordinate point or when the tool orientation variation is larger
than the travel distance of the tool tip, moving the arm by normal CP motion commands
will cause an increase in the variation of speed, acceleration and deceleration of tool
orientation. In some cases, an error will occur.
To prevent these situations, add the ROT parameter to the CP motion commands. The arm
will be moved based on the specified angular velocity and acceleration/deceleration of the
main axis regarding the orientation variation.
The angular velocity and acceleration/deceleration of the main axis regarding the
orientation variation should be specified with the SpeedR and AccelR commands in
advance.
For example:
SpeedR 50 ' degree/sec
AccelR 200, 200 ' degree/sec2
Move P1 ROT
NOTE The tool orientation variation is normally comprised of orientation variations of more than
 one rotation axis.
The SpeedR and AccelR parameters specify the angular velocity and acceleration/
deceleration of the main axis regarding the orientation variation. Therefore, actual angular
velocity and acceleration/deceleration of the orientation variation are different from the
parameters except for the case where the rotation axis of the orientation is only one.
While the motion command with the ROT parameter is executed, the specified SpeedS and
AccelS parameters are invalid.
The ROT parameter can be used with the following motion commands:
Move BMove
Arc TMove
Arc3 Jump3CP

6.18.8 PTP Speed / Acceleration for Small Distances

You can change the speed and acceleration for small distances using PTPBoost and
PTPBoostOK. Normally, PTPBoost is not required. In certain cases, you may want to
shorten the cycle time even if vibration becomes larger, or conversely you may want to
reduce vibration even if cycle time becomes longer. PTPBoost is a robot parameter with
values from 0 – 100 that affects the speed and acceleration for small distances. Normally,
for small distance motion, the desired speed cannot be attained using the current
acceleration. By increasing PTPBoost, acceleration, deceleration, and speed are increased
for small distance motion. To check if a motion command will be affected by PTPBoost,
use the PTPBoostOK function. See PTPBoost and PTPBoostOK in the SPEL+ Language
Reference manual for more details.

6.18.9 Pressing Motion

To use the pressing motion, use the following torque control mode commands.
TC (Returns the torque control mode setting and current mode.)
TCSpeed (Specifies / returns the speed limit in the torque control.)
TCLim (Specifies the torque limit of each joint for the torque control mode.)
The low power mode is limited by a low power upper limit. Therefore, normally use the
High power mode. For details and usage of the above commands, refer to “TC Statement”,
“TCSpeed”, and “TCLim” in the SPEL+ Language Reference manual.

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6.18.10 Collision Detection Function (Detection Function of Robot

Motion Error)
Detect the robot motion error from differentiation between desired speed and the actual speed
(speed deviation value). Errors can be detected by this function is classified into A and B.
A: Collision or contact of robot arm or hand occurs
B: Robot motion errors other than collision or contact

Also, error B is classified into below according to the power condition.

Error in high power
B1: Torque saturation due to a low Weight or Inertia setting.
B2: Torque saturation due to combined motion of multiple joints and movement of a long
object.
B3: Torque saturation due to supply voltage reduction.
B4: Error motion due to hardware error or software malfunction.
Error in low power
B4: Error motion due to hardware error or software malfunction.
B5: Torque saturation in low power due to a hand or a long object that exceeds the weight
described in the specifications.

Display either message below and stop the robot when detecting an error A or B. Reduce the
damage of the robot or equipment.
Error 5057: detect the collision in high power. (Detect the robot motion error.)
Error 5058: detect the collision in low power. (Detect the robot motion error.)

The following error has been existed, however, this function can detect the above errors
quickly.
Error 5042, 5043: Position error.

Error is not detected by torque saturation in short time. Detect a state with high risk that causes
a malfunction and stop the robot. The following phenomena may occur if continuing robot
operation in a state of B1 or B2. Make a state that errors not occur.
Loose binding parts such as screws.
Reduction gear is damaged.
Increase a risk of robot damage

Turn ON CollsionDetect command and detection is enabled. (Default in ON)

Default is different depending on the firmware version.
Ver.7.2.1.x or later: default: ON
Before Ver.7.2.0.x: default: OFF
When upgrading before Ver.7.2.0.x or Ver7.2.1.x or later: default: OFF
Reboot a controller to return to the default.

The following describes the detail of error B when error 5057 or 5058 is detected without a
collision or contact of the robot or arm.
In high power mode
Check the torque saturation by using PTRQ command. Torque saturation is occurred if the
joint outputs “1” in PTRQ command.

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In that case, make sure that the Weight setting is properly and in accord with the hand weight.
Also, make sure that Inertia setting is properly for joint #4 of SCARA robot and joint #6 of 6-
axis robot.
Next, make sure that there is no torque saturation by using PTRQ command by combined
motion that multiple joints (#2, #3 and #5 joints of 6-axis robot) operate in the same direction
and throwing around the long object.
If torque saturation occurs, reduce acceleration/deceleration of Accel command until there is
no torque saturation (the value: 1.0 or less is displayed in PTRQ).
Also, torque saturation may occur due to reduction of supply voltage that inputs to the
controller. Check the power supply voltage is within the specifications.
You can turn ON/OFF the collision detection function per equipment if you want to use
without performing those error detection due to equipment compatibility securement or similar
reasons.
If other error occurs at the same time, take a countermeasure for that first.
In low power mode
Make sure that hand weight is within the specifications.
Also, check the torque saturation when errors occur on the joint #4 and 5 of 6-axis robot.
When torque saturation is occurred, it is long object that cannot be hold by low power mode.
Hold in high power mode.
If other error occurs at the same time, take a countermeasure for that first.

Immediately stop result of the torque saturation by combination of the following motion and
command. Error of A and B can be detected faster.
HP motion: LimitTorqueStop Command
LP motion: LimitTorqueStopLP Command

The following describes details of collision of the robot arm A and contact detection.
For reduction of damage on the arms and the end effectors due to the collision with
peripherals, there are two functions: Collision detection function and torque restriction
function.
The collision detection function detects the collision and stops the robot immediately.
The torque restriction function restricts torque at the collision and also stops the robot
immediately.
These are functions to reduce damage on the robot at the collision, but cannot avoid
damage completely. Also, the functions cannot be used for the purpose of human safety.
The force applied to the robot at the collision can Impact of speed
be roughly divided into two types as shown on the
right: the impact of speed right before the
Pressing force by torque
collision, and the pressing force by the motor
Force

torque after the collision.

The collision detection function and the torque
restriction function reduce damage caused by the
pressing force right after the collision. These
Time
functions do not have any effect on damage
caused by the impact of speed.

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The collision detection function detects collision by the speed deviation value for robot
motion control (differentiation between the desired speed and the actual speed) showing an
abnormal value which is greatly different from normal motion due to the collision.
Turn ON CollsionDetect command and the detection is enabled. (Default: ON)
Default is different depending on the firmware version.
Ver.7.2.1.x or later: default: ON
Before Ver.7.2.0.x : default: OFF
Reboot a controller to return to the default.

When enabled, this function reduces the time of pressing force by the motor torque, by
detecting the collision and stopping the robot immediately. This reduces the pressing
force by about 20%. To reduce the damage more, use this function together with the
torque restriction function.
The collision detection function is automatically disabled during the pressing motion and
the force sensing operation described in “6.18.9 Pressing Motion”.
Also, the function may have false detection in cases of powerful contact motion and
significant acceleration and deceleration which may have consecutive torque saturation.
To confirm if there is a risk of false detection, use PTRQ.
If PTRQ is less than 1 for all axes, there is no risk of false detection.
If PTRQ is one, torque saturation is occurring on the axis. This means excessive
acceleration and deceleration are applied, and it is not preferable for motor control. It also
has a risk of damage on the manipulator. In such a situation, take the following
countermeasures.
For contacting operation,
- Check if Weight and Inertia settings are appropriate
- Lower acceleration and deceleration
- Lower speed
When performing contacting motion:
- Lower acceleration and deceleration at a contact
- Set a contacting depth shallow
If you want to operate the manipulator without taking the above countermeasures, you can
enable and disable the function for each axis. Set the function off for the axis which you
want to disable the function.
For details of the command and function, refer to the following manual.
EPSON RC+ 7.0 SPEL+ Language Reference
CollisionDetect Statement
CollisionDetect Function

6.18.11 Torque Restriction Function

The torque restriction function reduces damage at the collision similarly with “6.18.10
Collision Detection Function”.
The torque restriction value used for this function is defined by adding the margin to the
upper limit torque value used in the program in order to avoid malfunction. By using the
torque restriction function, the pressing force can be reduced.
For example, if the torque is restricted at 30%, the pressing force can also be reduced to
30%. Also, the robot immediately stops when the torque reaches the upper limit value.
By stopping the robot immediately, a further 20-30% reduction effect can be obtained.

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When the torque is restricted at 30% and the robot is stopped immediately, the total of less
than 25% or equivalent reduction effect can be obtained.
For SCARA robots, the end of the extended shaft may get caught and bent. To reduce
occurrence of the bent shaft, it is recommended to use this function to reduce the pressing
force to the maximum degree.
If malfunction occurs, take any of the following measures for the axis of malfunction.
- Set LimitTorqueStop or LimitTorqueStopLp off
- Increase the threshold value of LimitTorque or LimitTorqueLp

To use the torque restriction function for jogging motion, follow the steps below.
(1) Execute PTCLR and start torque measurement.
(2) Execute the jogging motion.
(3) Measure the maximum torque value by PTRQ, and then add the margin to it.
(4) Set LimitTorqeLP and LimitTorqeLPStop.
If the robot is temporarily stopped in the low power motion, the value larger than the
normal program operation or jogging motion may be obtained. In such case, execute the
temporary stop while measuring PTRQ and include it into measurement.
For details of the command and function, refer to the following manual.
EPSON RC+ 7.0 SPEL+ Language Reference
LimitTorque Statement, LimitTorque Function,
LimitTorqueLP Statement, LimitTorqueLP Function,
LimitTorqueStop Statement, LimitTorqueStop Function,
LimitTorqueStopLP Statement, LimitTorqueStopLP Function
The following is a sample program which automatically configures the collision detection
function and the torque restriction function.
The program repeats the motion called “all_ax_move”.
The program enables the collision detection function, measures the maximum torque in the
first five moves, adds the margin to the measured value (1.2 times if HighPower, 1.4 times
if LowPower), and sets the upper limit torque value to stop the robot at the upper limit
torque.
This is the example of automatic setting to repeat motion with the above settings from the
sixth time.
When the upper limit torque value is changed, the changed value will be considered as
“1.0” for the subsequent PTRQ measurement. If the margin of 1.2 times is set, PTRQ will
be slightly larger than 0.8, and if the margin of 1.4 rimes is set, PTRQ will be slightly
smaller than 0.7.

Setting example)

Function main
Integer icnt
Real rtrq(6)
Motor On
Power High
‘ Power Low
Weight 8
Speed 50
Accel 80, 80

icnt = 1
PTCLR

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LimitTorque 100 'init HighPower limit torque

LimitTorqueLP 100 'init LowPower limit torque
CollisionDetect On
Do
Call all_ax_move
Print PTRQ(1), PTRQ(2), PTRQ(3), PTRQ(4), PTRQ(5), PTRQ(6)
icnt = icnt + 1
If icnt = 5 Then
If Power = 1 Then 'High power case
Print "LimitTorque set"
rtrq(1) = PTRQ(1) * 1.2 * LimitTorque(1) + 1.0
rtrq(2) = PTRQ(2) * 1.2 * LimitTorque(2) + 1.0
rtrq(3) = PTRQ(3) * 1.2 * LimitTorque(3) + 1.0
rtrq(4) = PTRQ(4) * 1.2 * LimitTorque(4) + 1.0
rtrq(5) = PTRQ(5) * 1.2 * LimitTorque(5) + 1.0
rtrq(6) = PTRQ(6) * 1.2 * LimitTorque(6) + 1.0
Print LimitTorque(1), LimitTorque(2), LimitTorque(3),
LimitTorque(4), LimitTorque(5), LimitTorque(6)
LimitTorque rtrq(1), rtrq(2), rtrq(3), rtrq(4), rtrq(5),
rtrq(6)
Print LimitTorque(1), LimitTorque(2), LimitTorque(3),
LimitTorque(4), LimitTorque(5), LimitTorque(6)
LimitTorqueStop On
Else 'Low poser case
Print "LimitTorqueLP set"
rtrq(1) = PTRQ(1) * 1.4 * LimitTorqueLP(1) + 1.0
rtrq(2) = PTRQ(2) * 1.4 * LimitTorqueLP(2) + 1.0
rtrq(3) = PTRQ(3) * 1.4 * LimitTorqueLP(3) + 1.0
rtrq(4) = PTRQ(4) * 1.4 * LimitTorqueLP(4) + 1.0
rtrq(5) = PTRQ(5) * 1.4 * LimitTorqueLP(5) + 1.0
rtrq(6) = PTRQ(6) * 1.4 * LimitTorqueLP(6) + 1.0
Print LimitTorqueLP(1), LimitTorqueLP(2),
LimitTorqueLP(3), LimitTorqueLP(4), LimitTorqueLP(5),
LimitTorqueLP(6)
LimitTorqueLP rtrq(1), rtrq(2), rtrq(3), rtrq(4),
rtrq(5), rtrq(6)
Print LimitTorqueLP(1), LimitTorqueLP(2),
LimitTorqueLP(3), LimitTorqueLP(4), LimitTorqueLP(5),
LimitTorqueLP(6)
LimitTorqueStopLP On
EndIf
If icnt > 5 Then
icnt = 6
Endif
Loop While icnt > 0

Fend

Function all_ax_move
Integer icount
Go JA(10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10)
Go JA(-10, -10, -10, -10, -10, -10)
Fend

6.19 Working with Robot Points

A robot point is a set of coordinates that define a position in the robot work envelope. For
SCARA and Cartesian robots, a point is defined by the position data (X, Y, Z) within the
reference rectangular coordinate space and the orientation data (U) which is the rotation
about the Z axis of the rectangular coordinate.
For 6-axis robots, a point is defined by the position and orientation of the tool coordinate
system with respect to a reference rectangular coordinate system. The point is specified
by the position data (X, Y, Z) and the orientation is specified by the orientation data (U, V,
W) which correspond with roll (rotation about the Z axis), pitch (rotation about the Y axis),
and yaw (rotation about the X axis).
When the additional ST axis is installed, the point is specified by the position data of each
additional axis (S, T).

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The X, Y, and Z coordinates of a point are specified in millimeters. The U, V, and W

coordinates are specified in degrees.
The S and T coordinates of a point are specified in millimeters or degrees, according to the
type of axis.
Points are referenced using the letter P followed by an integer number or integer
expression or by a label defined in the point file editor or [Robot Manager]-[Jog & Teach]
page.

6.19.1 Defining points

You can define points in a program statement, points editor window, [Robot Manager]-
[Jog & Teach] page, or at the [Command] window.
In a program statement or at the Command window, you can assign coordinates to a point,
or define a point that is the current robot arm position.

P1 = XY(200, 100, -25, 0) 'Assign coordinates to point P1

Pick = XY(300, 200, -45, 0) 'Assign coordinates to point pick
P10 = Here 'Assign a point to current position

6.19.2 Referencing points by point label

You can assign names to point numbers so you can refer to points by name in a program.
Assign names from the point editor (see Editing Points) or the [Robot Manager]-[Jog &
Teach] page. Names must be unique for each point number when used in the same point
file.
Point labels can include up to 32 one-byte alphanumeric, Japanese, and the underscore
characters, or 16 two-byte characters. Characters can be upper case or lower case. Only
alphabets and Japanese can be used for the first letter.
For i = 0 To 10
Go pick
Jump place
Next i

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6.19.3 Referencing points with variables

Use the letter P followed by a variable name within parentheses that represents the point
number you are referencing.

For i = 0 To 10
Go P(i)
Next i
NOTE Although you can define points at the [Command] window for test purposes, it is
 recommended that all points be defined in a program, point editor, or with the [Robot
Manager]-[Jog & Teach] page. Points defined at the [Command] window will be cleared
from memory when you build a project or run a program unless you execute “SavePoints”.
6.19.4 Using points in a program
When starting programs, the default point file for the robot is loaded. You can also load
other points in the program using the LoadPoints statement.
Function main
Integer i

LoadPoints "model1.pts"
For i = 0 To 10
Jump pick
Jump place
Next i
Fend

6.19.5 Importing points into program

You can import points into the current project while the program is running using the
ImportPoints statement.

Function main
Integer i

ImportPoints "c:\models\model1.pnt", "robot1.pnt"

LoadPoints "robot1.pnt"
For i = 0 To 10
Jump pick
Jump place
Next i
Fend

6.19.6 Saving and loading points

Use “LoadPoints” to load a point file in the current project. You can optionally specify
the Merge parameter to combine points in a file with points that have already been loaded.
Use “SavePoints” to save the points in a point file. If the point file is in the current project,
it will be updated on the PC when it is connected and the same project is open.
If the point file is not the current project, it will not be automatically updated on the PC.
Use Project Synchronize to copy the file to the PC if desired.

■ Rebuild the program if Project Synchronize is performed.

CAUTION

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6.19.7 Point attributes

Each point definition can optionally specify a local number and various arm orientations,
depending on the robot type. You can specify point attributes in point assignment
statements or use individual statements and functions to change the attributes of a
previously defined point.
Local point attribute
To specify a local coordinate system number for a point in an assignment statement, add a
forward slash (/) followed by the local number after the coordinates of the point.
P1 = XY(300, -125.54, -42.3, 0) /1 ' P1 is in local 1
The local number can also be an expression enclosed in parentheses.
P2 = P3 /(mylocal)
Use the PLocal function and statement to read and set the local attribute of a point.
Hand point attribute
To specify orientation for the SCARA or 6-axis robot, add a forward slash (/) followed by
L (for Lefty hand orientation) or R (for Righty hand orientation).
P2 = XY(200, 100, -20, -45) /L ' Hand orientation is Lefty
P3 = XY(50, 0, 0, 0) /2 /R ' Righty in Local 2
You can read and set point hand orientation using the Hand statement and function.
Hand P1, Righty
Elbow point attribute
To specify elbow orientation for the 6-axis robot in a point assignment statement, add a
forward slash (/) followed by A (Above elbow orientation) or B (Below elbow orientation),
Elbow orientation is Below.
P1 = XY(0, 600, 400, 90, 0, 180) /B
You can read and set point elbow orientation using the Elbow statement and function.
Wrist point attribute
To specify wrist orientation for the 6-axis robot in a point assignment statement, add a
forward slash (/) followed by NF (NoFlip wrist orientation) or F (Flip wrist orientation).
Wrist orientation is Flip.
P2 = XY(0, 600, 400, 90, 0, 180) /F
You can read and set point wrist orientation using the Wrist statement and function.
J4Flag and J6Flag point attributes
At some points in the work envelope, the 6-axis robot can have the same position and
orientation even if the fourth joint or the sixth joint is rotated 360 degrees. To distinguish
these points, the J4Flag and J6Flag point attributes are provided. These flags allow you to
specify a position range for joint 4 and joint 6 for a given point.
To specify the J4Flag in a point assignment statement, add a forward slash (/) followed by
J4F0 (−180 < the forth joint angle <= 180) or J4F1 (the forth joint angle <= −180 or 180 <
the forth joint angle).
P2 = XY(0, 600, 400, 90, 0, 180) /J4F1
To specify the J6Flag in a point assignment statement, add a forward slash (/) followed by
J6F0 (−180 < the sixth joint angle <= 180), J6F1 (−360 < the sixth joint angle <= −180 or
180 < the sixth joint angle <= 360), or J6Fn (−180*(n+1) < the sixth joint angle <= 180*n
or 180*n < the sixth joint angle <= 180*(n+1)).
P2 = XY(50, 400, 400, 90, 0, 180) /J6F2

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J1Flag and J2Flag point attributes

At some points in the work envelope, the RS series can have the same position and
orientation even if the first joint or the second joint is rotated 360 degrees. To distinguish
these points, the J1Flag and J2Flag point attributes are provided. These flags allow you to
specify a position range for joint 1 and joint 2 for a given point.
To specify the J1Flag in a point assignment statement, add a forward slash (/) followed by
J1F0 (−90 < the first joint angle <= 270) or J1F1 (−270 <= the first joint angle <= −90 or
270 < the first joint angle <= 450).
P2 = XY(-175, -175, 0, 90) /J1F1
To specify the J2Flag in a point assignment statement, add a forward slash (/) followed by
J2F0 (−180 < the second joint angle <= 180), J2F1 (−360 < the second joint angle <= −180
or 180 < the second joint angle <= 360).
P2 = XY(300, 175, 40, 90) /J2F1
J1Ang and J2Flag point attributes
At the origin of the robot coordinate system, the RS series can have the same position and
orientation even if the first joint is rotated. To distinguish these points, the J1Ang point
attributes are provided.

6.19.8 Extracting and setting point coordinates

Use the CX, CY, CZ, CU, CV, CW, CS, and CT commands to get a coordinate of a point
and set it.
xcoord = CX(P1)
P2 = XY(xcoord, 200, -20, 0)
ycoord = CY(P*) ' Gets current Y position coordinate

CX(pick) = 25.5
CY(pick) = CY(pick) + 2.3

6.19.9 Alteration of points

There are several ways of modifying a point without re-teaching it. You can change one
or more coordinate values with relative offsets or absolute values.
To set an absolute value for a coordinate, use a colon followed by the axis letter and the
value.
To add a relative offset to a coordinate, use an axis letter followed by the offset value or
expression in parentheses. If the offset is negative, then precede the axis letter with the
minus sign. If parentheses are omitted, they will be automatically added.

Go P1 -Z(20) Move to P1 with a z offset of −20mm

Go P1 :Z(-25) Move to P1 with a z absolute position of −25mm
Go P1 -X(20) +Y(50) :Z(-25) Move to P1 with offsets for X and Y relative
offsets and an absolute position for Z
Point alternation of 6-axis robot
When changing the orientation by roll (U), pitch (V), and yaw (W) in the SPEL+ program,
adding the angles to V and W axes (e.g. +V(10), +W(10)) does not mean the rotation of Y
and X axes in the robot coordinate system. To change the orientation (U, V, and W) after
teaching the points, set the robot to actual posture by Jog & Teach in the Robot Manager.

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6. The SPEL+ Language

6.20 Input and output control

6.20.1 Hardware I/O

There are 24 DC inputs and 16 DC outputs on a standard controller. By purchasing I/O
boards, you can add additional 128 inputs and 128 outputs. You can expand the I/O by
using the Fieldbus I/O master option and Fieldbus I/O slave option. Also, you can
input/output the Analog signal by using the Analog I/O board option. Refer to 11. Inputs
and Outputs for details.

6.20.2 Memory I/O

There are 128 bytes (1024 bits) of memory I/O. Memory I/O is especially useful for
synchronizing multi-tasking. Each memory bit can be treated as both an input and an
output.
Use the commands with the "Mem" prefix for memory I/O.

6.20.3 I/O Commands

Command Description
In Reads one byte (eight bits) of input data.
InW Reads one word (sixteen bits) of input data.
MemIn Reads one byte (eight bits) of Memory I/O.
MemInW Reads one word (sixteen bits) of Memory I/O.
MemOff Turns off one Memory I/O bit.
MemOn Turns on one Memory I/O bit.
MemSw Read status of one bit of memory I/O.
Off Turns off one output bit.
On Turns on one output bit.
Out Sets/reads one byte (eight bits) of output data.
OutW Sets/reads one word (sixteen bits) of output data.
Oport Reads the status of one output bit.
InBCD Reads one byte of input data in BCD (binary coded decimal) format.
OpBCD Outputs one byte of output data in BCD format.
Sw Read status of one bit of hardware inputs or memory inputs.

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 6. The SPEL+ Language

6.21 Using Traps

Traps enable a program to jump to a label or enable a function to be called when a certain
event occurs.
Traps are divided into the following two types:
- 4 Traps are fired by user defined input
- 7 Traps are fired by system
You should keep trap functions short and avoid continuous loops. According to the type,
some Traps must be re-armed. Also, some motion commands are limited to execute in
trap functions.
For details on Trap statement, see the SPEL+ Language Reference manual.
Here is a simple example for a trap. In this example, when input 1 turns on, it executes the
Sw1Trap function.

Function main
' Sets the trap
Trap 1 Sw(1) = On Xqt Sw1Trap
Do
RunCycle
Loop
Fend
Function Sw1Trap
' Turn on output 1 for 2 seconds
On 1, 2
' Wait for trap condition to clear
Wait Sw(1) = Off
' Re-arm the trap
Trap 1 Sw(1) = On Xqt Sw1Trap
Fend

Trap Description
Trap 1 – 4 Goto Triggered by an input condition specified by the user.
Trap 1 – 4 Call User traps can use GoTo, Call, or Xqt.
Trap 1 – 4 Xqt
Trap Emergency Xqt When Emergency Stop occurs, a specified function is executed.
Trap Error Xqt When an error occurs, a specified function is executed.
Trap SgOpen Xqt When the Safeguard circuit is open, a specified function is
executed.
Trap SgClose Xqt When the Safeguard circuit is closed, a specified function is
executed.
Trap Pause Xqt When the system enters the Pause state, a specified function is
executed.
Trap Abort Xqt When all tasks (except background tasks) have been stopped by
user or system, such as when a command corresponding to
Abort All is executed, a specified function is executed.
Trap Finish Xqt When all tasks (except background tasks) have been finished, a
specified function is executed. However, the function will not
be executed under the condition that executes Trap Abort.

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6. The SPEL+ Language

6.21.1 Cautions of Trap when it triggers the system condition

■ Forced Flag

Specify Forced flag in the I/O output commands such as On/Off command to
enable On/ Off of the I/O outputs during Emergency Stop, Safety Door open,
Teach mode, and error condition.
Do not connect external equipment that operates mechanically such as actuator
to the I/O output that specifies Forced flag. Otherwise, the external equipment
CAUTION may move during Emergency Stop, Safety Door Open, Teach mode, or error
condition and this will cause serious safety problems.
Forced flag is designed to be specified for I/O outputs connected to external
equipment without mechanical motion such as status display LEDs.

Outputs off during Emergency Stop

Uncheck “Outputs off during Emergency Stop” in the Preferences page of System
Configuration SPEL Controller Board to execute I/O On/Off using the Trap Emergency
Xqt task after Emergency Stop. If this checkbox is checked, the execution order of turning
Off by the controller and turning On using the task are not guaranteed.

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 6. The SPEL+ Language

6.22 Special Tasks

Each task of SPEL+ pauses by Pause input or Safety Door open and stops by Emergency
Stop or Error. Therefore you cannot create a system that monitors the whole system.
To enable the Robot Controller to monitor the whole system, the following special tasks
are provided:
NoPause/NoEmgAbort task
You can create a task that continues a processing even when the Pause is input or
safeguard is open by specifying NoPause or NoEmgAbort as a task type when creating
Xqt data task.
Background task
You can create a task that starts as the controller power is turned ON and continues a
processing even when the Pause is input or safeguard is open.
These special tasks are useful tasks but may reduce the safety of the system by using them
improperly.
Be sure to understand the following items when using these tasks.

6.22.1 Precautions to Use the Special Tasks

■ Forced Flag

Specify Forced flag in the I/O output commands such as On/Off command to
enable On/ Off of the I/O outputs during Emergency Stop, Safety Door open, and
error.
Do not connect external equipment that operates mechanically such as actuator
to the I/O output that specifies Forced flag. Connecting external equipment may
CAUTION cause serious safety problems and operate the external equipment during
Emergency Stop, Safety Door Open, or error occurrence.
Forced flag is designed to be specified for I/O outputs connected to external
equipment without mechanical motion such as status display LEDs.

NoEmgAbort Task
When Emergency Stop or errors occur, finish the task promptly after completing the error
handling.
If you do not complete the NoEmgAbort task, the controller does not change to Ready
status and you cannot cancel the Emergency Stop or the error. You cannot execute Reset
command from the NoEmgAbort task to cancel the Emergency Stop or the error
automatically.
NoEmgAbort task is designed for I/O process without motion and communication with
external device using the Ethernet. Therefore there are commands such as robot motion
commands that cannot be executed in the NoEmgAbort task. An error occurs if you use
these commands. The list of these commands is in the next section.
For details, refer to EPSON RC+ 7.0 Online Help or Xqt in SPEL+ Language Reference.

NoPause Task
NoPause task continues the operation during the Pause or Safety Door open condition.
However, when a robot is operating NoPause task, the task pauses as the robot pauses.

Background task
Background task always exists while the controller is working, and it is designed for
monitor of the entire system and communication with external device. Therefore there are
commands such as robot motion commands that cannot be executed in the background

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6. The SPEL+ Language

task. An error occurs if you use these commands. The list of these commands is in the
next section.
In addition, the background task continues processing even when Pause is input or
safeguard is open, so it doesn’t affect the controller state transition.
For details, refer to 6.23 Background Task.

Outputs off during Emergency Stop

Uncheck this preference to execute I/O On/Off using the NoEmgAbort task or background
task after Emergency Stop. If this checkbox is checked, the execution order of turn Off by
the controller and turn On using the task are not guaranteed.

Setting of Safeguard open stops all tasks

When this preference is checked, NoPause task stops by Safety Door open. NoEmgAbort
task or background task continues the task.

Setting of [Enable the Background task]

Set this preference when you use the background task.

Setting of [Initialize global variables as the MainXX starts]

Uncheck this preference when you use the global variables from the background task.
When this checkbox is checked, the controller will initialize the variables and the variable-
access conflict from tasks will occur.

■ Setting of [Enable advanced task commands]

Check this preference when you execute the commands below from a
background task.
StartMain, Cont, Recover, Reset Error, Reset
When you execute these commands from a task, you should understand each
CAUTION command specification and verify that the system has the appropriate conditions.
Improper use, such as executing commands continuously in a loop, can reduce
the security of system.

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 6. The SPEL+ Language

6.22.2 NoPause/NoEmgAbort task specification

Status by Event and Task
Task Type
Event
Normal NoPause NoEmgAbort
Pause Statement
Pause Input Pause Continue *1 Continue
Pause Button
Safety Door Open Pause *2 Continue *1 *2 Continue
Error during Auto Mode Stop Stop Continue
Error during Program Mode Pause Pause Continue
Emergency Stop Stop Stop Continue
Stop Button
Stop Stop Stop
Stop Input
Halt Statement
Pause Pause Pause
Halt Button
Brake Point Pause Pause Pause
Switching to Teach Mode Stop Stop Stop

*1 When the robot is operating, the task pauses as the robot pauses.
*2 When [Outputs off during Emergency Stop] is checked in the [Preferences] page of
[Setup Controller], normal tasks and NoPause tasks stop by Safety Door open.
Task Execution
Normal Omit the task type in Xqt statement, or specify Normal for the task
type.
Xqt NormalTask
Xqt NormalTask, Normal
NoPause Specify NoPause in Xqt statement.
Xqt NoPauseTask, NoPause
NoEmgAbort Specify NoEmgAbort in Xqt statement.
Xqt NoEmgAbortTask, NoEmgAbort
You cannot change the task type after executing a task.
main to main63 that are executed at the beginning of the program are executed as normal
tasks.
Type of a task executed in Trap Xqt is determined by the event type.
For details, refer to EPSON RC+ 7.0 Online Help or Trap in SPEL+ Language Reference.
Restricted Commands by Task Types
Normal No restriction
NoPause No restriction
NoEmgAbort Cannot execute the following commands.
Command for robot motion
Commands for vision
Reset, Xqt, Trap, etc.
For details, refer to EPSON RC+ 7.0 Online Help or Xqt in SPEL+
Language Reference.

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6.22.3 NoPause/NoEmgAbort task example

The following example shows a program that monitors the error of the controller and
switches the I/O On/Off when error occurs according to the error number.
The program example of ErrOn, EStopOn, SafetyOn are indicated in the EPSON RC+ 7.0
SPEL+ Language Reference.
Function main
Xqt ErrorMonitor, NoEmgAbort
:
:
Fend

Function ErrorMonitor
Wait ErrorOn
If 4000 < SysErr And Syserr < 5999 Then
Print "Mortion Error = ", SysErr
Off 10, Forced
On 12, Forced
Else
Print "Other Error = ", SysErr
Off 11, Forced
On 13, Forced
EndIf
Fend

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 6. The SPEL+ Language

6.23 Background Task

6.23.1 Primary features of background task

The purpose of the background task is to monitor the status of the cell as a whole and to
communicate with external devices.
Function BgMain, a function specified as the “Background task” will be automatically
activated as task 65 when the controller starts and loads the project.
If another task is created within the background task using the XQT command, that
created task will be assigned to task No.65 (and onward in the ascending order) and will
also function as a background task. In addition, specifying a task type for an XQT
command in a background task has no meaning.
An operator is not necessarily aware of the operating Background task which does not stop
at the input of emergency stop or safeguard signal. The Background task will not stop
when an operator inputs “PAUSE” or “ABORT”.
In this sense, the background task functions for the application program to work as a part
of the system.
On the other hand, the execution commands to operate the Manipulator, set-up commands
for the Manipulator or the commands for image processing cannot be executed within the
background task.

■ Specify Forced flag in the I/O output commands operated from the background
tasks to enable On/ Off of the I/O outputs during Emergency Stop, Safety Door
open, and error.
Do not connect external equipment that operates mechanically such as actuators
to the I/O output that specifies the Forced flag. Connecting external equipment
CAUTION may cause serious safety problems and operate the external equipment during
Emergency Stop, Safety Door Open, or error occurrence.
Forced flag is designed to be specified for I/O outputs connected to external
equipment without mechanical motion such as status display LEDs.

6.23.2 Setup and start the background task

When you use the background task, first of all you need to check the [Enable background
tasks] in the [Preferences] page of [Setup]-[System Configuration]-[SPEL Controller
Board].

When you have already checked the box above and the Function BgMain exists in your
program, it will automatically start as Task 65 as the controller starts and loads the project,
it executes as a “Background task”.

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6. The SPEL+ Language

However in PROGRAM mode, the Function BgMain will not start automatically. You
need to start it using the <Start> button in the [Run] window.
This is because the PROGRAM mode is for creating programs and debugging and it may
be more efficient when it doesn’t start the Function BgMain.

When the controller operating mode shifts from PROGRAM to AUTO mode, the Function
BgMain will start automatically.

6.23.3 Holding background task (from being activated)

The purpose of the background task is to monitor the status of the cell as a whole and to
communicate with external devices. It is activated before a non-background task is
activated and continues to function when the non-background task either generates an
error or is aborted by an operator. In this sense, the background task can be a program that
never stops functioning.
The background task can be debugged in PROGAM mode. Click the <Stop> button
dropdown menu in the [Run] window and you can select the background task is to be
aborted as well or not.

In the [Task Manager] window, the background tasks can be managed in the same way as
the non-background tasks except for the <Pause/Cont> button. You can set a break point
in a background task and step through the code.
As a rule, the background task cannot be controlled in AUTO mode. It is by design that
any error that occurs in the background task cannot be recovered in AUTO mode.

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 6. The SPEL+ Language

Therefore, thorough debugging in PROGRAM mode is recommended. Be particularly

careful that the communication errors are handled properly without fail before using the
background task in AUTO mode.

The following tables show how the background will (or will not) be affected by operation
from the console.
Operator Window
Button Background task
START It will not be affected.
Abort It will not be affected.
Pause It will not be affected.
Continue It will not be affected.

Remote Input
Button Background task
Start / Stop It will not be affected.
Pause / Continue It will not be affected.
Reset It will not be affected.
Shutdown It will be stopped.

Run Window (PROGRAM mode)

Button Background task
Start You can select how to start the task.
Abort You can select how to abort the task:
abort only non-background task or abort all tasks including the
background task.
Pause It will not be affected.
Continue It will not be affected.

Task Manager (PROPGRAM mode)

Button Background task
Halt / Resume When the background task is selected, you cannot execute
Halt/Resume.
Quit When the background task is selected, you can execute Quit.
Pause/Cont It will not be affected.
Stop All tasks including the background task will stop.

Break point (PROGRAM mode)

Switch name Background task
Set a break point You can set a breakpoint to the background task.
It will pause at the break point.
Step Into Available
Step Over Available
Continue Available
Walk Available, but the motion commands are not available to execute from
the background task.

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6.23.4 Commands that will cause error in background task

The following commands are prohibited in background tasks and execution will result in
error:
- commands that relate to the Manipulator operation or operation settings
- commands that relate to the Vision relation instruction
- TRAP commands
If a program that is to be executed as the background task includes any of the following
commands, it will result in error when executed.
However, using the command related to the Manipulator operation settings or the
Manipulator settings to gain the current setting values or refer to them will not result in
error:
Commands that will cause error are almost the same as with NoEmgAbort, but there are
some commands such as Xqt that can be executed in a background task.
For details, refer to EPSON RC+ 7.0 Online Help or Xqt in SPEL+ Language Reference.

6.23.5 Background task and Remote control

No matter whether the background task is being executed or not, it doesn’t affect the
remote I/O outputs Ready, Running, and Pause. For example, even if the background task
is being executed, when no non-background tasks (Task No. 1 - 32) are being executed,
the READY output will be ON.

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 6. The SPEL+ Language

6.24 Predefined Constants

There are several predefined constants for use in SPEL+ program. A project build time,
the values for these constants are substituted for the constant name.
Constant name Value Use
TRUE -1 Boolean expression
FALSE 0 Boolean expression
High 1
Low 0
Off 0
On 1
Above 1
Below 2
NoFlip 1
Flip 2
Righty 1
Lefty 2
J1 1
J2 2
J3 4
J4 8
J5 16
J6 32
J7 64
CR CHR$(13)
CHR$(13)+
CRLF
CHR$(10)
LF CHR$(10)
MB_OK 0 MsgBox flags
MB_OKCANCEL 1 MsgBox flags
MB_ABORTRETRYIGNORE 2 MsgBox flags
MB_YESNOCANCEL 3 MsgBox flags
MB_YESNO 4 MsgBox flags
MB_RETRYCANCEL 5 MsgBox flags
MB_ICONSTOP 16 MsgBox flags
MB_ICONQUESTION 32 MsgBox flags
MB_ICONEXCLAMATION 48 MsgBox flags
MB_ICONINFORMATION 64 MsgBox flags
MB_DEFBUTTON1 0 MsgBox flags
MB_DEFBUTTON2 256 MsgBox flags
IDOK 1 MsgBox return
IDCANCEL 2 MsgBox return
IDABORT 3 MsgBox return
IDRETRY 4 MsgBox return
IDIGNORE 5 MsgBox return
IDYES 6 MsgBox return
IDNO 7 MsgBox return
BACKCOLORMODE_VISUALSTYLE 0 For GUI Builder
BACKCOLORMODE_USER 1 For GUI Builder
BORDERSTYLE_NONE 0 For GUI Builder
BORDERSTYLE_FIXEDSINGLE 1 For GUI Builder
BORDERSTYLE_FIXED3D 2 For GUI Builder
CNV_QUELEN_ALL 0 Cnv_QueLen
CNV_QUELEN_UPSTREAM 1 Cnv_QueLen
CNV_QUELEN_PICKUPAREA 2 Cnv_QueLen
CNV_QUELEN_DOWNSTREAM 3 Cnv_QueLen
DEVID_SELF 21 CLS
DEVID_TP 24 CLS
DEVID_TP3 30 CLS
DIALOGRESULT_NOE 0 For GUI Builder
DIALOGRESULT_OK 1 For GUI Builder
DIALOGRESULT_CANCEL 2 For GUI Builder

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6. The SPEL+ Language

Constant name Value Use

DLG_IOMON 102 RunDialog
DLG_ROBOTMNG 100 RunDialog
DLG_ROBOTPANEL 100 ShowDialog
DLG_VGUIDE 110 ShowDialog
DROPDOWNSTYLE_SIMPLE 0 For GUI Builder
DROPDOWNSTYLE_DROPDOWN 1 For GUI Builder
DROPDOWNSTYLE_DROPDOWNLIST 2 For GUI Builder
ERROR_DOINGMOTION 2999 For GUI Builder
ERROR_NOMOTION 2998 For GUI Builder
EVENTTASKTYPE_NORMAL 0 For GUI Builder
EVENTTASKTYPE_NOPAUSE 1 For GUI Builder
EVENTTASKTYPE_NOEMGABORT 2 For GUI Builder
FORCE_LESS 0 Force_SetTrigger
FORCE_GREATER 1 Force_SetTrigger
FORCE_XFORCE 2 Force_SetTrigger
FORCE_YFORCE 3 Force_SetTrigger
FORCE_ZFORCE 4 Force_SetTrigger
FORCE_XTORQUE 5 Force_SetTrigger
FORCE_YTORQUE 6 Force_SetTrigger
FORCE_ZTORQUE 7 Force_SetTrigger
FORMBORDERSTYLE_NONE 0 For GUI Builder
FORMBORDERSTYLE_FIXEDSINGLE 1 For GUI Builder
FORMBORDERSTYLE_FIXED3D 2 For GUI Builder
FORMBORDERSTYLE_FIXEDDIALOG 3 For GUI Builder
FORMBORDERSTYLE_SIZABLE 4 For GUI Builder
IMAGEALIGN_TOPLEFT 1 For GUI Builder
IMAGEALIGN_TOPCENTER 2 For GUI Builder
IMAGEALIGN_TOPRIGHT 3 For GUI Builder
IMAGEALIGN_MIDDLELEFT 4 For GUI Builder
IMAGEALIGN_MIDDLECENTER 5 For GUI Builder
IMAGEALIGN_MIDDLERIGHT 6 For GUI Builder
IMAGEALIGN_BOTTOMLEFT 7 For GUI Builder
IMAGEALIGN_BOTTOMCENTER 8 For GUI Builder
IMAGEALIGN_BOTTOMRIGHT 9 For GUI Builder
IOTYPE_INPUT 0 IOLabel function
IOTYPE_OUTPUT 1 IOLabel function
IOTYPE_MEMORY 2 IOLabel function
IOSIZE_BIT 1 IOLabel function
IOSIZE_BYTE 8 IOLabel function
IOSIZE_WORD 16 IOLabel function
LANGID_ENGLISH 0 ErrMsg$
LANGID_JAPANESE 1 ErrMsg$
LANGID_GERMAN 2 ErrMsg$
LANGID_FRENCH 3 ErrMsg$
LANGID_SIMPLIFIED_CHINESE 4 ErrMsg$
LANGID_TRADITIONAL_CHINESE 5 ErrMsg$
MODE_STANDARD 1 PerformMode
MODE_HIGH_SPEED 2 PerformMode
MODE_LOW_OSCILLATION 3 PerformMode
SCROLLBARS_NONE 0 For GUI Builder
SCROLLBARS_HORIZ 1 For GUI Builder
SCROLLBARS_VERT 2 For GUI Builder
SCROLLBARS_BOTH 3 For GUI Builder
SETLATCH_PORT_CU_0 24 SetLatch
SETLATCH_PORT_CU_1 25 SetLatch
SETLATCH_PORT_DU1_0 56 SetLatch
SETLATCH_PORT_DU1_1 57 SetLatch
SETLATCH_PORT_DU2_0 280 SetLatch
SETLATCH_PORT_DU2_1 281 SetLatch
SETLATCH_TRIGGERMODE_LEADINGEDGE 1 SetLatch
SETLATCH_TRIGGERMODE_TRAILINGEDGE 0 SetLatch

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 6. The SPEL+ Language

Constant name Value Use

SHUTDOWN_ALL 0 Shutdown
SHUTDOWN_RESTART 1 Shutdown
SHUTDOWN_EPSONRC 2 Shutdown
SING_NONE 0 AvoidSingularity
SING_THRU 1 AvoidSingularity
SING_THRUROT 2 AvoidSingularity
SING_VSD 3 AvoidSingularity
SING_AUTO 4 AvoidSingularity
STARTPOSITION_MANUAL 0 For GUI Builder
STARTPOSITION_CENTERSCREEN 1 For GUI Builder
STARTPOSITION_CENTERPARENT 2 For GUI Builder
TEXTALIGN_LEFT 1 For GUI Builder
TEXTALIGN_CENTER 2 For GUI Builder
TEXTALIGN_RIGHT 3 For GUI Builder
TEXTALIGN_TOPLEFT 1 For GUI Builder
TEXTALIGN_TOPCENTER 2 For GUI Builder
TEXTALIGN_TOPRIGHT 3 For GUI Builder
TEXTALIGN_MIDDLELEFT 4 For GUI Builder
TEXTALIGN_MIDDLECENTER 5 For GUI Builder
TEXTALIGN_MIDDLERIGHT 6 For GUI Builder
TEXTALIGN_BOTTOMLEFT 7 For GUI Builder
TEXTALIGN_BOTTOMCENTER 8 For GUI Builder
TEXTALIGN_BOTTOMRIGHT 9 For GUI Builder
VISION_SORT_NONE 0 For Vision Guide
VISION_SORT_PIXELX 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_SORT_PIXELY 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_SORT_PIXELXY 3 For Vision Guide
VISION_SORT_CAMERAX 4 For Vision Guide
VISION_SORT_CAMERAY 5 For Vision Guide
VISION_SORT_CAMERAXY 6 For Vision Guide
VISION_SORT_ROBOTX 7 For Vision Guide
VISION_SORT_ROBOTY 8 For Vision Guide
VISION_SORT_ROBOTXY 9 For Vision Guide
VISION_SIZETOFIND_ANY 0 For Vision Guide
VISION_SIZETOFIND_LARGEST 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_SIZETOFIND_SMALLEST 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_BACKCOLOR_NONE 0 For Vision Guide
VISION_BACKCOLOR_BLACK 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_BACKCOLOR_WHITE 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_CAMORIENT_STANDALONE 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_CAMORIENT_FIXEDDOWN 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_CAMORIENT_FIXEDUP 3 For Vision Guide
VISION_CAMORIENT_MOBILEJ2 4 For Vision Guide
VISION_CAMORIENT_MOBILEJ4 5 For Vision Guide
VISION_CAMORIENT_MOBILEJ5 6 For Vision Guide
VISION_CAMORIENT_MOBILEJ6 7 For Vision Guide
VISION_FOUNDCOLOR_LIGHTGREEN 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_FOUNDCOLOR_DARKGREEN 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_GRAPHICS_ALL 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_GRAPHICS_POSONLY 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_GRAPHICS_NONE 3 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_OPEN 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_CLOSE 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_ERODE 3 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_DILATE 4 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_SMOOTH 5 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_SHARPEN1 6 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_SHARPEN2 7 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_HORIZEDGE 8 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_VERTEDGE 9 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_EDGEDETECT1 10 For Vision Guide

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Constant name Value Use

VISION_OPERATION_EDGEDETECT2 11 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_LAPLACE1 12 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_LAPLACE2 13 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_THIN 14 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_THICKEN 15 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_BINARIZE 16 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_ROTATE 17 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_FLIPHORIZ 18 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_FLIPVERT 19 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_FLIPBOTH 20 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_COLORFILTER 21 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_SUBTRACTABS 22 For Vision Guide
VISION_OPERATION_ZOOM 23 For Vision Guide
VISION_ACQUIRE_NONE 0 For Vision Guide
VISION_ACQUIRE_STATIONARY 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_ACQUIRE_STROBED 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_TRIGGERMODE_LEADINGEDGE 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_TRIGGERMODE_TRAILINGEDGE 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_THRESHCOLOR_BLACK 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_THRESHCOLOR_WHITE 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_OBJTYPE_CORRELATIO 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_OBJTYPE_BLOB 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_OBJTYPE_EDGE 3 For Vision Guide
VISION_OBJTYPE_POLAR 4 For Vision Guide
VISION_OBJTYPE_LINE 5 For Vision Guide
VISION_OBJTYPE_POINT 6 For Vision Guide
VISION_OBJTYPE_FRAME 7 For Vision Guide
VISION_OBJTYPE_IMAGEOP 8 For Vision Guide
VISION_OBJTYPE_OCR 9 For Vision Guide
VISION_OBJTYPE_CODEREADER 10 For Vision Guide
VISION_OBJTYPE_GEOMETRIC 11 For Vision Guide
VISION_DETAILLEVEL_MEDIUM 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_DETAILLEVEL_HIGH 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_DETAILLEVEL_VERYHIGH 3 For Vision Guide
VISION_IMAGESOURCE_CAMERA 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_IMAGESOURCE_FILE 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_CODETYPE_AUTO 0 For Vision Guide
VISION_CODETYPE_EAN13 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_CODETYPE_CODE39 3 For Vision Guide
VISION_CODETYPE_INTERLEAVED25 4 For Vision Guide
VISION_CODETYPE_CODE128 5 For Vision Guide
VISION_CODETYPE_CODABAR 6 For Vision Guide
VISION_CODETYPE_PDF417 8 For Vision Guide
VISION_CODETYPE_QR 10 For Vision Guide
VISION_CODETYPE_EAN8 13 For Vision Guide
VISION_CODETYPE_UPCA 18 For Vision Guide
VISION_CODETYPE_UPCE 19 For Vision Guide
VISION_CODETYPE_UPC 20 For Vision Guide
VISION_EDGETYPE_SINGLE 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_EDGETYPE_PAIR 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_IMAGECOLOR_ALL 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_IMAGECOLOR_RED 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_IMAGECOLOR_GREEN 3 For Vision Guide
VISION_IMAGECOLOR_BLUE 4 For Vision Guide
VISION_IMAGECOLOR_GRAYSCALE 5 For Vision Guide
VISION_POINTTYPE_POINT 0 For Vision Guide
VISION_POINTTYPE_ENDPOINT 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_POINTTYPE_MIDPOINT 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_POINTTYPE_PERPTOLINE 3 For Vision Guide
VISION_POINTTYPE_STARTPOINT 4 For Vision Guide
VISION_POINTTYPE_PERPTOSTARTPOINT 5 For Vision Guide

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 6. The SPEL+ Language

Constant name Value Use

VISION_POINTTYPE_PERPTOMIDPOINT 6 For Vision Guide
VISION_POINTTYPE_PERPTOENDPOINT 7 For Vision Guide
VISION_REFTYPE_TAUGHTPOINTS 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_REFTYPE_UPWARDCAMERA 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_IMAGESIZE_320X240 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_IMAGESIZE_640X480 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_IMAGESIZE_800X600 3 For Vision Guide
VISION_IMAGESIZE_1024X768 4 For Vision Guide
VISION_IMAGESIZE_1280X1024 5 For Vision Guide
VISION_IMAGESIZE_1600X1200 6 For Vision Guide
VISION_IMAGESIZE_2048X1536 7 For Vision Guide
VISION_IMAGESIZE_2560X1920 8 For Vision Guide
VISION_WINTYPE_RECTANGLE 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_WINTYPE_ROTATEDRECT 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_WINTYPE_CIRCLE 3 For Vision Guide
VISION_ORIENT_BOTH 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_ORIENT_HORIZ 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_ORIENT_VERT 3 For Vision Guide
VISION_DIRECTION_INSIDEOUT 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_DIRECTION_OUTSIDEIN 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_POLARITY_DARK 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_POLARITY_LIGHT 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_PASSTYPE_SOMEFOUND 1 For Vision Guide
VISION_PASSTYPE_ALLFOUND 2 For Vision Guide
VISION_PASSTYPE_SOMENOTFOUND 3 For Vision Guide
VISION_PASSTYPE_ALLNOTFOUND 4 For Vision Guide
WIN_IOMON -1 For GUI Builder
WIN_TASKMGR -2 For GUI Builder
WIN_FORCEMON -3 For GUI Builder
WIN_SIMULATOR -4 For GUI Builder
WINDOWSTATE_NORMAL 0 WindowsStatus
WINDOWSTATE_MINIMIZED 1 WindowsStatus
WINDOWSTATE_MAXIMIZED 2 WindowsStatus
WithMove 0 Recover
WithoutMove 1 Recover

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6.25 Calling Native Functions in Dynamic Link Libraries

EPSON RC+ 7.0 allows you to call native functions in Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs).
This is used for complicated arithmetic processing and call for a native function of an
external device.
To call the native DLL function, use a Declare statement which is a function definition
command from the SPEL+ program and write a function call as normal.
For details, refer to the Declare in the EPSON RC+ 7.0 SPEL+ Language Reference.

Sample of calling a native DLL

By using a development tool such as Microsoft Visual Studio 2008, you can create a
native DLL that can be called from SPEL+. Here, it uses Visual Studio 2008 as a sample
to create a function that executes the arithmetic operator.

Step 1: Decide on variable type for a native DLL

You need to plan the data type to use for transferring with the native DLL in the EPSON
RC+ 7.0.
Correspondence table for the EPSON RC+ 7.0 data type and the C/C++ variable type is
shown below.
You cannot use the C/C++ byte type and structure because the EPSON RC+ 7.0 has no
correspond data for them.

Data correspondence
EPSON RC+ 7.0 C/C++
Boolean short
Byte short
Short short
Integer short
Long int
Real float
Double double
String char [256] * Null included

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 6. The SPEL+ Language

Step 2: Create a native DLL

(1) Start Visual Studio 2008.
(2) Select the [File]-[New]-[Project] from the Visual Studio 2008 menu.
Select the Win32 in the [Project type (P):].
Select the Win32 project in the [Template (T):].
Type in a project name in the [Project (N):]. (Here types in “MyCalculator”.)
Click the <OK> button.

(3) Start the Win32 application wizard.

Click the <Next> button.

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6. The SPEL+ Language

(4) Select the <DLL> option button in the [Application type:].

Check the [Export symbols] box in the [Additional options:].
Click the <Finish> button.

(5) A simple example of function fnMyCalculator will be created in MyCalculato.cpp.

Add a function MyArithmetic which executes the arithmetic operator to this file.

MYCALCULATOR_API float MyArithmetic(short value1, short

value2, char * kind )
{
if ( !strcmp(kind, "add") )
{
return (float)(value1 + value2);
}
else if ( !strcmp(kind, "sub") )
{
return (float)(value1 - value2);
}
else if ( !strcmp(kind, "mul") )
{
return (float)(value1 * value2);
}
else if ( !strcmp(kind, "div") )
{
return (float)(value1) / (float)(value2);
}
else
{
strcat_s(kind, 10, " NG");
return 0;
}
}

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 6. The SPEL+ Language

(6) Export a function to enable it to be called from SPEL+.

Select the [Add New Item] from the Project menu.
The [Add New Item] dialog will appear.

Select the module definition file (def) in the [Templates:].

Type in a file name in the [Name:].
(Here sets MyCalculator as a file name.)
Click the <Add> button.

Register “fnMyCalculator function” and “MyArithmetic function” to the created

“MyCalculator.def” file.

LIBRARY "MyCalculator"
EXPORTS
fnMyCalculator
MyArithmetic

(7) Build the project and create the DLL.

Select the [Build]-[MyCalculator] build from the Visual Studio 2008 menu.
DLL will be successfully created if any error is displayed.

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6. The SPEL+ Language

Step 3: Call the DLL function from SPEL+

You can now try your DLL function from SPEL+.
NOTE Before you call your function from the EPSON RC+ 7.0, you must debug it and check
 thoroughly if it can work without errors.
In case that error occurs (such as system error) in the native function, the EPSON RC+ 7.0
will not work normally.
(1) Copy the created MyCalculator.dll to the EPSON RC+ 7.0 project folder (e.g.
C:\EpsonRC70\projects\dllcall).
(2) Define a DLL function which executes the arithmetic operator in the SPEL+ program
and write a function call for MyArithmetic in Function main.

Declare MyArithmetic, "MyCalculator.dll"(value1 As Integer,

value2 As Integer, ByRef calc$ As String) As Real
Function main
Real result;
String calc$

calc$ = "add"
result = MyArithmetic(1, 2, ByRef calc$);
Print "1+2=", Str$(result)
calc$ = "sub"
result = MyArithmetic(1, 2, ByRef calc$);
Print "1-2=", Str$(result)
calc$ = "mul"
result = MyArithmetic(1, 2, ByRef calc$);
Print "1*2=", Str$(result)
calc$ = "div"
result = MyArithmetic(1, 2, ByRef calc$);
Print "1/2=", Str$(result)
Fend

(3) Build and execute the project.

The following result will be displayed.
1+2=3
1-2=-1
1*2=2
1/2=0.5

NOTE Before you build the project, be sure to copy the native DLL to the project folder
 without fail. If you fail, a warning or error will occur.

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 7. Building SPEL+ Applications

7. Building SPEL+ Applications

7.1 Designing Applications

7.1.1 Creating the simplest application

The simplest SPEL+ application has one program and one point file. This is what is
automatically defined for you when you create a new project. A blank program named
“Main.prg” and a blank point file named “Points.pts” are created.

To write and run a simple application

1. Select [New Project] from the [Project] menu to create a new project.
2. Write your program source code in the file that was created for you called “Main.prg”.
3. Teach the robot points using the [Robot Manager]-[Jog & Teach] page.
4. Run the program by selecting [Run] Window from the [Run] menu or by pressing F5
(the shortcut key for the [Start] command).

7.1.2 Application layout

Before writing your application, you need to decide what your application will accomplish
and how the project will be structured. Here are some general guide lines.
Programs
Each project can contain up to 64 programs that can be started from the Operator Window,
Remote Control, RC+ API, or GUI Builder. Each program has a start function, as shown
in the table below.
Program # Program Name Start Function
0 main main
1 main1 main1
2 main2 main2
3 main3 main3
4 main4 main4
5 main5 main5
6 main6 main6
7 main7 main7
… … …
63 main63 main63
Your project must always define function main so that the main program can be started.
The other programs are optional. If you use the Operator Window for your operator
interface, you can define meaningful names for each of the programs used in your project
in [Project]-[Properties]-[Operator setting]-[Operator Window].

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7. Building SPEL+ Applications

Operator interface
Operator Window
Use the operator window provided with EPSON RC+ 7.0. You can configure EPSON
RC+ 7.0 so that after Windows starts, EPSON RC+ 7.0 will start in Auto mode, which will
automatically open the Operator Window.
Operators can select up to 64 programs. They can also optionally use the Pause/Continue
buttons, I/O Monitor, Robot Manager, and System History viewer.
To use the Operator Window to allow programs to be started and stopped, the Control
Device must be set to Self from [Setup]-[System Configuration]-[Controller]-
[Configuration].
For details on configuring EPSON RC+ 7.0 for auto start, refer to 4.2.3 Start Mode.

Remote Control
Use remote control to turn motors on/off, home the robot, start programs, etc. A simple
push button box can be used, or a PLC can be connected.
When using Remote Control, the Control Device must be set to Remote from [Setup]-
[System Configuration]-[SPEL Controller Board]-[Configuration].
Windows Applications using RC+ API
Use the RC+ API Option along with a Windows development tool such as Visual Basic,
Visual C#, or Visual C++. See the RC+ API Manual for more information.

GUI Builder
To use the GUI Builder option, refer to the GUI Builder manual.

Safety interface
Use guard doors, safety mats, light curtains, etc. to protect the operator from injury.

Robot Points, Pallets, Tools, Locals

Decide on which points you need for the work cell. In many cases you will only need one
point file per robot.
Take advantage of Pallets, Tools, and Locals. Time spent on using these can save hours
later on the production line. For example, if your cell has many points that take a lot of
time to train, consider using Locals so that if the end effecter is damaged or replaced, you
only need to redefine the Locals, not retrain all of the points.
Try to design in automatic or semi-automatic procedures for calibrating tools and locals.
Even if you define them manually, write instructions on how to define them so the process
can be repeated easily.

Inputs and outputs

Layout your I/O early in the design stages. Use I/O labels in your programs. You must
purchase additional I/O boards if you need more than 24 inputs or 16 outputs. You can
also use the Fieldbus option so the controller can be a Fieldbus slave.

Peripherals
The Robot Controller has one RS-232C port as standard (two ports depending on the type
of controller). You can also add up to 9 ports by installing an optional RS232C expansion
board. Refer to 13. RS-232 Communications for details.
You can use TCP/IP to connect peripheral equipment.
Refer to 14. TCP/IP Communications for details.

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 7. Building SPEL+ Applications

7.1.3 Auto start at power up

Your application can automatically log in a Windows user and start you SPEL+ project
after Windows boots.
Refer to 4.2.7 Auto Start.

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7. Building SPEL+ Applications

7.2 Managing Projects

7.2.1 Overview
What is an EPSON RC+ 7.0 Project?
An EPSON RC+ 7.0 project is a collection of SPEL+ program files, include files, robot
point files, I/O labels, user errors, Vision settings, and conveyor settings used to run a
SPEL+ application.

Why do you need projects?

Projects are a safe and convenient way to manage your SPEL+ applications. All the
information for each application is kept in one project. By keeping all of your application
code and point definitions in one project, it is easy to open a project and begin running or
editing. Also, it is easy to create new versions of an application and run older versions.
Projects make it easier to maintain your application code with less chance of a program
being lost.
There are also functions for copying and renaming projects, making it easy to create new
projects from previous versions and for backing up projects to an external media such as a
USB memory key.

What does an EPSON RC+ 7.0 project consist of?

Each project is stored in the \EpsonRC70\Projects directory.
The following paragraphs describe the components of a project.

Project file
This file contains all of the information that describes the project. This file is
automatically created by EPSON RC+ 7.0. You should never edit this file. Doing so may
cause errors when you open the project. The file extension is “.sprj”.

Program files
A program file is an ASCII text file that contains one or more SPEL+ functions. Each
function in SPEL+ can be run as a separate task (thread) in the controller or called from
other functions.
Include files can also be used. These contain macro definitions and must be included in a
program file using the #include statement. The file extension is “.prg”.

Point files
A point file contains a list of robot points. The file extension is “.pts”.

Include files
In the include file, you can declare variables and macros. The file extension is “.inc”.

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 7. Building SPEL+ Applications

7.2.2 Creating a new project

Projects always reside in specific drive, \EpsonRC70\Projects folder. Also you can create
a sub-folder to systematize the projects of different types.

To create a new project

1. Select [New Project] from the [Project] menu.
The [New Project] dialog box will appear.
2. Select the disk drive where you want the project to be stored on.
3. Select the project folder or create a new folder by clicking the <New Folder> button
after selecting the parent folder.
4. Type in the name for the new project.
5. Optionally, select a template to base the project on.
6. Choose <OK> to create the project.

7.2.3 Configuring a project

Each application project you create must be configured properly before you can run the
program.
There are two commands in the [Project] menu that allow you to configure a project: [Edit
and Properties].
Editing a project
Select [Edit] from the [Project] Menu to open the [Edit Project] dialog. From this dialog,
you configure program files, include files, and point files used in the current project.

For details on [Project]-[Edit], refer to 5.9.5 [Edit] Command (Project Menu).

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7. Building SPEL+ Applications

7.2.4 Building a project

Before you run any program in your application, you must build the project.

To build your application project

Select [Build] from the [Project] menu or click on the <Build> button on the toolbar.
Or
Select [Rebuild] from the [Project] menu. This will rebuild the entire project.
Or
Select [Run Window] from the [Run] menu or click the <Run> button on the toolbar.
The project will be built before the [Run] Window appears.
Or
Select [Operator Window] from the [Run] Menu. The project will be built before the
[Operator Window appears.
After the files have been compiled and linked, the project files are sent to the controller.
Status Pane
This window shows progress messages and error messages during project build.

Double click
this line to go
to the source
code.

When errors occur during the build process, a message is displayed that includes the error
number, program file name, and line number. Double click on the line with the error to go
directly to the source code that caused the error.

7.2.5 Backing up a project

To make a backup copy of the current project, use the [Copy Project] command in the
[Project] menu to copy the project to another disk drive or folder. You can also save the
project under a different name.
This command is useful for transferring a project to an external media such as a USB
memory.

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 7. Building SPEL+ Applications

7.3 Editing Programs

Before you can edit a program, it must be in the current project and opened in a program
window.
To open a program for editing
1. Select [Open] from the [File] menu.
2. Select the file(s) you want to open.
3. Choose <OK> to open the file.

7.3.1 Program rules

A program contains one or more SPEL+ function definitions.
Lines can be blank. You can insert any number of blank lines to separate subroutines and
functions, if desired.
The maximum length for each line is 512 characters, including the line number, if used.

7.3.2 Typing in program code

You can enter program statements in upper or lower case. Whenever you leave a line that
has been changed, the line will be formatted. SPEL+ keywords are case formatted and
spaces are inserted around operators and after semi-colons and commas.
Consider using mixed case or lower case for variables and function names instead of all
CAPs. This will make your code easier to read.
Use indentation for statements within loops. The “Auto Indent” feature automatically
moves the cursor under the start of the previous line. It also indents lines after If, Else, For,
Select, Case, and Do statements.

For i = 1 To 10
Jump P(i)
Jump P0
Next i
Use the “Auto End Construct” feature to automatically add the end construct statement.
For example, when you enter a For statement and press <Enter>, a Next statement is
automatically created with an indented blank line above it.

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7. Building SPEL+ Applications

7.3.3 Syntax Help

When you type in a SPEL+ keyword, the syntax help window will appear to show the
syntax of the statement or function. After the statement is entered, the syntax helper will
automatically close, or you can press the Esc key to close it. You can enable / disable
Syntax Help from the [Setup]-[Preferences]-[Editor] tab.
A list box will be displayed for some parameters as you type. To select a value in the list,
use the up and down arrow keys, or type the first few characters, to highlight the desired
item, then press <Tab> to select the item. You can also type in a value not shown in the
list, such as a variable or literal constant. Press <Esc> to hide the list box. In addition to
<Tab>, you can use a comma or period to select an item. In the example shown below, the
first parameter of the On statement can be an output label, so a list of output labels in the
current project is displayed.

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 7. Building SPEL+ Applications

7.3.4 Syntax Errors

When a syntax error is detected, the line with the error will be displayed in red. If the
caret is placed on the line with the error, then a brief message will be displayed on the
status bar. For example, in the program shown below, the message "Expression expected"
is displayed on the status bar.

Red indicates
syntax error

Error message
in status bar

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7. Building SPEL+ Applications

7.4 Editing Points

You can edit the robot points from the robot point file. You can define new points or cut,
copy, and paste points from one point file to another, including between projects.
To open a point file for editing
1. Select [Open] from the [File] menu to show the Open dialog box.
2. Choose the Points option button. You will see a list of point file names in the files list
box.
3. Select the point file you want to edit by clicking on the name.
4. Click <Open> to open the file. You will see a spread sheet window for the point file
you selected.

The robot points spread sheet window

Click here to select a line.

The spreadsheet window contains one row for each point in the file. The spreadsheet
always contains rows for all points, even if they are not defined. The cells for an
undefined point are blank.
Item Description
Row select column This is the leftmost column. Click on this column to select a
row.
Number column Point number. Range is from 0 to a maximum point number.
Name column Name of the point.
Coordinate columns Coordinates of X, Y, Z in millimeters and U, V, and W in
degrees.
Local number column Drop down list of local numbers. Range is from “0” to “15”.
Hand column Drop down list of robot hand orientations: Lefty and Righty.
Elbow column Drop down list of robot elbow orientations: Above and Below.
This column is shown only for 6-axis robots.

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