Fanuc robot Raspberry pi integration

[tmadore]

Has anyone ever tried to integrate a Raspberry Pi to a Fanuc robot?
I have this idea that I want to try out but I need to write integers from a Raspi into data registers within the fanuc robot.
I know the fanuc robot has the Ethernet/IP CIP messaging adapter option, but I'm not looking to reinvent the wheel.
Would an OPC solution be easier?

looking for ideas

 

[Peter Nachtwey]

I don't think R-PIs are reliable enough for industrial applications. My R-PI has died twice. Each time I hand to re-flash ssd.
The big problem is the software for the Ethernet communications.
Writing Ethernet code is a big time sync. It would be best to buy something that already exists.

 

[Ken Roach]

This is something I've spent a little time exploring, but not on this forum because it's a little embarrassing how little I know about Linux and about "real" computer programming with compilers and repositories and dependencies.

If I had to get a cyclic I/O connection running right away between a Raspberry Pi and a PLC or robot controller that had EtherNet/IP Scanner or Adapter function, I would probably just spend a hundred bucks on a CoDeSys runtime license and a USB key. The ordinary CoDeSys runtime for Raspberry Pi includes both EtherNet/IP Scanner and Adapter functionality.

If I had more skill and experience, I would try to use the OpENer project's open-source EtherNet/IP Adapter.

And if I were participating in a project with a real industrial product as its goal, I would get my software and/or hardware from real experienced vendors like Real-Time Automation, HMS Fieldbus, or Hilscher.

But when reading about something leads me to phrases like "all you have to do is wget the makefile and grep the binaries", I figure I'm in over my head.

As always, disclaimers should apply: you get what you pay for with hobbyist hardware and open-source software.

 

[Manglemender]

Earlier Pi's were often described as "unreliable" and that has been many peoples experience. The true culprit in my experience has always been the memory card. I used to buy fairly cheap cards and yes, they would occassionally fail. I started buying more expensive memory cards from Samsung and have not had a sinlge failure since. having said that, Most of my PI4's are now running from an SSD to no memory card involved.

Would I use one for something mission critical? No. I run a PI4 here in the office as a data logging server (amonst other things) and it has been up for 198 days (since last power outage).

If your developing a product to sell then maybe look at something else. Can you make something work? Definately. I have used NodeRed to communicate with Rockwell PLCs and also with OPC servers. You could develope in Nodered on a PI and then migrate it to other hardware if you felt it was necessary.

Exor HMI's also have some awsome abilities to act as a gateway if you wanted something industrial.

Nick

 

[Manglemender]

For anyone interested, the attached picture shows part of a flow in NodeRed that is reading OPC data from an Omron PLC in a machine being tested in the factory. The data is then published to an MQTT server. The data is recieved from the MQTT server and logged to a database here and also buy my customer who can monitor the machine on test in realtime.

Nick