Serial communication through the Tool I\O

URCap Development URCaps SDK
1

Hello friends,

I am trying to get our UR3 CB3.0 to send commands to my tool’s (end effector) controller,
my tool’s controller is Arduino based, Atmega…and it has serial communication channel (UART).
I am trying to understand how to write a URScript that will open serial channel of 9600 baud rate through the Tool I\O interface.
Otherwise, does anyone have an idea how to make the UR3 to send commands to the end Effector?
We can use the ‘Digital outputs’ as flags for states but there are only two pins, and my tool is much complicated and has various states…much more than two.

I just found out the there’s a development environment for UR but I don’t have any knowledge or experience in the SDK…
maybe some have information or guidance that could help?

much thanks,
Alon

2

Afaik the UR SDK doesn’t give you the ability for serial communication. There are some UR+ modules developed by different manufacturers that used RS485 but those are close sourced. Maybe it would be easier for you to use a ethernet module for the arduino and try to make a TCP/IP connection to it from the robot controller using urscript (server on arduino, client on robot).

3

If the communication isnt super fast, you can get away with some simple bit banging too, using the digital in and outputs.

4

I have a customer who wants to develop an end effector that communicates through the tool serial communications. Where can they get info on how the interface works. It sounds like the sdk is not the right place to do this.

5

They will likely be a UR+ partner.

6

On e-Series, the Tool Communication Interface provides an RS485 bus at the Tool IO.
This topic covers some of it.

Generally, the TCI is accessed using the /dev/ttyTool interface, which typically should be connected to through a URCap daemon process.

7

Hello pho, have you got any other info on this topic (not for e-Series)?
I am also interested in using the digital IN/OUT available on M8 connector to read status and write commands.
I am already thinking about a protocol that woul not take into consideration a synchronized clock or bound-rate, but it would be so much simpler and more efficient if there was a way to use theses available pins as a standard serial communication. Is the some way, perhaps, to jump some IN/OUTs from te controller to the tool? That way it might be possible to synchronize the bits by a bound rate.
Thanks