Is it best practice to leave the robot in auto mode or manual mode in idle for robot longevity?

AshTheWaterBoy

I have a IRB1200. I leave it idle for sometimes days sometimes hours. Should I be leaving it in manual mode with motors off to preserve the motors?

lemster68

If it has not been moving, I suppose it counts as idle.  The brakes engaging will let the servos rest and I expect it would also conserve energy.  I checked our newer robots and it seems that the default is now 120 seconds, or two minutes.

nicolahinssen

AshTheWaterBoy said:

Ok so when I activate Broke on time it will engage breaks after 120 seconds of idle. In auto or manual.

The breaks will always be engaged in manual mode when the Flexpendant's 3-position switch (dead man switch on the side) is not held in the center position.

In auto mode, the breaks will engage after two minutes of robot standstill. You will hear a click from the controller, and the drive fans will turn off. The motors will stay on. So as soon as the controller gets a move command, the brakes will disengage automatically.

lemster68

There is a system parameter, Broke on time, which sets the time when idle for the brakes to be applied.
Find it in control panel -> configuration -> topics -> motion -> motion planner.
Read up on it in the technical manual System parameters.
It use to be the maximum allowed value by default, which is 3,600,000 seconds, 41 2/3 days!

AshTheWaterBoy

How does it know when Idle? So in auto mode it will turn the brakes on?

AshTheWaterBoy

So it is best practice to leave it with the brakes on?

AshTheWaterBoy

Ok so when I activate Broke on time it will engage breaks after 120 seconds of idle. In auto or manual.