Agilebot IRC-I8A-S User manual

Product Manual
Instructions for IRC-I8A-S Controller

Product Manual
Instructions for IRC-I8A-S Controller
V1.2
Copyright, 2022 Agilebot Robotics Co., Ltd. All rights reserved!

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The information in this Manual must not be considered as a commitment of Agilebot and may be
changed without prior notice. Agilebot assumes no responsibility for errors (if any) in this Manual.
Except as expressly specified in this Manual, nothing in this Manual shall be construed as any warranty
or guarantee made by Agilebot for personal loss, property damage or specific applicability.
Agilebot assumes no responsibility for any accidents or indirect injuries caused by the use of this
Manual or the product described therein.
This Manual and any parts thereof must not be reproduced or duplicated without written permission
from Agilebot.
Additional copies of this Manual may be obtained from Agilebot.
The original language of this Publication is Chinese.
International standard units are adopted in all publications. GB means Chinese national standard.
© Copyright, 2022 Agilebot Robotics Co., Ltd. All rights reserved!
Agilebot Robotics Co., Ltd.
Shanghai, China

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Revised
Ver.
Date
Status
V1.2
Nov 30, 2023
Release

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Table of Contents
Safety instructions................................................................................................................................7
I. Maintenance......................................................................................................................................13
1Summary ....................................................................................................................................13
2Structure.....................................................................................................................................14
2.1 Appearance of controller......................................................................................................14
2.2 Functions of component units...............................................................................................17
2.3 Maintenance and repair........................................................................................................19
3Resolution of common faults....................................................................................................20
3.1 Don’t power on.....................................................................................................................20
3.2 When the teach pendant cannot be powered on (the LED of the teach pendant does not light
up).......................................................................................................................................20
3.3 Alarm screen........................................................................................................................21
3.4 Stop signal...........................................................................................................................23
3.5 Zero calibration....................................................................................................................24
3.6 Resolution of common faults based on alarm codes.............................................................27
4Replacement of units.................................................................................................................34
4.1 Steps before replacement ....................................................................................................35
4.2 Replacement of safety board................................................................................................36
4.3 Replacement of I/O board ....................................................................................................36
4.4 Replacement of filter board ..................................................................................................37
4.5 Replacement of Circuit Breaker............................................................................................37
4.6 Replacement of power input port..........................................................................................38
4.7 Replacement of core board..................................................................................................38
4.8 Replacement of Controller Main Board.................................................................................39
4.9 Replacement of drive board .................................................................................................39
4.10 Replacement of Power Soft Start Circuit Board....................................................................40
4.11 Replacement of AC-DC Power Supply.................................................................................40
4.12 Replacement of fan unit .......................................................................................................41
II. Connection.......................................................................................................................................43
1Summary ....................................................................................................................................43

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1.1 System configuration............................................................................................................43
1.2 External ports.......................................................................................................................44
2Connection with devices ...........................................................................................................46
2.1 Connecting cables of the robot.............................................................................................46
2.2 Cables of teach pendant ......................................................................................................46
2.3 Preparation of input power cable..........................................................................................47
2.4 Grounding and shielding connection.....................................................................................48
2.5 Elimination of interference....................................................................................................49
2.6 About leakage Circuit Breaker..............................................................................................50
2.7 About On/Off time of Circuit Breaker ....................................................................................50
2.8 Connection of external emergency stop signals....................................................................50
3Peripheral devices .....................................................................................................................51
3.1 Ports of peripheral devices...................................................................................................51
3.2 Ports and connection of peripheral devices ..........................................................................57
3.3 Connection between safety board and peripheral devices....................................................61
3.4 Connection between arm I/O port and peripheral devices.....................................................62
3.5 Connection of communication device (Ethernet port)............................................................63
4Handling and mounting .............................................................................................................64
4.1 Handling method..................................................................................................................64
4.2 Mounting method .................................................................................................................65
4.3 Mounting conditions.............................................................................................................66
4.4 Adjustment and confirmation items during mounting.............................................................67
Appendice............................................................................................................................................68
A. List of Specifications.............................................................................................................68
B. Meaning of control system I/Osignals of peripheral devices.................................................70

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Safety instructions
It is necessary to read and understand the contents described in this chapter before using robots.
In this Manual, the robot system refers to an integrated system integrating the industrial robot and its
controller, teach pendant, cables, software and other accessories. So, it is required to fully consider the
safety precautions of the user and the system.
Nobody is allowed to modify the industrial robot without authorization from Agilebot Robotics Co., Ltd.
Agilebot Robotics Co., Ltd. shall assume no responsibility for any damage to the industrial robot or its
components due to the use of any other components (software, tools, etc.) not provided by Agilebot.
Agilebot Robotics Co., Ltd. assumes no responsibility for any consequences caused by misuse of the
industrial robot. The misuse includes:
➢Use the robot beyond the specified parameter range
➢Use it as a carrier for humans or animals
➢Use it as a climbing tool
➢Use it in explosive environments
➢Use it without safety protection
Besides safety precautions in this chapter, this Manual contains other safety instructions, which must
be followed as well.

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Definition of user
The operators are defined as follows:
➢Operator
Perform power-on/off operation on the robot.
Start the robot program from the panel board.
➢Robot Engineer
Operate the robot.
Perform teaching and programming debugging of the robot within the safety fence.
➢Maintenance Engineer
Operate the robot.
Perform teaching of the robot within the safety fence.
Carry out maintenance (repair, adjustment, replacement) operations on the robot.
The “Operator” is not allowed to enter the safety fence.
The "Robot Engineer" and "Maintenance Engineer" can carry out operations within the safety fence.
The operations within the safety fence include handling, setting, teaching, adjustment, maintenance, etc.
To carry out the operations within the safety fence, it is necessary to receive professional training on
the robot.
When operating, programming and maintaining the robot, the operator, programmer and maintenance
engineer must give a safety warning and wear at least the following protective articles.
➢Work clothes suitable for operations
➢Safety shoes
➢Safety helmets

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Definition of safety records
This Manual includes safety warnings to ensure personal safety of the users and avoid any damage to
the machine tool and describes them with "Danger" and "Warning" in the main text based on their
importance in safety.
In addition, relevant supplementary explanations are described as "Caution".
Before use, the user must thoroughly read the precautions described in "Danger", "Warning" and
"Caution”.
Identification
Definition
Danger
It indicates dangerous situations possibly resulting in serious injury or death to the
user during incorrect operation.
Warning
It indicates dangerous situations possibly resulting in mild or moderate personal injury
or property damage during incorrect operation.
Caution
It provides supplementary explanations outside the scope of danger or warning.
Please read this Manual carefully and keep it secure for easy reference at any time.

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Warnings and precautions related to operation of the controller
Warning
Warnings and precautions related to operation of the controller
1. IRC-I8A-S is a closed structure. During design, it is required to prevent dust, oil mist and other
conductive foreign objects around the controller from entering its interior. Regardless of whether the
controller is running or not, its airtightness may be lost if it is not locked properly, leading to a
malfunction and even possible electric shock, leakage or fire due to insulation degradation.
2. Except for maintenance engineers, nobody is allowed to open the door of the controller. So, please
lock it properly.
3. To prevent electric shock, do not power on the controller while the door is open.
4. Lock the Circuit Breaker to prevent power-on if the controller is connected to the power source.
5. Provide more than one E-stop button within reach of the operator according to the system
configuration.
Make sure to connect the ground wire when the controller is connected to the power source.

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Safety warning label
Both the robot and the controller bear several safety and information labels, which contain important
information related to the product. This information is very useful for all persons operating the robot
system, e.g. during mounting, maintenance or operation.
The safety labels are only graphical and applicable to all languages.
Caution
It is required to observe the safety and health signs on the product label. In addition, it is also necessary
to comply with the supplementary safety information provided by the system builder or integrator.
Sign
Description
An electric shock may occur if the internally energized parts of the
controller are touched when powered on.
Operation against the instructions may result in an accident of
injury and/or product damage. This is a warning message
applicable to certain functional requirements.
Grounding sign of controller
Electric shock

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Sign
Description
Keep your hand away from moving parts, otherwise your hand or
fingers may get stuck between the axis and the cover.
The robots equipped with telescopic covers do not pose the risk of
pinching hands or fingers. Therefore, they do not have this label.
Never enter the work area while the robot is moving. Otherwise,
the robot may collide with the operator. This is very dangerous and
may cause serious safety issues.
Beware of burns due to high temperature.
Handling and hoisting
Beware of collision in the work area.

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I. Maintenance
1 Summary
This Instructions is applicable to the IRC-I8A-S controller.
It describes the maintenance and connection of IRC-I8A-S for the robot.
Maintenance: Resolution of common faults, unit setting, adjustment and replacement methods
Connection: Methods for connecting IRC-I8A-S and the robot mechanism and peripheral devices and
mounting the controller.
Warning
Provide more than one (inclusive) E-stop button within reach of the operator according to the system
configuration. Please disconnect the power supply of the controller or press the E-stop button when
entering the range of motion of the robot.
Integrated
Category
Industrial robot controller
Standard
Drive-distributed
Compact
Small
Generation II
Generation I
4 axes
6 axes
8 axes
Technical
characteristics
Type
Number of axles
Version
Blank
Naming rules for robot controller

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2 Structure
2.1 Appearance of controller
The appearance and components of the controller may vary slightly according to the robot, various
option configurations and application programs.
(Communication area)
Fig. 2.1 Appearance of IRC-14A-C Controller
Teach
pendant port
Fan unit
AC 220V
power inlet
Circuit
Breaker
Motor power supply and
encoder connector
E-stop button on
controller body
Release button on controller body
Light
Manual brake release button
Communication area
I/O port
LAN2 Port
USB port
Safety circuit port
LAN1 Port
Reserved Ethernet port
Reserved Ethernet port

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Fig. 2.2 Dimensions of Controller
Fig. 2.3 Front View of Teach Pendant
On/Off
ModeSwitch
E-stop
Reset
Start
Pause/stop
Manual control
Optional area
Front view
Top view

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Fig. 2.4 Rear View of Teach Pendant
Caution
When the USB port on the controller is used to back up related data of the robot, it is recommended to
use a storage device in the FAT32 format of the USB2.0 protocol and with a capacity between 8G-
32GB, such as USB flash drive, mobile hard drive, etc.
The recommended USB drive brands and models are shown in the table below:
Brand
Model
Capacity
Kingston
DTXM
32G
SanDisk
CZ73
32G
The USB memory has security features and the product requiring password authentication when
accessing to the drive cannot be used.
Three-Postion Enabling
Switches

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2.2 Functions of component units
The following figure illustrates the internal structure and main component functions of the IRC-I8A-S
controller.
Fig. 2.5 Interior of Controller
Fig. 2.6 Interior of Controller
Controller Main
Board
Drive board
Controller
Core Board
I/O
board
EMI Filter
Board
Safety
board

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Fig. 2.7 Interior of Controller
Controller Core Board: The core circuit of main control mainly realizes servo control and motion control
of the robot controller.
Controller Main Board: Peripheral circuits of main control, including the circuits for encoder port, IO port,
Ethernet port, USB port, RS485, RS232 and other ports; it is integrated with safety board functions and
can achieve board expansion of 2 slots.
EMI Filter Board: It achieves EMI noise suppression, reduces the conducted radiation of the noise
generated by the robot on the power grid and suppresses external conducted interference to the robot.
Drive board: The motor drives the power circuit to input a weak current control signal and outputs the
driving current required for motor rotation.
I/O board: An electrical signal management board used by the robot to communicate with peripheral
devices, e.g. end-effector and external devices. The I/O board in standard configuration can provide 6
RI ports, 6 RO ports, 25 DI ports and 25 DO ports.
Safety board: The safety logic management component of the robot control system, which centrally
controls safety functions and operation logics of the entire system, ensuring the safety and reliability of
the whole control system.
Power Soft Start
Circuit Board

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2.3 Maintenance and repair
It is possible to maintain the performance of the robot in a long-term stable state through daily
maintenance, regular maintenance and regular repair.
⚫Daily maintenance
During daily operation of the system, clean and repair all parts, check for cracks or damage
on each part and conduct maintenance for the following items at any time.
Before running:
Confirm if the teach pendant cable is excessively twisted. Please confirm if the controller
and peripheral devices are abnormal.
After running:
Return the robot to the appropriate position and cut off the power supply to the controller
after running. Confirm whether there are cracks or damages while cleaning and maintaining
various parts. Clean excessive dust (if any) attached to the vent of the controller.
⚫1-month maintenance
1) Confirm if the fan rotates normally. Clean excessive dust and other impurities (if any)
adhering to the fan.
2) Confirm that an alarm is detected after the emergency stop is input, or stop and reset
the controller to confirm normal startup in order to confirm normal operation of safety
functions.
3) Check for any abnormal stains outside the controller. If any, please identify the cause
and take necessary measures to clean them. Check whether the cable port is
connected securely and reliably.
⚫Maintenance tools
It is recommended to prepare the following measuring instruments as maintenance tools:
AC/DC voltmeter (sometimes, a digital voltmeter is required)
1) Measuring instrument: AC/DCvoltmeter (sometimes, a digital multimeter is required)
2) Tools: Phillips screwdriver, slotted screwdriver, socket screwdriver, wire pliers, scissors
and tweezers.

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3 Resolution of common faults
3.1 Don’t power on
Inspection and treatment
Diagram
Inspection 1: Confirm that the Circuit Breaker
has been switched on.
Treatment 1: Switch on the Circuit Breaker
when it is not connected.
Treatment 2: Check if the Circuit Breaker is in a
trip state.
3.2 When the teach pendant cannot be powered on (the LED of the teach pendant
does not light up)
Inspection and treatment
Diagram
Inspection 1: Confirm if the Teach Pendant
connection cable is damaged.
Inspection 2: Confirm if the pin of the Teach
Pendant Connector is damaged.
Treatment 1: Check if the cable is damaged and
replace it if damaged.
Treatment 2: Check if the pin is damaged and
replace it if damaged.
Circuit Breaker
Teach Pendant
Connector