Scara Setup & RCX Studio

Initial Network Setup & PC Configuration

Connecting to a factory-fresh Yamaha robot controller requires setting your programming laptop to the same network subnet as the controller's default IP address.

The standard factory default IP address for a Yamaha YK500XGL SCARA robot controller is 192.168.0.2.

To configure your Windows PC network adapter:

1. Open Network & Internet Settings and select Change adapter options.

2. Right-click your Ethernet adapter, choose Properties, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and click Properties.

3. Select Use the following IP address and set the static IP address to 192.168.0.103 with a Subnet Mask of 255.255.255.0. Ensure the first three octets (192.168.0) match the controller while keeping the fourth octet unique.

4. Open the Command Prompt and run ping 192.168.0.2 to verify hardware network connectivity.

Online Connection & Controller IP Reassignment

With physical and logical communication verified, use RCX Studio to connect to the physical controller and assign a project-specific IP address:

1. Launch RCX Studio and create a New Project.

2. Select New Controller Connection and choose Online Mode using the Ethernet connection type.

3. Verify the target IP (192.168.0.2) and Port number (23, default port) before clicking Finish to connect.

4. To reassign the controller's IP address to match a specific lab environment, navigate to System -> Communication Setting.

5. Update the IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.61) and Gateway address (192.168.1.1).

6. Click OK to apply settings, update your PC's IP address to the 192.168.1.x subnet, and re-establish the online connection using the updated target IP.

Axis Originating (Homing Procedure)

Before a Scara robot can perform Cartesian moves, all four axes (A1, A2, A3, and A4) must be origined to establish pulse count positions relative to hardware sensors.

Pre-Origin Safety Checks:

• Position the A1 (X-axis arm) and A2 (Y-axis arm) joints left-of-center relative to their flags to ensure counterclockwise rotation hits the origin sensors without binding or striking mechanical hard stops.

• Verify that attached end-of-arm tooling will not wrap air lines or electrical cables during homing rotation.

Default Origin Sequence:

1. Z-Axis (A3): Drives upward to bottom out (torque-based origin) or trigger the top position sensor, clearing tools from the workspace.

2. X-Axis (A1): Rotates counterclockwise to detect the primary arm origin sensor.

3. Y-Axis (A2): Rotates counterclockwise to detect the secondary arm origin sensor.

4. R-Axis (A4): Rotates to detect the tool rotation flag.

Joint vs. Cartesian Tool Jogging

RCX Studio provides two distinct modes for manually moving the robot arm:

Pulse (Joint) Mode

• Controls individual axis motors (A1 through A4) independently.

• Jogging one joint leaves all other arm segments stationary, sweeping the tool point in an arc rather than a straight line.

• Used primarily for diagnostic testing or clearing mechanical obstructions.

Millimeter (Tool/Cartesian) Mode

• Utilizes kinematics to calculate and coordinate multi-axis motor moves based on the robot's zero origin (center-back of the base).

• Controls the Tool Center Point (TCP) along linear axes (X, Y, Z) and rotation (R).

• X Positive moves the TCP forward; Y Positive moves the TCP laterally; Z Positive moves the spindle downward toward the workspace.

• Motor motion automatically coordinates to keep the TCP moving in a straight, linear path.