A teach pendant is a handheld device used to control and program robotic arms and other machinery for industrial automation. Teach pendants include a user interface with buttons or a touchscreen that allow operators to manually guide and program a robot’s movements and tasks.
The Teach Pendant in VEXcode EXP is designed to reflect real-world applications of teach pendants within the context of industrial automation. This article outlines how to use the Teach Pendant in VEXcode EXP with the 6-Axis Arm.
Accessing the Teach Pendant
Open a new Arm Project within VEXcode EXP. View this section of articles for more information about creating a new Arm Project.
Connect the 6-Axis Arm to VEXcode. The Arm Icon will show green when connected. View this section of articles for more information about connecting your 6-Axis Arm to VEXcode.
Select Move to Safe Position to begin using the Teach Pendant.
This moves the 6-Axis Arm to a "safe" position, at approximately (120, 0, 100). When selected, the Teach Pendant's features activate.
Enabling Manual Mode
Before manually moving the 6-Axis Arm, you must enable manual mode within the Teach Pendant. Moving the 6-Axis Arm without enabling manual mode can damage the robotic arm.
Select Enable Manual Mode within the Teach Pendant.
Your 6-Axis Arm is now ready for manual movement. Note that the other features within the Teach Pendant are disabled when manual mode is enabled.
The Status Bar of the Teach Pendant will also display "Manual Mode Enabled."
The Teach Pendant Dashboard
The Teach Pendant Dashboard shows the (x, y, z) coordinates of the Tool Center Point (TCP) of the 6-Axis Arm. These update in real time as you move the 6-Axis Arm.
The Dashboard remains at the top of the Teach Pendant at all times, even when scrolling to use other features of the Teach Pendant.
The Add 'Move To' Block to Workspace' button will generate a move to block based on the current coordinates of the 6-Axis Arm. You can use this features to create custom blocks for coordinates of your choice.
Note: This feature is exclusive to Blocks projects.
Jogging the Arm
Jogging refers to the manual movement of a robotic arm along its axes in small increments. As in real-world applications, you can use the Teach Pendant to jog the 6-Axis Arm.
Arm Jogging buttons for the X, Y, and Z axes are located beneath the Teach Pendant Dashboard.
a. The –X and + X buttons move the 6-Axis Arm in a negative and positive direction along the x-axis.
b. The –Y and + Y buttons move the 6-Axis Arm in a negative and positive direction along the y-axis.
c. The –Z and + Z buttons move the 6-Axis Arm in a negative and positive direction along the z-axis.
You can change the Jogging Increment to increase or decrease each incremental movement that the 6-Axis Arm jogs.
The default increment is 10 millimeters (mm).
Teach Pendant Settings
Teach Pendant Settings are located at the bottom of the Teach Pendant.
You can change the units displayed in the Teach Pendant from millimeters to inches in this section.
Changing the units changes both the coordinate units in the Teach Pendant Dashboard as well as the Jogging Increment options.
You can also change the speed the 6-Axis Arm moves, as well as select the End Effector in use in this section.
Moving the 6-Axis Arm
Using the Move To feature, you can move the 6-Axis Arm to a precise position using the Teach Pendant. Simply type in the specific x, y, and z-values of the coordinate location you would like to move the 6-Axis Arm to.
Using the Magnet
The Magnet section allows you to control the Magnet on the end of the Magnet Pickup Tool.
The Engage button allows you to pick up a magnetic Disk or Cube using the Magnet Pickup Tool.
The Release button releases the magnetic Disk or Cube using the Magnet Pickup Tool.