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Overview
In ORiN2 SDK, DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model) of Microsoft Corporation is adopted as a distributed object technology. The DCOM based CAO can be used from various program languages such as C++, JAVA, and Visual Basic.
This article is meant to help to gather information on resources that can help you get started with interfacing with the CAO Engine in VB .NET (Visual Studio IDE). This article is not intended to aid you with programming in VB .NET nor how to use Visual Studio IDE.
Tools and Parts needed
- ORiN 2 SDK Install
- Visual Studio IDE
- PC running Windows OS
NOTE: The following sample code is provided "AS IS" under the MIT License. Programming support service of VB .NET is out of warranty. Please note that we do not provide any programming support service beyond basic setup and troubleshooting.
Video Tutorial
Previous Steps...
Please make sure that you have reviewed the ORiN2 - Overview article and that your RC controller is properly setup. You can use the CAOTester to make sure that your PC is ready to communicate with the controller.
Set up your controller to accept messages from your PC. | ORiN 2 - Robot Controller Setup (RC8 / RC8A / COBOTTA) |
Test communication using CAO Tester application | ORiN 2 - Operation check using CAOTester (CAO Engine) |
Configuring the Project to Point to the ORiN Library (CaoRCW) |
Programming References
At this point, you should be ready to begin programming your application to interface with your robot controller. When connecting to the controller, you will need to specify the ORiN provider you are trying to use to establish communication. The provider differs based on the robot controller you are using. RC5, RC7, and RC7M controllers use the NetwoRC provider. RC8, RC8A, and COBOTTA controllers us the RC8 provider.
NetwoRC provider directory
C:\ORiN2\CAO\ProviderLib\DENSO\NetwoRC
RC8 provider directory
C:\ORiN2\CAO\ProviderLib\DENSO\RC8
NOTE: Please consult the Owner's manual for information on how to program your DENSO Robot or details on specific robot commands.
Programming using the Provider
The following samples are for performing various basic but essential operations. The samples are for connecting using the RC8 Provider.
For more information you can reference Section 4 RC8 Programming Using the Provider from the RC8 Provider User's Guide PDF document.
RC8 Provider User Guide Samples in VB .NET
This document intends to give you a better experience when trying to implement a command in the provider. We have "translated" the original VB6 samples in Section 5.0 from the RC8 provider guide into VB .NET language. Click here to download a copy. |
Variable Sample
This sample code will read or write to the string global variable "S15" on the robot controller. For more information, reference Section 4.1 RC8 controller variable access. |
Imports ORiN2.interop.CAO Public Class Variable Dim g_eng As CaoEngine Dim g_ctrl As CaoController Dim g_val As CaoVariable Private Sub Command1_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Command1.Click Text1.Text = g_val.Value 'Read Variable End Sub Private Sub Command2_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Command2.Click g_val.Value = Convert.ToBoolean(Text2.Text) 'Write Variable End Sub Private Sub Variable_Load(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load g_eng = New CaoEngine 'Connect RC: IP setting depends on your RC setting. g_ctrl = g_eng.Workspaces.Item(0).AddController("RC8", "CaoProv.DENSO.RC8", "localhost", "Server=192.168.0.1") 'Variable name "IO150" g_val = g_ctrl.AddVariable("IO150", "") End Sub Private Sub Variable_FormClosed(sender As System.Object, e As System.Windows.Forms.FormClosedEventArgs) Handles MyBase.FormClosed 'Delete variable object g_ctrl.Variables.Clear() System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(g_val) g_val = Nothing 'Delete controller object g_eng.Workspaces.Item(0).Controllers.Remove(g_ctrl.Index) System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(g_ctrl) g_ctrl = Nothing 'Delete engine object System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(g_eng) g_eng = Nothing End Sub End Class
Task Sample
This sample code will start or stop a robot program (Pro1.pcs), also known as tasks.
For more information, reference Section 4.2 Task controller with RC8 controller. |
Imports ORiN2.interop.CAO Public Class Task Dim g_eng As CaoEngine Dim g_ctrl As CaoController Dim g_task As CaoTask Private Sub Command1_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Command1.Click g_task.Start(1, "") 'Start Task End Sub Private Sub Command2_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Command2.Click g_task.Stop(4, "") 'Stop Task End Sub Private Sub Task_Load(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load g_eng = New CaoEngine 'Connect RC: IP setting depends on your RC setting. g_ctrl = g_eng.Workspaces.Item(0).AddController("RC8", "caoProv.DENSO.RC8", "", "Server=192.168.0.1") g_task = g_ctrl.AddTask("PRO1", "") 'Task Name PRO1 End Sub Private Sub Task_FormClosed(sender As System.Object, e As System.Windows.Forms.FormClosedEventArgs) Handles MyBase.FormClosed 'Delete task object g_ctrl.Tasks.Clear() System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(g_task) g_task = Nothing 'Delete controller object g_eng.Workspaces.Item(0).Controllers.Remove(g_ctrl.Index) System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(g_ctrl) g_ctrl = Nothing 'Delete engine object System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(g_eng) g_eng = Nothing End Sub End Class
Robot Motion Sample
This sample code will turn the motor ON or OFF. When the Start Robot button is pressed, the robot will Move to position P10 and then to position P11.
For more information, reference Section 4.3 Robot control with RC8 controller. |
Imports ORiN2.interop.CAO Public Class Robot Dim g_eng As CaoEngine Dim g_ctrl As CaoController Dim g_robot As CaoRobot Dim g_robotvar As CaoVariable Dim g_haltFlag As Boolean Private Sub Command1_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Command1.Click 'Start motor if arm is stationary If g_robotvar.Value = False Then g_robot.Execute("Motor", New Object() {1, 0}) End If End Sub Private Sub Command2_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Command2.Click 'Stop motor if arm is stationary If g_robotvar.Value = False Then g_robot.Execute("Motor", New Object() {0, 0}) End If End Sub Private Sub Command3_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Command3.Click 'Stop Robot g_robot.Halt("") 'Record robot stop g_haltFlag = True End Sub Private Sub Command4_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Command4.Click 'Do not run new operation instruction if arm is running If g_robotvar.Value = True Then Exit Sub End If g_haltFlag = False 'Run robot g_robot.Move(1, "@P P10", "NEXT") 'Do not start next motion until previous motion is completed Do Until g_robotvar.Value = False Application.DoEvents() Loop 'Do not start next motion if robot has stopped If g_haltFlag = True Then Exit Sub End If 'Run robot g_robot.Move(1, "@P P11", "NEXT") End Sub Private Sub Robot_Load(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load g_eng = New CaoEngine 'Connect RC: IP Setting depends on your RC Setting g_ctrl = g_eng.Workspaces.Item(0).AddController("RC8", "caoProv.DENSO.RC8", "", "WPJ=") 'Create CaoRobot object g_robot = g_ctrl.AddRobot("Arm") 'Argument used to check arm running status g_robotvar = g_robot.AddVariable("@BUSY_STATUS") 'Get arm control authority g_robot.Execute("TakeArm") 'Start Motor Command1_Click(sender, e) End Sub Private Sub Robot_FormClosed(sender As System.Object, e As System.Windows.Forms.FormClosedEventArgs) Handles MyBase.FormClosed 'Stop Motor Command2_Click(sender, e) 'Release arm control authority g_robot.Execute("GiveArm") 'Delete robot variable object g_robot.Variables.Clear() System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(g_robotvar) g_robotvar = Nothing 'Delete robot arm object g_ctrl.Robots.Clear() System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(g_robot) g_robot = Nothing 'Delete controller object g_eng.Workspaces.Item(0).Controllers.Remove(g_ctrl.Index) System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(g_ctrl) g_ctrl = Nothing 'Delete engine object System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(g_eng) g_eng = Nothing End Sub End Class
More samples...
You can find VB .NET samples in your install of the ORiN 2 SDK. Here are some recommendations:
RC8 Provider Samples
Sample Name | Directory Path |
---|---|
Robot (Simple) | C:\ORiN2\CAO\ProviderLib\DENSO\RC8\Samples\Simple\Robot\VB2005 |
Variable (Simple) | C:\ORiN2\CAO\ProviderLib\DENSO\RC8\Samples\Simple\Variable\VB2005 |
NetwoRC Provider Samples
Sample Name | Directory Path |
---|---|
NonstopPath | C:\ORiN2\CAO\ProviderLib\DENSO\NetwoRC\Samples\NonstopPath\VB2005 |
Variable | C:\ORiN2\CAO\ProviderLib\DENSO\NetwoRC\Samples\Variable\VB2005 |
Owner's Manual Reference
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