6K Troubleshooting - RS232 Troubleshooting for 6K / 6000 Products

Owned by Jack Degrano
Last updated: Jun 28, 2024 by Eric Rojas (Unlicensed)
3 min read

This guide serves as an aid in establishing RS232 communication with with any 6K or 6000 Series stand-alone product, as well as troubleshooting an RS232 communcation problem with these products. Before proceeding, make sure that you have downloaded Motion Architect for 6000 products, or Motion Planner for 6K products.

If you do not have Motion Architect or Motion Planner, you can download it for free from Support & Downloads > Download Product Software section of www.parkermotion.com

  1. Set up the correct connections between the PC and the Compumotor Product:

    9 Pin PC ConnectionCompumotor Product25 Pin PC ConnectionCompumotor ProductPin 2(Rx)TxPin 2(Tx)RxPin 3(Tx)RxPin 3(Rx)TxPin 5(GND)GNDPin 7(GND)GND

  2. FOR 6000 PRODUCT USERS: Be sure to choose the correct COM port of the computer in Motion Architect----TERMINAL, SETTINGS, SERIAL PORT. If the SERIAL PORT is grayed out and it cannot be "clicked", you first need to disconnect (TERMINAL, TRANSFER, CONNECT), then you can choose the other serial port. After this port is chosen, reconnect (TERMINAL, TRANSFER, CONNECT).

    FOR 6K PRODUCT USERS: In Motion Planner, select the proper serial COM port by clicking on the COMMUNICATIONS menu, SETTINGS, ten selecting the desired Serial port under the PORT tab.
    ***** THE FOLLOWING STEPS APPLY TO BOTH 6000 AND 6K PRODUCTS: ******

  3. Kill any running programs by typing !K. Then, type a simple command such as !TAS into the Motion Architect or Motion Planner terminal screen.

    1. If you get a response: *TAS010101.. then you are successfully communicating.

    2. If you do not see the letters !TAS as you type, go to Step 4.

    3. If you can see the letters !TAS as you type, but you get no response, go to Step 5.

     

  4. Problem: No Echo Of Commands

    1. Double check the connections between the computer and the Compumotor product (see Step 1). The Rx and Tx wires could be swapped. Complete a continuity check on the cable according to the table in Step 1.

    2. The communication echo could be turned off. Type the following three commands in the Terminal screen of Motion Architect / Motion Planner:

      !E1
      !ECHO1
      !ERRLVL4

      After issuing these commands, go back to Step 3.

    3. You may have selected the wrong COM port in Motion Architect / Motion Planner. Change the COM port under the SETTINGS menu - See Step 2.

    4. Perform a "Loop Back" test to verify that your serial cable is working:

      • Disconnect Rx and Tx on the Compumotor product

      • Short Rx and Tx wires together

      • While these two connections are shorted, type any characters

      • If you do not see any of these characters: Either you have a bad cable, you chose the wrong COM port, or your COM port is damaged.

      • If you do see characters, then Rx and Tx are swapped. Reverse the Rx and Tx wiring connections, then go back to Step 3.

  5. Problem: Commands echo, but no response is returned by the Compumotor product

    1. You chose the wrong COM port. Try the other COM port if your unit has one (go back to Step 2).

    2. You may have a short in the cable. First, perform a continuity test to verify the connections (See Step 1)

    3. Disconnect the RS232 cable from the Compumotor product. Then type some characters into the Terminal. If you continue to see your typed characters appear on the screen, then your RS232 cable has an internal short. To test, ohm the RS232 cable by measuring resistance across the Tx and Rx wires. If you see an open circuit between Tx and Rx when measuring resistance, the cable is not shorted.

    4. The unit or PC port could be damaged. Call Compumotor Applications Department.

 

NO LUCK? Other Possibilities:

  1. Try connecting your product to another PC, and repeat the aforementioned process.

  2. Is the computer power cord and Compumotor product's power cord plugged into the same AC outlet? In some cases, a ground potential between two AC outlets has caused an RS232 port failure. Plug both into the same AC outlet. Try communicating with the other COM port, if the device has one.

  3. 6K Users: Has the primary RS232 COM port accidentally been set to DRPCHK3 instead of DRPCHK0? If so, you may be able to perform a hard reset to clear the DRPCHK command back to its default state. Contact Compumotor on how to perform a hard reset on the 6K. Try to establish communication through the second COM port, then configure the primary port by typing:

!PORT1
!DRPCHK0