Mini40 force/torque sensor
This page summerizes information related to the Mini40 force/torque sensor mounted on the UR5 robot arm
General Information
THE F/T sensor measures force and torque in three dimensions. The sensor reading is accessed through the Net F/T box. The hostname is rt20
The sensor configuration and information utility can be accessed using a internet browser on a computer on the same network. From the information page, a Java demo application can be downloaded. To run the application, download the file, go to the containing directory in a terminal and write java -jar ATINetFT.jar.
User Manual
The manual for the Net F/T box can be found on the manufactures homepage.
Raw Data Transfer (RDT)
The Net F/T box is configured for sending data using the Raw Data Transer (RDT) interface using a UDP connection.
To start streaming, send the following bytes "1234000200000000" to port 49152. For more information, consult the manual.Note that there is an un-documented limitation in the Net F/T firmware where it cannot stream data to a network address that is not on the same subnet. Make sure your computer is on the same subnet as the Net F/T.
If you are using a computer that are not on the same subnet, it is still possible to request single samples, by using the un-documented command "12340001XXXXXXXX", where XXXXXXXX instructs how many samples to send. The data rate using this method has been measured to ~333 Hz, but it is unknown whether it always transmit the newest data, or the instruction makes it transmit the next XXXXXXXX measurement, which might causes the streamed data to be out of sync at the time of reception.
Software Bias
The strain gauges have a natural offset. This can be biased on the Settings page for the netFT.
For FT11535 the software bias values are
| G0 | G1 | G2 | G3 | G4 | G5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -1412 | 1929 | 373 | 496 | 146 | -287 |
Note that the values are reset to 0 when the power has been turned off, so these values should always be sent to the unit to ensure proper operation. The values can be changed via the CGI scripts using the HTTP protocol http://rt20/setting.cgi?setbias0=-1412&setbias1=1929&setbias2=373&setbias3=496&setbias4=146&setbias5=-287
Product support
So far Greg Parnell have been willing to supply very helpful support. Expect a couple of days response time, as he is on EST time zone.
