For Live data, Historical data logging, Datalogging to MQTT broker, and Alarms & Notifications you'll need to set up a data source and add variables. This article shows you how to do this for communication with a robot from Universal Robots.

For help and solutions with issues, see Universal Robots data source issues and solutions.

• Prepare the UR robot
• Add a data source
• Add variables
• Test variables
• Live data, Historical data logging, Alarms & Notifications

• Remove a data source

Additional information:

• CSV file contents and details

Prepare the UR robot

Install the IXON connector URcap
The "IXON connector" URCap adds ready-to-use nodes that you can easily drag-and-drop in your Universal Robot program for use with Live data, Historical data, and Alarms & Notifications. Additionally, the URCap installs a VNC server for easy remote access.

1. Download the "IXON connector" URCap here and install it.

Activate the VNC server
The VNC server enables you to remotely access the screen of the UR robot. After you activate it, you can easily and securely access it remotely using our VNC EasyControl.

2. Go to the IXON Connector page on the UR robot and enable the VNC Server.
3. Enter a VNC server password. The recommended length is 6-8 characters. The view only password is optional and enables a connection that allows users to only view, not control, the screen.
   
4. Open the menu in the top right and open Settings.
5. Go to Security > General.
6. Under Inbound Connections, clear both fields as indicated below. This is required for the VNC server to be accessible. Alternatively, you can disable all ports apart from the VNC port (5900) by entering the following: 0-5899,5901-65535

Activate data publishing
If you wish to use Live data, Historical data, or Alarms & Notifications, data publishing needs to be enabled.

7. Turn on Publish data for Cloud Logging and Cloud Notify, enter the edge gateway's LAN IP address, and choose a password of at least 6 characters, you will need this later.
   

Live data and historical data
If you wish to use Live data or Historical data you may need to make changes to your program.

You can use your program variables by adding nodes to your program. However, a large amount of built-in variables from your UR robot are already available without needing to make any changes to your program. The full list of these built-in variables can be viewed here: CSV file contents and details.

8. Drag-and-drop the IXON - Variable Logger node to your BeforeStart initialization cycle and add any variable you'd like to use. The node will then only run once, but the data will be logged in the background. Note that the variables need to be assigned an initialization value before they are called by the IXON node.
   

Alarms & Notifications
If you wish to use Alarms & Notifications you will need to make changes to your program.

9. Drag-and-drop the IXON - Notify node anywhere in your program and as often as you like. Enter an alarm message and select a priority.
   

Add a data source

The robot will need to be added as a Plain-text TCP data source.

10. Go to Fleet Manager > Devices and click on your device name.
11. In the left menu, go to Data sources.
    • Tip: You can switch between the Card view , with useful data source information at a glance, and the List view . For more information, see Data sources overview FAQ.
12. Click onAdd data source and select Plain-text TCP.
13. Enter the requested information (details below) and click on Add.

    Field	Description
    Name	Enter a name for the data source.
    Identifier	The identifier is entered automatically and ensures that every data source remains unique, even if they share the same name.
    IP address	Enter the IP address of your UR robot.
    Password	Enter the password that you chose at Activate data publishing.
    Polling sleep time	This setting is not applicable and can be ignored.
    Error grace period	Supported hardware SecureEdge and SecureEdge Pro, firmware 5.0 and up (upgrade) IXrouter3, firmware 3.25 and up (upgrade) IXrouter2 (unsupported) In rare situations, mainly during the startup period of a PLC, the PLC might already accept communication attempts from the edge gateway, but it may not be fully ready yet. It might then return errors or 0-values instead of the actual values. This may result in no data (missing data) or incorrect data being read. The error grace period can be configured to bridge this moment and only start receiving variables after the configured time, granting the PLC sufficient time to fully start up and maintaining the reliability of the machine data. An error grace period of 0 seconds (Off) is recommended. In the rare case that you are experiencing no data (missing data) or incorrect data during startup you can increase this setting to bridge that period.
    Use custom broker	Leave this unchecked unless you are following instructions for Datalogging to MQTT broker.

Add variables

Once you've added a data source, you can start adding variables.

If you did not add the IXON - Variable Logger node to your program in Prepare the UR robot, you can only log the UR robot's built-in variables. If this is intentional, skip to step 13.

14. The Variables tab of your data source should have automatically opened.
    • If it didn't: Go to Fleet Manager > Devices, click on your device name, go to Data sources, click on your data source, and go to the Variables tab.
15. Click onAdd variable.
16. Enter the requested information (details below) and click on Add.

    Field	Description
    Name	Enter a name for the variable.
    Identifier	The identifier is entered automatically and ensures that every variable remains unique, even if they share the same name.
    Type	Below you'll find a table containing all available data types and their equivalents in the IXON Cloud. In UR robot In IXON Cloud String String Boolean Boolean Integer Int32 or UInt32 Float Float32 Position String Array String
    Address	The IXON Cloud Address you entered in the IXON - Variable Logger node.
    Factor	Multiplies the value. Leave empty if the data type is boolean. For information on where this factor is and isn't used, see How to use factors in Live Data and Historical data.
    Unit	Displayed behind the value (e.g. kg).

17. Repeat the previous steps for every variable that you added in the IXON - Variable Logger node. Alternatively, you can also click Import from CSV-file near the top right corner to add variables in bulk instead.
    • The structure of the CSV file is explained here: Import variables: CSV file structure.
    • Using Export to CSV-file and Import from CSV-file enables you to easily copy variables from one device to another device. Alternatively, you can also use device templates.

You'll need to import the CSV file containing the UR robot's built-in variables, even if you do not intend to use these variables.

17. Click on Import from CSV-file near the top right corner.
18. Select the IXON connector data source CSV file (included in your URCap zip file) and click on Open. Details about the CSV file can be viewed at CSV file contents and details.

You have now made the changes in the IXON Cloud, but these are not yet active in your device. You will need to push your changes to your device for them to take effect.

19. Click on Push device config in the top right corner.

Live data, Historical data logging, Alarms & Notifications

Now that the data source and variables have been set up, you can continue below.

20. Click below to continue in the feature specific articles.
    • Live data
    • Historical data logging
    • Datalogging to MQTT broker
    • Alarms & Notifications

Remove a data source

Deleting a data source is permanent and cannot be undone. All logged data that is linked to this data source or its variables will also be permanently removed.

1. Go to Fleet Manager > Devices and click on your device name.
2. In the left menu, go to Data sources.
3. Click on the data source you wish to remove.
4. In the top right, open More optionsand select Remove data source.

Appendix: CSV file contents and details

A large amount of built-in variables from your UR robot are readily available for use in Live data, Historical data, and Alarms & Notifications. We've created a CSV file (included in your URCap zip file) that you can import into your Plain-text TCP data source in the IXON Cloud.

Not included in this list are any variables that you added yourself using the IXON - Variable Logger node.