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1 Introduction – controlling fischertechnik models with ROBO Pro

Youmusthaveaskedyourselfatsometimehowitworkswhenrobotscarryouttheirallottedtasks
asifcontrolledbyaninvisiblehand.Butit’snotjustwithactualrobots,butinmanyotherfieldsas
well, that we encounter control and automation technology. Including fischertechnik. By the next
chapterbutone,wewillbedesigningalittlecontrolprogramforanautomaticgaragedoortogether,
andindoingsowe’lllearnhowcontrolproblemslikethiscanbesolvedandtestedwiththehelpof
ROBOProsoftwareforWindows.ROBOProisalsoverysimpletooperate.Controlprograms,or
more precisely flow charts and later data flow charts, as we shall learn, can be created on the
graphicaluserinterface,almostexclusivelyusingthemouse.
InordertobeabletocontrolyourfischertechnikmodelsthroughyourPC,youwillneed,aswellas
theROBOProcontrolsoftware,anInterfacetoconnectthecomputerwiththemodel.Ittransforms
thesoftwarecommandssothat,forexample,motorscanbecontrolledandsensorsignalscanbe
processed. The ROBO TX Controller (item number 500995), the earlier ROBO Interface (item
number93293)andtheIntelligentInterface(itemnumber30402)areavailablefromfischertechnik.
You can use any of these Interfaces with ROBO Pro. But ROBO Pro only supports the online
mode of the Intelligent Interface. ROBO Pro no longer supports the very early parallel Interface
(itemnumber30520).
A few words about the layout of this manual.Itisdividedintotwoparts.Thefirstpart,from
Chapter 1 to Chapter 4, describes the basic procedure for programming with ROBO Pro. This
givesyoualotofinformationandbackgroundknowledgeaboutprogrammingingeneralandabout
howtousetheROBOProsoftware.
ThesecondpartconsistsofChapters5to7,andgivesanintroductiontothefunctionsneededfor
moreadvancedprograms.
Chapters8onwardsaremoreforreference.Sowhenyou’refamiliarwiththeoperationofROBO
Proafterreadingthefirstpartandyouneedveryspecificinformation,hereiswhereyouwillfind
comprehensiveexplanationsoftheindividualprogramelements.

IfyouarealreadyfamiliarwithROBOProandonlywanttofindoutwhatnewfeatureswere
addedwiththeROBOTXController,youshouldreadonlychapters11through13ofthema?
nual.

Solet’sgo!YoumustalreadybeitchingtoknowwhatpossibilitiesROBOProgivesyouforpro?
grammingyourfischertechnikmodels.Havefun!

1.1 Installation of ROBO Pro

SystemrequirementsforinstallingROBOProare:
• anIBM?compatiblePCwithPentiumIIprocessorwithaclockspeedofatleast500MHz,64
MBRAMandca.40MBfreedisk?spaceontheharddrive
• amonitorandagraphicscardwitharesolutionofatleast1024x768pixels.WithCRTmoni?
tors the refresh rate should be at least 85 Hz to maintain a flicker?free image. TFT flat
screensprovideaflicker?freeimageatanyrefreshrate,sothattherefreshrateisnotcritical
withTFTflatscreens.

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• MicrosoftWindows,VersionWindowsXPorVista
• A free USB interface to connect the ROBO TX Controller. To connect the ROBO Interface
youneedafreeUSBinterfaceorafreeRS232interface(COM1toCOM4).
Firstofall,ofcourse,youmuststartthecomputerandwaituntiltheoperatingsystem(Windows)
has finished loading. The ROBO Interface should only be connected to the computer after suc?
cessfulinstallation.InserttheinstallationCDintotheCD?ROMdrive.Theinstallationprogramon
theCDwillthenbestartedautomatically.
• InthefirstWelcomewindowoftheinstallationprogramyoupushtheNextbutton.
• Thesecondwindow,Important Notes,containsimportantup?to?datenotesaboutinstalling
theprogramorabouttheprogramitself.Heretoo,youclickontheNextbutton.
• Thethirdwindow,License Agreement,displaystheROBOProlicensingcontract.Youmust
clickYestoaccepttheagreementbeforeyoucanproceedtothenextwindowwithNext.
• Inthenextwindow,User Details,pleaseenteryourname.
• The next window, Installation Type, allows you to choose between Express Installation
andCustomized Installation.Withcustomizedinstallation,youcanchoosetoleaveoutin?
dividualcomponentsoftheinstallation.IfyouareinstallinganewversionofROBOProover
anolderversion,andyouhavemodifiedsomeofthesampleprogramsintheolderversion,
youcanexcludethesampleprogramsfromthecustomizedinstallation.Ifyoudon’tdothis,
themodifiedsampleprogramswillbeoverwritten without warning.Ifyouselectcustomized
installationandpressNext,anadditionalwindow,allowingyoutoselectthecomponents,will
appear.
• IntheTarget directory windowyoucanselectthefolderordirectorypathwhereyouwant
theROBOProprograminstalled.ThiswillnormallybethepathC:\ProgramFiles\ROBOPro.
However,youcanalsoenteranotherdirectory.
• WhenyoupushtheFinishbuttoninthelastwindow,theinstallationisperformed.Assoon
as the installation is finished – this normally only takes a few seconds – the program an?
nouncessuccessfulinstallation.Ifthereareproblems,anerrormessageisdisplayed,which
shouldhelpyoutosolvetheproblem.

1.2 Installing the USB driver

ThisstepisrequirediftheROBOTXControllerortheROBOInterfaceistobeconnectedtothe
USBport.TheROBOInterfacecanalsobeconnectedtooneoftheserialportsCOM1?COM4.The
earlier Windows versions Windows 95 and Windows NT4.0 don’t support USB ports. With Win?
dows95orNT4.0,theROBOInterfacecanonlybeconnectedviatheserialport.Thereisnoneed
toinstalladriverinthiscase.

Important note for the installation under Windows 2000, XP and Vista:
The USB driver can only be installed by a user with PC systems administrator privileges.
Should the installation program advise you that you are not permitted to install the USB
driver,youmusteitheraskyoursystemadministratortoinstallyourdriverorinstallROBOPro
withoutthisdriver.

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In order to install the USB driver, you must first connect the ROBO TX Controller or the ROBO
InterfacewithaUSBcabletoyourcomputerandsupplyitwithpower.Windowsrecognizesauto?
maticallythattheInterfaceisconnectedanddisplaysthefollowingwindow:

Dependingontheoperatingsystem,theappearanceofthewindowcanbesomewhatdiffer?
entfromtheillustrationabove!

HereyoumustselectInstall software from a list or specific sourceandpressNext.

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InthenextwindowyoudeactivateSearch removable mediaandactivateAlso search following
sources. Then you click Search and select the sub?directory USB Driver Installation in the
directoryinwhichROBOProisinstalled(thestandarddirectoryisC:\ProgramFiles\ROBOPro\).
FortheROBOTXControlleryoufirstselectthesub?directoryTXController,fortheROBOInter?
face the sub?directory ROBOInterface, and then the sub?directory containing the driver for your
operatingsystem,forexampleWinXP.


UnderWindowsXP,youmayseethefollowingmessageafterpressingNext:

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TheUSBdriverisstillbeingtestedbyMicrosoft.Oncetestingiscompletedthedriverwillbeap?
proved by Microsoft, so that this notice no longer appears. In order to install the driver, press
Proceed with installation.
Finally,thefollowingmessagewillappear:


PressFinishtocompleteUSBdriverinstallation.


1.3 First Steps

CuriousThensimplystarttheprogramROBOPro.Todothis,youclickontheStartbuttononthe
task bar and then select Programs or All programs and ROBO Pro. In this folder of the Start
menuyouwillfindthefollowingentries:

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TheUninstallentryallowsyoutouninstallROBOPro.TheHelpentryopenstheROBOProHelp
file,andtheROBOProentryopenstheROBOProprogram.NowselecttheentryROBO Proto
launchtheprogram.


Thewindowhasamenubarandtoolbarwithvariousoperatingbuttonsaboveaswellasawindow
ontheleft?handsidewithprogram elements.Ifyouseetwostackedwindowsintheleftmargin,
ROBOProisnotsetonLevel 1.ToallowthefunctionalityofROBOProtomatchyourgrowing
knowledge,youcansetROBOProfromLevel1forbeginnersuptoLevel5forexperts.Lookin
theLevelmenutoseewhetherthereisacheckmarkbyLevel 1: Beginners.Ifnot,pleaseswitch
tolevel1.
ROBO Pro is configured to use the ROBO TX Controller as interface. You can see this by the
presenceofthebuttonROBOTXinthetoolbar.InChapter 11.2 Environmentyoulearnhowyou

canswitchtotheearlierROBOInterfaceandwhatyouneedtopayattentionto.

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Nowyoumayeithercreateanewprogramfileoropenanalreadyexistingprogramfile.Wedonot
intendtocreateanewprogramfileuntilChapter3,whenwewillwriteourfirstcontrolprogram.To 
familiarizeourselveswiththeuserinterface,weshallopenanalreadyexistingsampleprogram.To Open
do this, you click the entry Open in the File menu, or use the Open button in the toolbar. The
samplefilesarefoundinthefolderC:\Program Files\ROBOPro\Sample Programs.


Openthefile\Level3\Motor start stop.rpp:


HereyoucanseewhatasimpleROBOProprogramlookslike.Inprogramming,control?program
flowchartsarecreatedintheprogramwindowusingprogramelementsfromtheelementwindow.
Thefinishedflowchartscanthenbecheckedbeforebeingtestedusingaconnectedfischertechnik
Interface. But not too fast: we shall learn programming step?by?step in the following chapters!
Havingthusgainedyourfirstimpressionoftheuserinterface,youclosetheprogramfileusingthe

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Close command in the File menu. You can answer No to the question of whether you want to
savethefile.

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2 A quick hardware test before programming

Clearly,theInterfacemustbeconnectedtothePCforustobeabletotesttheprogramswewill
later create. But, depending on the Interface used (ROBO TX Controller or ROBO–Interface),
appropriate interface connection settings must also be made and tested. We sill do this in the
comingchapter.

2.1 Connecting the Interface to the PC

Thisshouldnotbeagreatproblem.TheconnectingcablesuppliedwiththeInterfaceisconnected
totheInterfaceandtoaportonthePC:
• WiththeROBOTXControlleraUSBportcanbeused
• WiththeROBOInterface(itemnumber93293)eitheraUSBportoroneoftheserialports
COM1toCOM4canbeused.
Theconnectionsfortheseportsarenormallyfoundonthebackofthecomputer.Theexactplace?
mentofthevariousconnectionsisdescribedpreciselyintheusermanualofyourPC;pleaselook
itupthere.USBconnectionsarealsooftenfoundonthefrontofaPC.Don’tforgettogivethe
Interface a power supply (mains unit or battery). The individual connections of the Interface are
describedindetailintheusermanualoftherespectiveequipment.

2.2 Getting the right connection – Interface settings

For the connection between the Interface and the PC to function correctly, ROBO Pro must be
configuredfortheInterfacecurrentlyinuse.Todothis,startROBOProusingtheROBO Proentry 
ontheStartmenuunderProgramsorAll programsandROBO Pro.ThenpushtheCOM/USB
onthetoolbar.Thefollowingwindowwillappear:


HereyoucanselecttheportaswellastheInterfacetype.

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Onceyouhaveselectedtheappropriatesettings,closethewindowwithOK.NowopentheInter?
 facetestwindowwiththeTestbuttononthetoolbar.
Test


ItshowstheinputsandoutputsavailableontheInterface.Thegreenbarinthelowerleftofthe
windowdisplaystheconnectionstatusofthePCtotheInterface:
• Connection: RunningconfirmscorrectconnectiontotheInterface
• Connection: Stoppedindicatesthattheconnectionhasnot beencorrectlysetupandthe
PCwasunabletoestablishaconnectiontotheInterface.Inthiscase,thebarwillappearred.
TobeabletochangetheInterfaceorconnectionsettings,youmustclosetheTestwindow(with
theXintheupperright)andselectanotherportoranotherInterfacetypeaspreviouslydescribed,
viatheCOM/USBbuttoninthetoolbar.
IfyouhavebeenabletosetuptheconnectionbetweenPCandInterfaceasdescribedandthe
greenbarappears,youwillberelievedtoknowyoucanskipthenextsection.
Ifnot,perhapsthetipsinthenextsectioncanhelpyouout.

2.3 Wrong connection: no connection to the Interface!?

If you get the message Stopped with your interface despite having correctly set the port (see
above),youshouldcheckthefollowingpoints.Forthispurpose,youmayneedtogetadvicefrom
acomputerexpert:
• Power supply: 
Does the Interface have an appropriate power supply If you are using disposable or re?
chargeablebatteriesaspowersupply,thepossibilityarisesthattheseareflatandnolonger


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supply sufficient voltage. If the battery voltage falls below 6 V, the ROBO TX Controller’s
processormaystopworking.Inthiscasethedisplaywillstopshowinganyinformation.Ifthe
voltageistoolow,youmustreplaceor,whereappropriate,rechargethebatteries,or,ifpos?
sible,testtheInterfacewithamainspowersupply.
• Has the USB driver been installed correctly? 
You can find this out by checking in the Device Manager in the Windows Control Panel
whethertheentryfischertechnikUSBROBOTXControllerappearsunderconnections(COM
andLPT)andfunctionsproperly.Shouldthisentrynotappear,installtheUSBdriveragain.If
anerrorappears,uninstallthedriver(clickontherespectiveentrywithyourrightmousebut?
ton)andinstallitonceagain.
• Isthereaconflictwithanotherdevicedriveronthesameport(e.g.amodem)Thisdriver
mayneedtobedeactivated(seeWindowsordevicehandbooks).
• Ifyoustillcan’testablishaconnectiontotheInterface,thenprobablyeithertheInterfaceor
the connection cable is faulty. In this case, you should consult fischertechnik Service (Ad?
dress:seemenu:“?”/Information about).

2.4 Is everything working – the Interface test

Oncetheconnectionhasbeencorrectlysetup,youcanusetheInterfacetesttotesttheROBOTX
Controllerandthemodelsconnectedtoit.Thetestwindowdisplaysthevariousinputsandoutputs 
oftheController: Test

• Universal inputs I1—I8 

I1—I8aretheuniversalinputsoftheROBOTX Controller.Thisiswheredifferenttypesof
sensorscanbeconnected.Therearedigitalandanalogsensors.Yousettheuniversalinputs
dependingonthetypeofsensoryouwouldliketoconnect.
• Digital sensorscanonlyassumethestates0and1,or
YesandNo.Bydefault,bothuniversalinputsaresetto
theinputtypeDigital5kOhm.Switches(minipushbutton?
switches), as well as phototransistors (light sensors) or
reed?switches (magnetic sensors), can be connected to
thesedigitalinputs. 
 You can check the functioning of these inputs by con?
necting a mini?sensor (item number 37783) to the
Interface,e.g.toI1(usecontacts1and3ontheswitch).Assoonasyoupressthebutton,a
check?mark appears in the display of I1. If you have connected the switch the other way
around(contacts1and2),thecheck?markwillappearstraightawayanddisappearwhenyou
pressthebutton.
• ThesettingDigital 10Visusedfortheinfraredtrailsensor.
• ThesettingAnalog 10Vcanbeusedforthecolorsensorortomeasurevoltagesbetween0
and10Vsuchasthesupplyvoltageofthebatterypack.ThevoltageisdisplayedinmV(mil?
livolt).
• Analog 5kOhmisusedfortheNTCresistortomeasuretemperaturesandforthephotoresis?
tortomeasurelight.HerethereadingisdisplayedOhm(K=electricalresistance).
• ThesettingDistanceisusedfortheultrasounddistancesensor(fortheROBOTXController
onlytheversionTXofthedistancesensorwith3pinconnectioncable,itemnumber133009,
canbeused).
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• Counter inputs C1-C4 
Theseinputsallowyoutocountfastpulseswithfrequenciesofupto1000pulsespersecond.
Youcanalsousethemasdigitalinputsforbuttons(notsuitableforthetrailsensor).Ifyou
connectabuttontothisinput,everypushofthebutton(=pulse)willincreasethevalueofthe
counterby1.Thisallowsyou,forexample,toletarobottravelaspecificdistance.
• Motor outputs M1—M4 
M1–M4aretheoutputsfromtheInterface.Thisiswherewhatarecalledactuatorsarecon?
nected.Thesecan be,e.g.,motors,electromagnetsorlamps.The4motoroutputscan be
controlled in speed and in direction. Speed is controlled using the slide control. You can
choosebetweenacoarseresolutionwith8differentstepsofspeedorafineresolutionwith
512steps.Theprogramelementsinlevels1and2onlyusethecoarseresolution,butstart?
ingwithlevel3,thereareelementswhichallowyoutousethefineresolution.Thespeedis
displayednexttotheslidercontrolasanumber.Ifyouwouldliketotestanoutput,youcon?
nectamotortoanoutput,e.g.M1.
• Lamp outputs O1—O8 
Each motor output can alternatively be used as a pair of individual outputs. These can be
usedtocontrolnotonlylamps,butalsomotorswhichonlyneedtomoveinonedirection(e.g.
foraconveyorbelt).Ifyouwouldliketotestoneoftheseoutputs,youconnectonelampcon?
tact to the output, e.g. O1. You connect the other lamp contact with one of the ground
socketsoftheR(⊥).
• Extension modules 
TheROBOTXControllerconnectedtothePCviatheUSBport(=master)cantakeupto8
additionalROBOTXControllerasextensions(seemanualROBOTXController).Thesebut?
tonsallowyoutoselectwhichoftheconnecteddevicesyouwouldliketoaccesswiththetest
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3 Level 1: Your first control program

After testing the hardware, that is the Interface and the switches and motors connected to it, in
Chapter1,we’llnowgetdowntoprogramming.Butwhatdoes“programming”actuallymeanWell,
justimaginethat,forexample,arobotisconnectedtoourInterface.Butthisrobotissostupidthat
itcan’tdoanythingonitsown.Luckily,we’reabitsmarterthanthat.Wecantelltherobotexactly
whattodo.HowWell,whathappenedinthelastchapterwhenweusedthemousebuttontoset
themotoroutputM1on“left”Right,weswitchedthemotoron.If,forexample,thismotorwereto
drive the gripping claw of our robot, we would have done nothing else than to say to the robot:
“Griptheobject!”Butnowwedon’twanttoinitiateeverystepbyhand;rathertherobotshoulddo
thisautomatically.Toachievethis,wemuststoretheindividualstepstobecarriedout,sothatthe
robotcanworkthroughthemoneafteranother,i.e.,wemustcreateaprogram,whichwillcontrol
therobotonourbehalf.Logicallyenough,thetechnicaltermforthisisacontrolprogram.

3.1 Creating a new program

TheROBOProsoftwaregivesusagreattooltodesignthesecontrolprogramsandtotestthem
withtheaidofaconnectedInterface.Don’tworry:we’renotabouttoprogramtherobotstraight 
New
away.Weshallcontentourselvesinitiallywithsimplecontroltasks.Todothiswemustcreatea
newprogram.InthetoolbaryouwillfindtheentryNew.Ifyouleft?clickonitwithyourmouse,a
new,emptyprogramiscreated.


Nowyouseealargewhitedrawingsurface,inwhichyouwillenteryourfirstprogram.Ifyousee
twostackedwindowsintheleftmargin,pleaseswitchtoLevel1: BeginnersintheLevelmenu.

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3.2 The elements of a control program
Now wecanset aboutcreatingour firstcontrol program.Weshalldothison
thebasisofaconcreteexample:

Functional description:
Imagineagaragedoorthatcanbeopenedautomatically.Maybeyou’veeven
gotoneathome!Youarriveatthegarageinyourcarand,withthepushofa
button on the transmitter, the door, driven by a motor, is opened. The motor
mustkeeprunninguntilthegaragedooriscompletelyopened.
Wordsarearathercumbersomeandnotverygraphicwaytodescribeacontrol
program.Sowhatwecallflow chartsareusedtorepresentthesequenceof
actions to be performed and the conditions that need to be fulfilled for these
actions.Inthecaseofourcontrolsystem,theconditionfortheaction“switching
on motor” is that the button be pressed. It is easy to read one of these flow
charts:justfollowthearrowsstep?by?step!Theseshowexactlyhowthecontrol
systemworks–theindividualstepscanonlybecarriedoutintheordergiven
bythearrows,neverinanyotherway.Otherwiseitwouldn’tbeworthgoingto 
allthetrouble,wouldit
UsingourROBOProsoftware,wecannowdrawpreciselythisflowchartandinso
doingcreatethecontrol programfortheconnectedhardware(Interface,motors,
switches,etc.).Thesoftwaredoestherest,which,asithappens,isjustthewayit
iswithlargeindustrialapplicationstoo!Sowecanconcentratefullyonthecreation
oftheflowchart.
You put the flow chart together from program elements. Another new concept
Don’tworry!InROBOProtheindividualelementsthatareputtogether toforma
flowchartarecalledprogramelements.Theaction “switchon motor” meansjust
that:theInterfaceshouldactuallyswitchonthemotorthatisconnectedtoit!You
will find the available program elements in the element window on the left?hand
side.

3.3 Inserting, moving and modifying program elements


Nowit’samatterofcreatingaflowchartforourgaragedoorcontrolsystemfrom
the program elements contained in the element window. All available program elements can be
fetchedfromtheelementwindowandinsertedintheprogramwindow.

Inserting program elements.

Youmovethemouseontothesymbolforthedesiredprogramelementandleft?
clickonitonce.Thenyoumovethemouseintotheprogramwindow(that’sthe
largewhitearea)andclickonceagain.Youcanalsodragtheprogramelement 
into the Program window while holding down the mouse button. A program
alwaysbeginswithaStartelement.TheStartelementistheroundedelementwiththelittlegreen
GOman.Itwouldbebesttotrythisoutstraightawaywiththisprogramelement:Left?clickonceon
theStartelementintheelementwindow,movethemouseupintotheprogramwindowandonce
thereleft?clickoncemore.
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Thenextelementintheprogramflowchartqueriesaninputandthen
branchestoonepathoranotherdependingonitsstate.Intheelement
window,clickontheelementdepictedrightandthenmovethemouse
below the previously inserted Start element. If the upper input of the
Branch element is one or two grid points below the exit of the Start
element, a connecting line will appear in the program window. If you
left?clickagain,theBranchelementisinsertedandautomaticallycon? 
nectedwiththeStartelement.

Moving program elements and groups

Aprogramelementcanbemovedtothedesiredpositionafterinsertionwhileholdingdowntheleft
mousebutton.Ifyouwanttomoveseveralelementsasagroup,youcanstartbydrawingaframe
aroundtheelementswhileholdingdowntheleftmousebutton.Todothisyouhavetoleft?clickin
anemptyzone,keepthebuttonpressedandusethemousetodrawarectanglecontainingthe
desiredelements.Theelementsintherectanglearenowdisplayedwitharedborder.Ifyounow
moveoneoftheredelementswiththeleftmousebutton,alltheredelementsaremoved.Youcan
alsomarkindividualelementsredbyleftclickingonthemwhileholdingdowntheshiftkey(i.e.the
upper/lowercasekey).Ifyouleftclickinanemptyzone,allthered?markedelementswillbedis?
playednormallyagain.

Copying program elements and groups

Copyingprogramelementsandgroupscanbedoneintwoways.Youcanproceedexactlyasfor
moving,exceptthatyoupresstheCTRLkeyonthekeyboardbeforemovingtheelements.Inthis
waytheelementsarenotmoved,butcopied.However,withthisfunctionyoucanonlycopyele?
mentswithinaprogram.Ifyouwanttocopyelementsfromoneprogramtoanother,youcanuse
theWindowsclipboard.Firstselectsomeelements, asdescribedintheprevioussectioninthe
caseofmovingelements.IfyounowhitCTRL+ConthekeyboardorclickonCopyontheEdit
menu,alltheselectedelementswillbecopiedontotheWindowsclipboard.Nowyoucanchange
over to another program and re?insert the elements there with CTRL+V or Edit / Paste.  Once
elementsarecopied,youcanalsopastetheminseveraltimes.Ifyouwanttomoveelementsfrom
oneprogramtoanother,youcanuseCTRL+XorEdit / Cutfunctionatthebeginninginsteadof
CTRL+CorEdit / Copy.

Deleting elements and Undo function

Itisquitesimpletodeleteelements.Youcandeletealltheelementsmarkedinred(seeprevious
section)bypressingthe“delete”key(Del)onthekeyboard.Youcanalsodeleteindividualele? 
mentswiththeDeletefunction.Todothis,firstclickonthebuttoninthetoolbarliketheone Delete
illustratedandthenontheelementyouwanttodelete.Tryitoutnow.Thenyoucanredrawthe
deletedelement.ButyoucanalsoretrievethedeletedelementusingtheUndofunctionintheEdit
menu.Byusingthismenuitemyoucanundoanychangestotheprogram.

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Editing program element properties
Ifyourightclickonaprogramelementintheprogram
window, there will appear a dialog window, in which
youcanchangetheelement’sproperties.TheProper?
tieswindowforaBranchelementisillustratedonthe
right.
• ButtonsI1to I8allowyoutoenter whichofthe
Interface’s inputs is to be queried. The inputs
C1D?C4D correspond to counter inputs if you
usethemasdigitalinputs.Wewilldealwiththe
inputsM1E?M4Elater.
• The additional inputs C1D?C4D and M1E?M4E
are covered in the reference section in 8.1.3
Digital Branchonpage61.
• The selection Interface / Extension is not 
explaineduntilChapter7Controlling several In-
terfacesonpage56.
• Under Sensor type you can select the sensor connected to the input. Digital inputs are
mostly used with push?button sensors, but often also with phototransistors or reed?contact
switches.Selectingthesensorautomaticallysetstherequiredinputtypefortheuniversalin?
putsI1?I8oftheROBOTXController.
• UnderInterchange 1/0 connectionsyoucaninterchangethepositionsofthe1and0exits
oftheBranchelement.Normallythe1exitisbelowandthe0exitisontheright.Butsome?
times it’s more practical to have the 1 exit on the right.  Press on Interchange 1/0
connectionsandthe1and0connectionswillbechangedoverassoonasyouclosethe
windowwithOK.

Hint:Ifyouconnectamini?sensorasa“closer”,usingconnections1and3oftheswitch,the
program branches to the “1” branch if the switch is depressed, and otherwise to the “0”
branch.
If you connect a mini?sensor as an “opener”, using connections 1 and 2 of the switch, the
program branches to the “1” branch if the switch is depressed, and otherwise to the “0”
branch.

The next element in our garage door control system is a Motor ele?
ment. Insert it into the program as you did with the previous two
elements,thistimeundertheBranchelement.Itisbest toplacethe
element in such a way that that it is automatically connected to the 
elementabove.

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TheMotorelementallowsyoutoswitchonoroffeitheramotor,or
a lamp or an electromagnet.  Again, you open the Properties
windowfortheMotorelementbyright?clickingontheelement.
• You can choose which of the Interface’s outputs to control
bymeansofbuttonsM1toM4.
• Under Image you can choose an image to represent the
fischertechnikcomponentconnectedtotheoutput.
• WewilldealwiththeselectionInterface / Extensionwhen
wegettoChapter77Controlling several Interfacesonpage 
56.
• Under Action you can select how the output is to be affected. You can start a motor with
directionleft(counterclockwise)orright(clockwise)orstopit.Youcanswitchalamponoroff.
• UnderSpeed/Intensityyoucansetthespeedatwhichamotoristooperate,orhowbrightly
alampshouldglow.Possiblevaluesare1to8.
ForourflowchartweneedthecommandMotor M1 left with speed 8.

3.4 Linking program elements

Nowthatyouknowhowtoinsertelementsintoacontrolprogram,wecangetonwiththejobof
completingourcontrolprogram.Thinkbacktothefunctionaldescriptionofthegaragedoorcontrol
system:istherestillsomethingmissingRight:wemayhaveturnedthemotoronbypushingthe
button,butoncethedoorisopened,themotormustbeautomaticallyswitchedoffagain!Inprac?
tice,thisisdonewiththeso?called“endswitch”.Thisisasensorfittedtothegaragedoorinsucha
waythatitisoperatedthemomentthemotorhasfullyopenedthedoor.Asinthecaseofswitch?
ingonthemotor,thissignalcanbeusedtoswitchitoffagain.Toquerytheendswitchwecanuse
theBranchelementagain.
SoinsertanotherBranchelementintotheprogram,onewhichwillcheckthe
endswitchoninputI2.Don’tforgettoleft?clickontheelementandtosetthe
inputtoI2.Assoonasthegaragedoorisopenandtheendswitchhasbeen
pressed, the motor should stop again. This will be achieved using a Motor
element.Startwiththesameelementweusedtoswitchonthemotor.Ifyou
right?clickontheelement,youcanchangethefunctionoftheelementtoStop
motor.TheprogramisfinishedoffwithanEndelement.Yourprogramshould
now look almost like the illustration on the right. If you have placed the ele?
mentsunderoneanotherwithaseparationofoneortwogridpoints,mostof
theentriesandexitswillbeconnectedwithprogramflowarrows.ButtheNo
(N)exitofthetwoBranchelementsisnotyetconnected.Aslongastheswitch
oninputI1hasnotbeenpressed,theprogramshouldgobackandquerythe
switch again. To draw this line, click with the mouse successively on the
placesshowninthediagrambelow.

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Hint:Italineshouldevernotcorrectlyjoinedtoaconnectionoranotherline,thiswillbeindi?
cated by a green rectangle at the point of the arrow. In this case you have to create the
connectionbyshiftingthelineorbydeletingitanddrawingitagain.Otherwisetheprogram
flowwillnotworkatthispoint.

Deleting program flow lines

Deletinglinesworksexactlylikedeletingprogramelements.Simplyleft?clickontheline,sothatit
getsmarkedinred.Nowclickonthedelete(Del)keyonthekeyboardtodeletetheline.Youcan
alsoselectseverallines,ifyouholddowntheshiftkey(that’sthekeyforshiftingbetweenupper
andlowercase)andthenleft?clickonthelinesinsuccession.Apartfromthis,youcanalsomark
several lines by drawing a frame around them. Now you can delete all the red?marked lines at
oncebypressingtheDelkey.

3.5 Testing your first control program

Totestourfirstcontrolprogram,youshouldbuildalittlemodel.Todothis,itisenoughtoconnect
aswitchtoI1andtoI2ontheInterface,aswellasamotortoM1.

Note:ConnectingtheInterfacetothePCandestablishingInterfacesettingshasalreadybeen
coveredinthepreviouschapter,whichyoucanreferbacktofordetails.

Beforetestingtheprogram,youshouldsavetheprogramfileontheharddriveofyourcomputer.
ClickonthecommandSave as ontheFilemenu.Thefollowingdialogwindowwillthenappear.

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Under“Savein”,choosethedirec?
toryinwhichyouwanttosavethe
file. Under “Filename”, enter a
namenotyetinuse,e.g.GARAGE
DOOR and confirm by left?clicking
on“Save”.




To test the program,
push the start button 
 (shown left) in the
Start toolbar.First,ROBOProwilltestwhetheralltheprogramelementsareproperlycon?
nected. Should an element not be correctly connected or something else not be in order, it is
markedinred,andanerrormessageisdisplayeddescribingwhatisnotright.If,forexample,you
haveforgottentoconnecttheNo(N)exitofaprogrambranch,itwilllooklikethis:



Ifyouhavereceivedanerrormessage,youmustfirstofallcorrectthereportederror.Ifyoudonot,
theprogramwillnotbestarted.

Note:Youwillfindafullexplanationofthismodeofoperationandof“DownloadOperation”in
Section3.7,onpage24.

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ThefirstBranchelementwillbemarkedinred.Thisshowsthattheprogramis
waitingatthiselementforanevent,namelythepressingofthebuttononI1,
whichissupposedtoopenthegaragedoor.AslongastheswitchoninputI1
hasnotbeenpressed,theprogramtakestheNo(N)alternativeofthebranch
andgoesfromtherebacktothebeginningofthebranchagain.Nowpressthe
switch connected to input I1 of the Interface. This fulfils the condition for
proceeding,andthemotorisswitchedon.Inthenextstep,theprogramwaits
fortheendswitchoninputI2tobepressed.Assoonasyouoperatetheend
switchonI2,theprogrambranchestothesecondMotorelementandswitches
the motor off again. Finally the program arrives at the program end. A mes?
sagewillappearsayingthattheprogramhasbeenterminated.
DideverythingworkCongratulations!Thatmeansyou’vecreatedandtested
yourfirstcontrolprogram.Ifitdoesn’tworkproperly—don’tgiveup,justcheck
through everything carefully again; there must be a mistake hidden in there
somewhere.Everyprogrammermakesmistakes,andmakingmistakesisthe
bestwaytolearn.Sokeepyourchinup!

3.6 Other program elements 

Ifyouhavetriedyourfirstcontrolprogramonarealmodelgaragedoor,the
door will now be open. How can we close it again Of course we can start the motor again by
pushingabutton!Butwewanttotryanothersolution,andlearnaboutanewprogramelementin
the process. To do this, you start by saving the program under a new name (we will need the
currentflowchartagainlater).UsethemenuitemSave as ...intheFilemenutodothis,entering
anasyetunusedfilename.

3.6.1 Time delay

Beforewecanextendtheflowchart,youhavetodeletetheconnectionbetween
“switchoffmotor”and“Programend”andshifttheEndelementdown.Nowyou
caninsertthenewprogramelementsbetweenthesetwoelements.Thegarage
dooristobeclosedautomaticallyafteraperiodof10seconds.Todothisyou 
canusetheTime delay programelementillustratedright.Withinabroadrange,
you can set the waiting time as you wish, as usual by right?clicking on the element.  Enter the
desiredtimedelayof10seconds.Toclosethegaragedoor,themotormustofcoursegotheother
way,thatis,totherightclockwise).ThemotoristurnedoffbyanotherendswitchonI3.

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The finished flow chart should look roughly as pre?
sentedontheright.Forthesakeofpresentation,the 
newprogramelementshavebeenmovedtotheright. Start
Oncetherearenomoremistakesintheflowchart,you
can test the extended garage door control system as
usualwiththeStartbutton.Themotorisswitchedon
byoperatingtheswitchonI1, andswitchedoffagain
byoperatingI2.Thisishowthegaragedoorisopened.
NowtheTimedelayprogramelementhasaredborder
for10seconds,thatisthedelaytimeweset.Thenthe
motorisswitchedontoturningtheotherdirectionuntil
the switch on I3 is operated. You should also try
changingthedelaytime.

3.6.2 Wait for input

Alongside the Time delay
element there are another
two elements that wait for 
 something before allowing
the program to proceed. The Wait for Input element, depicted left,
waitsuntiloneoftheInterface’sinputsisinaparticularstateofhaschangedinaparticularway.
Thereare5variantsofthiselement.

Symbol
    
Waitfor Input=1 Input=0 Change0?1 Change1?0 Anychange
(closed) (open) (opento (closedto (1?0or0?1) 
closed) open)
Same
function
using
Branch   
alone

 
AcombinationofBranchelementscouldbeusedinstead,buttheWait for Inputelementmakes
thingssimplerandeasiertounderstand.

3.6.3 Pulse counter

Manyfischertechnikmodelrobotsalsousepulsewheels.Thesegear
wheels operate a switch four times for every revolution. With these
pulsewheelsyoucanturnamotoronforapreciselydefinednumber
 of revolutions rather than for a given time. To do this, you need to
countthenumber ofpulsesataninputoftheInterface.Forthispur?
posethereisthePulse counter element,depictedleft,whichwaitsforauser?definablenumberof
pulses.Inthecaseofthiselement,too,youcansetwhetheranyalterationsoronly0?1oronly1?0
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changes are regarded as pulses. With pulse wheels, one normally waits for changes in either
direction,sothataresolutionof8stepsperrevolutionisobtainedwith4gearteeth.

3.6.4 Counter loop

With the Counter Loop element
you can very easily have a
specific part of the program
executed several times. The
program illustrated, for example,
turns a lamp on M1 on and off
 again 10 times.  The Counter
Loop element has a built?in
counter. If the counter loop is entered via the =1 entry, the
counterissetto1.Ifthecounterloopisenteredviathe+1
entry, 1 is added to the counter. According to whether the
counter is greater than a value you have prescribed, the
counterloopbranchestotheYes(Y)orNo(N)exit.Sothe
Yesexitisusedwhentheloophasbeentraversedasmany
timesasyouspecifiedinthecountervalue.Iffurtherpasses
throughtheloopareneeded,ontheotherhand,thecounter 
loop branches to the No exit. As in the case of the Branch
element,youcanalsoswaptheYesandNoexitsthroughthepropertywindow.

3.7 Online and download operation—what’s the difference?

Sofarwehavetestedourcontrolprogramsin whatiscalledonline operation.Inthiswayyou
 wereabletofollowtheprogressoftheprogramonthescreen,becausethecurrentlyactiveele?
Start ment was marked in red on the screen. You use online operation to understand programs or to
lookforerrorsinprograms.
In online operation you can also stop the program and continue it again by pressing the Pause
 button.Thisisverypracticalifyouwanttoinvestigatesomethingaboutyourmodelwithoutstop?
Pause pingtheprogramaltogether.Also,ifyouaretryingtounderstandthe wayaprogramruns,the
Pausefunctioncanbeveryhelpful.
WiththeStepbutton,youcanexecutetheprograminindividualsteps,elementbyelement.Every
 timeyoupresstheStepbutton,theprogramgoestothenextprogramelement.Ifyouexecutea
Step Time DelayorWait for element,itcanofcoursetakeawhilefortheprogramtogettothenext
element.
ForyourROBOTXControlleryoucanalsousedownload operationinsteadofonlineoperation.
 Inonlineoperationprogramsareexecutedbyyourcomputer.Inthismode,itsendscontrolcom?
Download mandssuchas“switchonmotor”totheInterface.Forthis,theInterfaceneedstobeconnectedto
thecomputerforaslongastheprogramisrunning.Ontheotherhand,indownloadoperationthe
program is executed by the Interface itself. Your computer stores the program in the ROBO TX
Controller.Assoonasthishasbeendone,theconnectionbetweenthecomputerandtheInterface
canbebroken.NowtheInterfacecanexecutethecontrolprogramindependentlyofthecomputer.
Downloadoperationisimportantforexampleinprogrammingmobilerobots,forwhichaconnect?
ingcablebetweenPCand robotwouldbeverycumbersome.Evenso, controlprogramsshould
initially be tested in online operation, as possible errors are more easily found here. Once fully
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tested,theprogramcanbedownloadedontotheROBOTXController.TheproblematicUSBcable
canbereplacedbyaBluetoothconnection.Inthatwaythemodelhasunrestrictedmobilityevenin
onlineoperation(seemanualROBOTXController).
Butonlineoperationalsohasadvantagescomparedwithdownloadoperation.Incomparisonwith
theInterface,acomputerhasmuchmoreworkingmemory,andcancalculatemuchfaster.Thisis
an advantage with large programs. Also, during online operation a ROBO TX Controller and a
ROBOInterfacecanbecontrolledsimultaneouslyfromaprogram.
Anoverviewofthetwomodesofoperation

Mode Advantage Disadvantage

Online Programexecutioncanbefollowedonscreen ComputerandInterfacemust
Execution,evenoflargeprograms,isveryfast remainconnected
SimultaneouscontrolofaROBOTXController
andaROBOInterfacepossible
TheearlierIntelligentInterfaceissupported
Panelscanbeused
Theprogramcanbestoppedandcontinued
Download ComputerandInterfacecanbeseparatedafter TheearlierIntelligentInterface
download isnotsupported
 Programexecutioncannotbe
followedonscreen

Using download mode

IfyouhavetheROBOTXControllerortheROBOInter?
face,youcantransferthegaragedoorcontrolsystemto 
theinterfacebymeansoftheDownloadbutton.Firstthe Download
dialogwindowontheleftisdisplayed.TheROBOInter?
face has several program storage areas, a RAM
(RandomAccessMemory) areaandtwoFlashmemory
areas.AprograminRAMislostassoonasyoudiscon?
nect the Interface from the power supply or the battery
pack is discharged. A program stored in Flash memory,
on the other hand, will remain stored in the Interface,

evenwithoutpower,foryears.Ofcourseyoucannever?
thelessoverwriteprogramsinFlashmemoryatanytime.DownloadtoRAM,however,isdistinctly
faster,andisthereforerecommendedfortestingpurposes.
Youcanstoremultipleprograms,forexamplemultiplebehaviormodesforamobilerobot,inthe
Flashmemory.Youcanselect,startandstopthemultipleprogramsbyusingthedisplayandthe
selectionkeysoftheROBOTXController.IftheStart program after downloadoptionisactive,
theprogramisstartedimmediatelyafterdownload.Tostoptheprogramyoupresstheleftselec?
tionkeyontheTXController.

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Formobilerobots,theoptionStart program with key on Interfacemakesmoresense.Thisis
because, if you don’t have a Bluetooth interface, you still have to unplug the USB cable before
yourprogramsetstherobotinmotion.Inthiscase,youstartthedownloadedprogrambyusingthe
leftselectionkeyoftheTXController.
ByusingthefunctionAutostartoftheROBOTXController,aprogramisstartedautomaticallyas
soonastheInterfaceissuppliedwithpower.Inthisway,youcanforexampleyoucansupplythe
Interfacewithpowerviaamainsadapterwithatimeswitch,andstarttheprogrameverydayatthe
sametime.Thenyoudon’thavetoeitherleavetheInterfacepermanentlyswitchedonorstartthe
programwiththeselectionkeyeverytimeyouswitchiton.

Note:
YoucanalsofindacomprehensivedescriptionofthefunctionsoftheROBOTXControllerin
theaccompanyingoperatingmanual.

3.8 Tips and Tricks

Altering connection lines

If you shift an element, ROBO Pro will try to adjust the connecting lines in a reasonable way.
Shouldyounotlikeanadjustedline,youcaneasilychangetheconnectinglinesbyleft?clickingon
thelineandmovingitwhileholdingthekeydown.Accordingtowherethemouseisplacedonthe
line,acorneroranedgeofthelineismoved.Thisisdisplayedbydifferentmouse?cursors:
Ifthemouseispositionedoveraverticalconnectionline,youcanmovethewholevertical
 linewhileholdingdowntheleftmousekey.
If the mouse is positioned over a horizontal connection line, you can move the whole
 horizontallinewhileholdingdowntheleftmousekey.
Ifthemouseispositionedoveranobliqueconnectionline,anewpointisinsertedintothe
 connectinglinewhenyouleft?click.Youhavetoholdtheleftmousekeydown,notreleas?
ingituntilthemouseispositionedwherethenewpointistobeplaced.
If the mouse is positioned near an end point or a corner of a connecting line, you can
 movethispointwhileholdingdowntheleftmousekey.Youcanonlymoveaconnected
lineendpointtoanothersuitableprogramelementconnection.Inthiscasetheendpointof
theconnectinglinewillbelinkedtothisconnectingline.Otherwise,thepointwillnotbemoved.

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A different approach to connecting lines
Connectinglinescanalsobecreatedbymovingprogramelements.Ifyoumovea programele?
mentsothatitsentryisoneortwogridpointsbelowtheexitofanother,aconnectinglinebetween
theelementsiscreated.Thisalsoappliestoanexitthatismovedoveranentry.Afterthat,you
canmovetheprogramelementtoitsfinalpositionordrawfurtherlinksfortheremainingentries
andexits.

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