KUKA 00-181-563 SmartPAD Connecting Cable 10m for KRC4

KUKA 00-181-563 smartPAD Connecting Cable, 10 m (KRC4 Teach Pendant Cable)

The KUKA 00-181-563 is the connecting cable for the smartPAD teach pendant. It is the 10 m cable that runs between the smartPAD 00-168-334, also known as the KCP4, and the X19 connection on the KRC4 robot controller. The cable has a plug-in connection at both ends, which is what allows it to be used as a connecting cable or as an extension cable for the smartPADs of the matching version. Because one cable carries the whole pendant link, a damaged cable does not stay a display problem: it takes the pendant off the controller, and the controller reports the loss of the operator control device while the robot is in motion. Send us the article number on the cable in your cabinet or the controller serial number, and we confirm the match before you order.

Specifications

Send the article number printed on the cable label, the controller serial number or a photo of the connector, and we confirm the match before you order.

Industrial Applications

• Replacement of a pendant cable that has been damaged by repeated bending, dragging or a crushing load on the cell floor.
• Service on KRC4 robots where the smartPAD no longer connects, no longer powers up, or drops out when the cable is moved.
• Extension of the pendant reach in large cells, where the operator needs to move around the robot while the cell stays in teach mode.
• Refurbishment of second hand KRC4 cabinets where the control computer and the smartPAD are kept and the pendant link is renewed.
• Spare holding for service teams that keep one pendant cable on the shelf for the KRC4 fleet.

Design Purpose

The smartPAD is the operator interface of the KRC4 controller, and it is also the device that carries the emergency stop of the pendant, the enabling switch and the mode selector. All of that runs through one cable, which is why a pendant cable is a safety relevant part and not just a data lead. The 10 m length of this article number is what makes it the standard pendant link for a cell: it reaches from the cabinet to the far side of the robot without the operator having to drag the cabinet around, and because the connection is a plug-in at both ends, the same cable can be laid as an extension when the geometry of the cell needs more reach. The cabinet side of that link is the X19 connection on the KRC4, and the KUKA controller documentation describes the signals that run over it: the 24 V supply for the pendant, the ground, the transmit and receive pairs, and the two inputs that report whether the smartPAD is plugged in on side A and on side B. Those last two signals are why the controller knows the pendant is present, and why the loss of the cable produces a controller message about the operator control device rather than a simple screen error. The same documentation also sets out the safety consequence that follows from a disconnected pendant: once the smartPAD is unplugged, the emergency stop on the pendant no longer switches the system off, so an external emergency stop has to be connected to the controller and the unplugged pendant has to be taken out of the cell so that it cannot be mistaken for a working one. That is also the reason a pendant cable is replaced as a complete part rather than repaired, and the reason the article number and the pendant it came from are what we confirm before a replacement is shipped.

Common Failure Modes

• The pendant shows no display or no backlight, or the controller reports that the operator control device is not connected.
• The connection drops out when the cable is moved, which points at a conductor that has been fatigued by repeated bending.
• The controller reports an interrupted communication link to the active operator control device while the robot is moving in test mode.
• The connector no longer seats properly, or the plug housing is cracked and the contacts are bent or corroded.
• The pendant is replaced but the controller still does not accept it, which points at the connector on the cabinet side rather than at the cable.

When the pendant does not work, the cable is the first thing to check, because a pendant cable failure is the most common cause of a pendant that will not come on. The checks that separate a cable fault from a fault inside the pendant are whether the fault changes when the cable is moved, whether the connector on the cabinet side is seated and free of damage, and whether the pendant behaves differently on a second robot with the same controller software version. Please contact us with the fault code shown on your controller for an accurate diagnosis of your cabinet. Two points are worth keeping in mind. First, the KUKA operating instructions set out the sequence for the pendant itself: the disconnect button is pressed, the plug is removed within the countdown, and after the pendant is plugged back in the controller needs about 30 seconds before the emergency stop and the enabling switch have to be tested again. A pendant cable that is replaced without that test is only half the work, because the pendant carries the emergency stop and the enabling switch. Second, a pendant that has been unplugged has to be removed from the cell so that it cannot be confused with a working one, and the cell needs an external emergency stop for as long as the pendant is out of it.

Why Choose Us

• Specialized in industrial robot spare parts for ABB, FANUC, KUKA and YASKAWA.
• Each part is tested and verified by experienced technicians before packing.
• Technical support available to help with fitment and troubleshooting.
• Worldwide shipping with careful industrial packaging, from our Shanghai office.
• Repair service offered on defective units.

Related Products

• KUKA 00-168-334: the smartPAD (KCP4) teach pendant for the KR C4, the pendant this cable connects to the controller.
• KUKA 00-291-556 SmartPAD-2: the newer teach pendant of the smartPAD family, a different part from this cable. Send us both article numbers if you are not sure which pendant is on your robot.
• KUKA smartPAD teach pendants: the wider range of teach pendants and the pendants they are fitted to.
• KUKA smartPAD repair parts: the screens, keypads and housing parts of the smartPAD family.
• KUKA cables and connectors: the wider range of robot cables and connector parts.
• Contact us for the full KRC4 smartPAD range, the pendant cables and the controller connection parts, and for the parts that match your installation.

Request a quote: send your part number (00-181-563) or the controller serial number, and we confirm the version, the fit and the lead time before you order.