1. Interface Connections
Gateway To Technology®
Unit 2 – Lesson 2.3 – Automated Systems
fischertechnik®
Robo TX Interface Connections

2. Interface Connections
Gateway To Technology®
Unit 2 – Lesson 2.3 – Automated Systems
Robo TX Interface

3. The Robo TX Interface Connects the Computer
Interface Connections
Gateway To Technology®
Unit 2 – Lesson 2.3 – Automated Systems
The Robo TX Interface Connects the Computer
The Robo TX Interface controller controls the Outputs (Actuators) and evaluates the Inputs (Sensors).
with the fischertechnik ® model

4. Interface Connections
Robo TX Interface
Gateway To Technology®
Unit 2 – Lesson 2.3 – Automated Systems
The 9V power supply connects here.
The USB cable connects here.
EXT 1 and EXT 2 are connections for expansions.
Left and right selection buttons control display menu.
Display
The USB makes the connection to your computer.
For power you can use the 9V Power Supply or the fischertechnik rechargeable battery pack.
The Display shows the status of the Controller, including which programs are loaded and your menu location. Functions and programs can be selected, activated, and deactivated. When a program is running, values of variables or analog sensors can be displayed.
The left and right selection buttons control the display menu. The left button is for scrolling through the options; the right button is for selecting the option.
With EXT 1 and 2, additional ROBO TX Controllers can be connected so that the number of inputs and outputs can be expanded.

5. Interface Connections
Motor Outputs
Interface Connections
Gateway To Technology®
Unit 2 – Lesson 2.3 – Automated Systems
Motor
Lamp
Electromagnet
Buzzer
Solenoid Valve
The interface has four power outputs. They are labeled M1 – M4. The motor outputs provide 9V of electricity to the connected devices when activated. You can change the power sent to the outputs by sliding the scale between 1 and 8 in the RoboPro program. You will also notice that you can choose clockwise (cw) or counterclockwise (ccw). Although the shaft of a motor will change rotational direction when you toggle between cw and ccw, all that is really happening is that the polarity is switching.
Output devices connect at
M1 – M4.

6. Interface Connections
Lamp Outputs
Interface Connections
Gateway To Technology®
Unit 2 – Lesson 2.3 – Automated Systems
Lamp
Electromagnet
Lamp Output devices connect at
01 – 08 with one wire.
As an alternative, eight lamps or electromagnets can connect at O1 – O8 with one wire. You connect the other wire with a ground socket of the Interface (┴). Outputs that move in only one direction can piggyback on each other at the ground and will only consume one output port. [ [
The other wire connects
to a ground socket. ┴

7. Interface Connections
Universal Inputs
Interface Connections
Gateway To Technology®
Unit 2 – Lesson 2.3 – Automated Systems
Pushbutton Switch
(pressure sensor)
Phototransistor
(light sensor)
Reed Switch
(magnetic sensor)
Digital sensors, like the pushbutton switch, phototransistor, and reed switch, connect to I1 – I8.
Digital Inputs connect at
I1-I8.

8. Interface Connections
Universal Inputs
Interface Connections
Gateway To Technology®
Unit 2 – Lesson 2.3 – Automated Systems
Thermistor
(temperature sensor)
Photocell
(light sensor)
Analog signals are variable. The signal might appear anywhere in a range. While a standard light switch sends a message for the bulb to be either on or off, a dimmer switch can change the intensity of the bulb. A dimmer switch behaves as an analog input. Radio volume can also be thought of as an analog input. You will use two analog inputs on the interface. Analog inputs, like the thermistor and photocell, measure resistance and can be plugged into I1-I8.
Analog Input Devices also connect to I1-I8.

9. Interface Connections
Gateway To Technology
Unit 2 – Lesson 2.3 – Automated Systems
Counting Inputs
Connect fast counting and digital inputs
Digital inputs, like the pushbutton switch, can be plugged into C1-C4.

10. Interface Connections
Gateway To Technology
Unit 2 – Lesson 2.3 – Automated Systems
A Few Tips
Building models is fun when they work. This is why you should follow a few basic rules.
Work carefully.
Check the movement of all parts.
Use the interface test.
Before you start to write a program for a model, use the interface test from ROBO Pro to test all parts that are connected to the ROBO TX Controller.

11. Interface Connections
Gateway To Technology
Unit 2 – Lesson 2.3 – Automated Systems
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.
<CLICK> This window will appear. Here you will select the USB/Bluetooth Port and the ROBO TX Controller Interface.

12. Interface Connections
Gateway To Technology®
Unit 2 – Lesson 2.3 – Automated Systems
Interface Test
Clicking on the Test icon in the program will bring up the Interface test box. The first step when setting up and troubleshooting is to ensure that the Connection bar turns green and says running.
If you get the message STOPPED despite having correctly set the USB port, you should check to see if the power supply and USB cables are connected correctly. To make sure that the port is actually working, plug in another device.
The Test Interface window provides several options for controlling the output and checking the status of the inputs.
Outputs can be tested to see if they are connected at the correct speed or intensity and running in the proper direction.
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 connecting a switch to the Interface (i.e., to I1 – use contacts 1 and 3 on the switch). As soon as you press the button, a checkmark appears in the display of I1. If you have connected the switch the other way around (contacts 1 and 2), the checkmark will appear immediately and disappear when you press the button.
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 switches. If you connect a switch to this input, every push of the switch (=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 connected. These can be 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 starting 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 connect a motor to output 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., a conveyor belt). If you would like to test one of these outputs, you connect one lamp contact to the output O1. You connect the other lamp contact with one of the ground sockets.
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. These buttons allow you to select which of the connected devices you would like to access with the test window.

13. Interface Connections
Gateway To Technology
Unit 2 – Lesson 2.3 – Automated Systems
Troubleshooting
Interface Test
Cables and Wiring
Loose Connection
Loose plugs
Poor contact between wire and plug
Short Circuits
Programming Errors
Interface Test
If the connection doesn’t work right away, there is usually a simple explanation. But the explanation is not always easy to find.
Check the functioning of the individual components with the help of the interface test in ROBO Pro.
Cables and Wiring
If an electrical component does not work, check the cable that you connected to the ROBO TX Controller.
Loose Connection
A component that works sometimes and doesn't work at other times probably has a loose connection somewhere
in the wiring for the component.
The most frequent causes for this are
Loose Plugs
When the plugs for the cables are too loose or wobbly in the jack sockets, they do not have sufficient
contact. In this case you can use a screwdriver to carefully bend the contact springs at the front on the
plugs apart. Make sure that the plugs are firmly seated in the jack sockets when you plug them in.
Poor Contact between Wire and Plug
Check the contact between the stripped wire ends in the plug and the plug itself. It may be sufficient
to tighten the screws in the plug a bit more.
Short Circuits
You have a short circuit when a positive and negative connection are touching each other. Both the rechargeable
battery and the ROBO TX Controller have a fuse built in so that they are not damaged by a short circuit. Simply
switch off the power supply for a while. However, your model will naturally not work anymore either.
The cause for a short circuit can be either a mistake in the wiring or loose screws in the plugs. The screws may touch each other when the plugs are plugged in and thus cause a short circuit. Make sure that you completely screw in the screws and plug in the plugs so that the screws cannot
touch each other. Also be careful not to strip too much of the plastic coating from the end of the wire.
Errors in the Program
Even if no one likes to admit it, everyone makes mistakes. Especially with more complex programs, an error can
occur. When you have checked everything on your model and have eliminated all errors, check your program. Go through each step in the program to identify the error. In the online mode, you can follow the program on the screen while it is running. The particular active program item is highlighted so that you can always see the point where the program is and where the error occurs.