tormach_za_ros2_drivers

This repository contains the Tormach ZA robot ROS 2 drivers, including:

• za6_description: URDF and mesh files for the ZA6
• za6_tools: URDF and meshfiles for Tormach robot grippers
• za6_hardware: HAL hardware drivers for the ZA6
• za6_moveit_config: MoveIt configuration
• za6_bringup: Launch files to bring up the robot

It also includes two packages for running MoveIt Studio:

• moveit_studio_za6_base_config: The base Studio configuration
• moveit_studio_za6_tending_config: The machine tending configuration with a Tormach PCNC 1100 milling machine

Everything needed to run a Tormach ZA robot from the hardware drivers to the MoveIt! configuration is included, along with scripts to build the complete stack into a Docker image. The Docker image can be used on the Tormach robot controller to run real hardware, and can also be used on any host with Docker engine to run in sim mode.

Building the ZA ROS 2 Docker image

Build the Docker image on the Tormach robot controller or a host with Docker engine installed. Choose a location to create a new ROS 2 workspace, e.g. WSDIR=~/tormach_za_ros2_ws.

mkdir -p $WSDIR/src
cd $WSDIR
git clone https://github.com/tormach/tormach_za_ros2_drivers.git \
    src/tormach_za_ros2_drivers
./src/tormach_za_ros2_drivers/devel_scripts/docker-dev.sh -b

NOTE: Because the containerized docker build environment has limited access to the host environment, the build will fail if running on a Tormach controller with the EtherCAT master running. Before building, stop the master:

sudo systemctl stop ethercat

Running the ZA6 on ROS 2

Run the ZA6, either real hardware or in sim mode, in a Docker container using the instructions in this section. Real hardware will only run on a Tormach robot controller with RT_PREEMPT kernel and OS tuning needed for real-time control.

WARNING: Running ROS 2 on the Tormach controller will update the EtherCAT master, causing the ROS 1 controller to stop working. See "Restore ROS 1 compatibility" below for more info and a fix.

Launch the Tormach ZA6 ROS 2 development container

Start the container with the docker-dev.sh script.

./src/tormach_za_ros2_drivers/devel_scripts/docker-dev.sh

This starts a shell in the newly-launched Docker container. Additional container shells may be started in new terminals.

docker exec -itu $USER ros2-devel bash

Build the workspace

From within the container, build the ROS workspace containing this repository.

source /opt/ros/$ROS_DISTRO/setup.bash
colcon build

Launch hardware, MoveIt and RViz

Once the workspace is built, start the robot hardware, MoveIt configuration and RViz:

source install/setup.bash
ros2 launch za6_bringup bringup.launch

Extra launch arguments; see the za6_bringup package README.md:

hal_debug_level:=5    Enable verbose hardware debugging
sim_mode:=true        Run sim HAL hardware

Enable drives

The robot cannot move until motor power is supplied and drives are enabled.

After powering on the robot control cabinet, supply motor power by releasing e-stop and pressing the reset button. The reset button blue lamp will glow, indicating motor power is available.

In software, after hardware launch, enable drives via the ROS service. The main shell console will log detailed message about drive state changes, and the motor brakes will make audible clicks as they release.

source install/setup.bash  # If running a new terminal
ros2 service call /enable_drives std_srvs/srv/Trigger

Disable drives with another ROS service.

ros2 service call /disable_drives std_srvs/srv/Trigger

If drives fail to enable, look for clues in the main shell console logs.

Read the README.md files in the various za6_* source packages for more information about available robot controls.

Restore ROS 1 compatibility

The ROS 1 containers depend on an older EtherCAT master running on the host. The ROS 2 container updates the master when the Docker container starts. To revert the EtherCAT master to the older version for running ROS 1, run this script with the fix-ethercat argument.

./devel_scripts/launch_za_dist_image.sh fix-ethercat

Launch MoveIt Studio with ZA6 support

To run MoveIt Studio, see moveit_studio_za6_base_config/README.md.