Walk up to the machine. Ask why it stopped.
TaktPulse Pocket is a pocket-size troubleshooter for Allen-Bradley PLCs and FANUC robots. Plug it in, go online, and get the rung or the program line that is holding things up, with live values beside it.
For maintenance technicians, controls contractors, integrators and field service people who work on a different machine every week.
The free plan includes the Analyzer. You add the Pocket when you are ready.
Clamp_Ext. It reads 0.
An example of what comes back: the rung from your program, colored by the states read from the controller.
Before you can troubleshoot, you have to get in
On an unfamiliar machine, the first hour rarely goes to the fault. It goes to this.
The laptop
The one with the programming software on it, wherever it is today.
The version
The software release that matches this controller’s firmware.
The cable
And an open port, and an address that lets you on.
The program
The current copy, not the one somebody saved two years ago.
The Pocket skips that. It goes online and puts the logic in your browser, already matched to live values.
Allen-Bradley PLCs
Upload the program once. After that, every answer comes from the rungs that are in it, and names the routine and rung it came from.
Analyzer
Upload a Studio 5000 program and ask questions about the logic in plain language. Compare two versions to see what changed. This part works without a Pocket.
Troubleshoot PLC
Go online and ask why the station is stuck. The rung comes back with every contact marked TRUE or FALSE from the running controller.
PLC Alarms
Alarms are logged with timestamps while you are connected, so you can find the first fault in a chain. Ask about any alarm to see the rung behind it.
Data Reader
Browse the controller’s tags, pick up to 20 and record them every cycle. The fault that only shows up once a shift leaves evidence behind.
FANUC robots New
The same approach for the robot in the cell. When the PLC says it is waiting on the robot, you can see what the robot is waiting on.
10: J P[3] 100% CNT50 ; 11: DO[12:Gripper_Close]=ON ; 12: WAIT DI[105:Part_Clamped]=ON ; 13: L P[4] 500mm/sec FINE ; 14: DO[14:Weld_Start]=ON ;
DI[105] is OFF.Analyzer
Upload robot programs and ask what a program does, where it waits, and what changed between two versions.
Troubleshooting
Go online with the robot and ask why it is not moving. You get the program line and the signal it is waiting on.
Inputs and outputs
Read the robot’s I/O live from your browser.
Registers and position registers
Read them live, and keep a text copy to compare against later.
One alarm list
PLC and robot alarms together, in time order, so you can see which side faulted first.
From sign-up to online
Create a free account
At analyzer.taktpulse.com. It takes a minute.
Try the Analyzer
Upload a program and ask it questions. No hardware needed.
Add the Pocket
Choose the Max plan under Billing. The Pocket comes with the plan and ships to you.
Go online
Plug the Pocket into the machine, connect it to your phone’s hotspot and start asking.
Built to stay out of the way
You are plugging into somebody’s production machine. These are the things the Pocket will not do.
It never writes
The Pocket reads. It does not change logic, force an output or move a setpoint.
It never guesses
Every answer points to a rung or a program line in your own program, not to how machines usually work.
It says when it cannot see
If the controller cannot be reached, it tells you. A rung is never shown as live when it is not.
It forgets the machine
When you power it down, the Pocket keeps its own identity, your saved Wi-Fi networks and any data not yet uploaded. Nothing else.
Start free, add the Pocket later
Free
For trying the Analyzer on a program you already have.
- Analyzer for PLC and robot programs
- One PLC program and one robot program at a time
- 15 messages a month
Pro
For regular work in the Analyzer, without hardware.
- Analyzer for PLC and robot programs
- 300 messages a month
Max
For going online. The Pocket is included.
- Everything in Pro
- TaktPulse Pocket, hardware included
- Live troubleshooting, alarms and Data Reader
- 300 messages a month
Current prices are shown under Billing once you have an account. One Pocket per account.
Questions people ask first
Which controllers does it work with?
Allen-Bradley ControlLogix and CompactLogix PLCs, and FANUC robots.
Can it change anything on the machine?
No. It is read-only. It reads tags, I/O and registers and never writes to the controller.
Do I need Studio 5000 on my laptop?
Not to troubleshoot. You upload the program file once, and everything after that happens in your browser.
How does it get online?
Through your phone’s hotspot. You set it up once from your phone, and the Pocket joins by itself after that. It needs an internet connection to work.
Can I use one Pocket on different machines?
Yes. Carry it from machine to machine. Each Pocket belongs to one account.
I run a plant and want Pockets for my maintenance team
Plants can have several Pockets on one account, billed by invoice against a purchase order, with pricing and message allowance agreed per site. Send us a message or email info@taktpulse.com.
Try the Analyzer on a program you already have
It is free, it needs no hardware, and it will tell you quickly whether the Pocket is worth carrying.
Talk to us
Pockets for a maintenance team, a plant quote by purchase order, or a question about your PLCs and robots. Tell us a bit and we'll get back to you.