Backups & recovery
Cloning a Robot Controller
For a technician duplicating one controller's full configuration onto an identical replacement controller or a second robot on the same line.
- Step 1.
Take a full image backup of the source controller
On the source, hold F1 and F2 and turn on the robot to enter the boot monitor, then run the image backup to USB. This is the boot-monitor image process, not Controlled Start.
- Step 2.
Document robot-specific settings
Note the source robot's IP address, robot serial number, and mastering data before cloning, since these must not be blindly copied.
- Step 3.
Boot the target into the boot monitor for image restore
On the target controller, hold F1 and F2 while turning on power to enter the boot monitor. Image restore runs from here, not from Controlled Start (PREV+NEXT), and the Controlled Start File screen cannot restore a full image.
Caution: Controlled Start restores system files only. Do not try to restore the full image through Controlled Start.
- Step 4.
Restore the image to the target
Load the source image backup onto the target controller from the boot monitor's image restore function.
- Step 5.
Cycle power on the target
Restart the target controller normally after the restore completes.
- Step 6.
Correct robot-specific settings
Reset the IP address, robot identifiers, and any other unique settings that should not match the source robot.
- Step 7.
Re-master or verify mastering on the target
Mastering data does not carry over correctly between physically different robots. Loading backup data can also trigger a SRVO-038 pulse mismatch that requires remastering. Verify or remaster the target robot.
- Step 8.
Run a full test cycle
Test all programs at low speed on the target robot before returning it to production.
Common questions
- How long does Cloning a Robot Controller take?
- Cloning a Robot Controller is rated Advanced and takes about 60 minutes across 8 steps.
- What tools do I need?
- You will need Teach pendant, USB drive with sufficient space, Documentation of both robots' IP addresses and I/O maps.
- What should I do before starting?
- Source and target controllers are the same model and software version. Target robot's mastering and mechanical differences are understood.
- What is the first step?
- Take a full image backup of the source controller. On the source, hold F1 and F2 and turn on the robot to enter the boot monitor, then run the image backup to USB. This is the boot-monitor image process, not Controlled Start.