2. Robot operations

Inside the hutch

Figure 3. General view of robot control computer (left), MD2 and robot dewar (at right) inside C-hutch.

Figure 3B. The main working window for all robotic applications INSIDE the hutch
 

Unload/Load Pucks 
 
1. Remove any mounted crystals on the goniometer, either manually or pressing DISMOUNT button.
2. Click on PARK/SAFE, select "park gripper" and script will ask you to confirm. Click YES. The robot script will then perform several sanity checks:
    *  If MD2 is not closed, then the capillary/beamstop will be retracted under the cover.
    *  Sample on the Goniomter - The sample sensor will detect if there is a pin on the goniometer. If a sample is present, the robot script will ask you to remove the sample or allow the robot to place the sample back in the dewar. If you choose to manually remove, the sample sensor will retract to allow you to reach the pin. The sample sensor may be manually moved– click on “SS PROBE”
Once the spindle is unoccupied, and all covers are closed, the robot script will park the gripper.
You should wait and NOT touch anything before the gripper stops in Park Position (facing goniometer).

3.  Click  UN/LOAD PUCK. Next a new popup window will appear – select a puck position (A to N) or CANCEL the operation.
After puck selection, the dewar will rotate that position directly under the opening and allow for placement of a puck. There are four positions in the dewar: A, B, C, and D, which accessible from the inner openning; positions E to N are accessible from outer openning. Keep track of which puck goes in which position. After the gripper has been parked, you can access the dewar.
4.  Turn off the lid fan for better viewing.  Before pucks can be loaded, the lid must be removed. 

5. Remove the puck from the shipping cane. Turn over the puck so that the thick part of the puck is face up. Attach the puck pusher to the puck. Orient the puck so that the notch is facing the center of the dewar. Load your puck into the dewar by lowering into the liquid nitrogen and feeling for engagement of the notch with the pin. It is recommended to slightly tilt the pusher toward the center of the dewar. When the puck is engaged, then it will not move in the dewar and the puck pusher will be perpendicular to the opening of the dewar. The puck will also be seated inside all three pins. Once the puck is engaged, push down with the plunger (of the puck pusher) to separate the two pieces of the puck. Then lift straight up in order to avoid disturbing the pins. Visually check the alighnment of ALL pins, use long (and cooled) forceps to place properly tipped over pins.

7. After loading your puck into the dewar, select the next position by first clicking UN/LOAD PUCK, confirm, and then choosing the next position. Due to the sanity checks, this step is slow. Repeat steps 3-6, until up to fourteen pucks are in the dewar.

8. Once all your pucks are loaded, replace the lid on the dewar (make sure the pin on the dewar is engaged in the lid) and turn the fan back on.
9. You must cool the gripper before samples can be mounted. Click COOL GRIPPER. The gripper should enter the dewar and begin cooling. Once the proper temperature has been achieved, you will be able to select a puck (click A to N) and a sample (click a number in the puck picture). Now, sample mounting can proceed. It is recommended to mount the first crystal inside the hutch, to check proper alignment of the robot. Once PuckID and Sample# changed color to yellow/cyan – press “MOUNT” button and watch the robot mounting the first crystal.

Now all robot operation should be done OUTSIDE the hutch, using the robot script running on auxiliary computer.

Outside the Hutch

All robot operation can done OUTSIDE the hutch, using the XTAL CENTERING tab

To mount/unmount samples:
1. To mount your first sample click the Puck ID (A to N), then click the Sample ID (#1-16). The Puck ID and Sample ID colors will change to red as the robot moves to the sample location. When the dewar move is complete, the Puck ID color will change to yellow and the Sample ID will change to cyan.
Make sure that the BUSY light is green (not bright red), ROBOT READY and the status is DISMOUNTED

2. Then click MOUNT under Mount Ops.  The robot will start mount the selected crystal;           
 Be Patient – it takes ~50 seconds to finish!
When the sample has been mounted, the voice will state, "Ready to Align Sample." At this time, you may align/center your crystal. The robot is still busy doing first de-icing of the gripper and second cooling it. Please do not click anything in the robot window at this time

3. Mount Next Sample. With a sample mounted on the goniometer, you have two choices.
    * If you wish to go to the very next sample in the puck, then click MOUNT NEXT. The robot will dismount the sample and mount the next sequential sample. When it is complete, the voice will state, "Ready to Align Sample." Be patient – it takes ~115 seconds for this step.
    * If you wish to go to new sample in the same puck, then click the Puck ID and then select Sample ID of the desired sample. The puck IDs will change to red, then back to yellow and Sample ID will change to cyan when your selection has been accepted. The robot will dismount the current sample and automatically mount the chosen sample. When the mount is complete, the voice will state, "Ready to Align Sample." Be patient – it takes ~125 seconds for this step.
    * If you wish to mount a crystal from a different puck, it is recommended to first click DISMOUNT before selecting your new sample. The robot will return the currently mounted sample to the puck. Once the crystal is dismounted, the BUSY light is green (not bright red), ROBOT READY, click the Puck ID and then select Sample ID of the desired sample. The puck IDs will change to red, then back to yellow and Sample ID will change to cyan, then your selection has been accepted. The robot will move to the new location and automatically mount the chosen sample. Be Patient – it takes ~70 seconds to finish! The voice will then state, "Ready to Align Sample."
    * The above behavior may be changed by checking “Automount Disabled”: in the Maintenance submenu – the crystal will be NOT automatically mounted after new selection. You need to click MOUNT to mount the selected crystal.

4. Dismount -This command returns the currently mounted sample to the puck. (duration ~80 sec)

5. OPTIONS  button will give you the menu with different washing scenarios. The most commonly used are: 

POST_WASH to wash the crystal after mounting : it instruct the robot to move the crystal back to the dewar, move it back and forth to remove any ice on the loop surface and mount it back.

WASHING MACHINE – The whole dewar is strongly agitated several times to remove ice from many crystals at once; it is recommended to perform this operation after loading your pucks

ENABLE PRE_WASH – Before mounting every new crystal, the gripper will be agitating up and down with every crystal before mounting.

6. If a long time has passed between sample mounts (such as the duration of a long data collection), De-Ice Gripper and then Cool Gripper prior to dis-mounting. Ice builds up on the gripper during long intervals and will enter the storage dewar if not removed by de-icing. Ice in the storage dewar is drawn to any crystals present.

7. To move the gripper into a safe state for maintenance (or after finishing the experoment) - click SAFE GRIPPER.

Aborting / Restarting Robot Operations

1. If one of the stages is UNDEFINED or there is some form of mechanical emergency with the robot, you can stop the Robot by clicking ABORT ALL (inside the hutch). If the ABORT ALL button is used during regular operation, it will cause the Robot to cease, the PROTOCOL ABORT light will illuminate and further action will not be possible until the abort has been cleared. Improper clearing of the abort can cause random robot actions and sample loss. If a physical obstruction is the cause of the UNDEFINED state, the obstruction must first be removed prior to clearing the state. The UNDEFINED state can be cleared by clicking the stage motion (inside the hutch in the superuser mode ), so that the state return to normal. To clear the abort, you must exit the script and restart.

2. If you cannot exit from the Robot script by pressing EXIT, you can abort the script by clicking on Execution Options under the title bar and then selecting Abort Script.

3. To restart the Robot software double click the EXEC_Intel icon on the desktop . Click on File and choose “Prior .CXE Selection”, drag the mouse to the right to select the script “C:\CONHEAP\ROBOT_C.CXE”. Click on “Execution Option” and choose “Execute Script”. Now you should see the new robot window coming (Figure 3B). After initialization of the script (be patient), the robot is ready.

4. The Robot Server should be only be restarted inside the hutch. If the Robot Server has been restarted, the socket connections on the outside beamline computer must be re-established. On the beamline auxilliary computer, click the ROBOT SERVER button under Maintenance tab menu. You will be asked to confirm. Click YES.

General notes for robot trouble-free operations:

Note1: The robot is SLOW – You can’t make it faster: every operation is a set of many instructions and sanity checks, which should be completed before the software can accept a new command. Please be patient, and wait every instruction to be properly finished. Aborting, canceling or just double-clicking may push the system in the delirious state with long recovery time.
Note 2: Please always watch the status of the robot system: When the robot is ready for the new operation/command it will display green ROBOT READY  status.
Note 3. Double check the video feed on the computer screen above for robot gripper position (it should NOT be protruding into MD2) BEFORE “unlocking” the MD2 computer.
Note 4: Please follow ALL instructions from your support personnel. Any deviations or shortcuts are dangerous and will lead to unpredictable results and/or physical damage of the equipment.