Techman TM Cobot — E-Stop & Encoder Standstill Recovery

Techman · beginner · 15 min

A Techman TM cobot signals its state through the mode-indicator light ring. Release the E-stop and watch it change from red to blue; recover an Encoder Standstill (Cat. 0 stop) by power-cycling from the robot stick.

ℹ️ On a TM cobot the light ring is the fastest diagnostic: red means stopped/error, and it blinks light blue when it's ready to recover. Watch the color before doing anything else.

Read the mode-indicator light

A Techman TM cobot shows its state through the robot mode indicator light ring on the arm. The color tells you where you are: red means the robot is stopped / in an error state, and light blue means it is ready (or ready to recover). Watching that transition is how you confirm a recovery is progressing.

Recover from an emergency stop

After the E-stop button is pressed:

1. Release the E-stop button (twist to release).
2. The robot mode indicator will blink red for a moment.
3. After a few seconds it blinks light blue — this is the recovered/ready state.
4. Re-enable and resume operation from TMflow or the robot stick per your workflow.

If the ring stays red and won't go blue, a safety input is still open — check for another pressed E-stop, an open safety I/O, or an active safety function before trying again.

Recover from an Encoder Standstill (Cat. 0 stop)

When an Encoder Standstill is triggered, the robot performs a Category 0 stop — power is cut off for a few seconds. Note: if there's payload on the TCP, the arm can drop slightly before it comes to a complete stop, so be ready for a small settle. To recover:

1. Immediately hold the Power Button on the robot stick as the robot stops.
2. Press the power button on the robot stick again to power the system back on.
3. Watch for tool collision — because the arm may have settled, make sure the tool won't strike nearby fixtures/parts as it re-powers.
4. Bring the robot back to a known state in TMflow before resuming the program.

Errors that mean 'call support'

Some TM errors — for example Vision Servoing Failure — should not normally occur and usually indicate a software issue. If you hit one of these, don't keep retrying; contact your Techman agent or Techman Robot with the error.

Step-by-step

1. Read the mode-indicator color — red (stopped/error) vs. blue (ready).
2. E-stop: release the button; wait for red → light blue.
3. Encoder Standstill (Cat. 0): hold then press the robot-stick power button to re-power, watching for tool collision.
4. Persistent red / abnormal error: check for an open safety input; for software errors like Vision Servoing Failure, contact Techman.
5. Resume from a known state in TMflow.

Verify

Once the light ring is light blue and no error remains in TMflow, the cobot is ready. If it keeps re-entering a stop, look for the safety input or condition still active rather than repeatedly power-cycling.