Kinova Gen3 Lite

Item Numbers

Description	CPR Item
Kinova Gen3 lite Bundle	022586
Kinova Gen3 lite, PACS™ kit	027219

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Specifications

Overview

Description	Value
Mass	5.4 kg
Voltage, Minimum	21 V
Voltage, Maximum	30 V
Voltage, Sensor	24 V
Power, Average	20 W
Power, Peak	100 W
Data	Ethernet, 100 Mbit/s
Reach	760 mm
Payload	0.5 kg
Speed	250 mm/s
Range	±155°
Ingress Protection, Solids	2
Ingress Protection, Liquids	2
Operating Temperature, Min	0°C
Operating Temperature, Max	40°C

IP addresses

Description	IP address
Default from Manufacturer, USB - USB	192.168.1.10

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Hardware Build

Parts List

The PACS™ kit for this sensor includes:

ID	Description	CPR Item	Quantity
1	Plate—80 X 80, Attachment Interface	026914	1
2	Manipulator Bundle	022586	1
3	Screw, Cap, Round Head—M6×1 X 8, Stainless Steel	023326	4
4	Spacer, Round—Ø5.3 X Ø8 X 7, Aluminum Alloy	026612	4
5	Screw, Cap, Round Head—M5×0.8 X 16, Stainless Steel	023257	4

Instructions

1. Remove the Kinova arm from it's packaging.
2. There is a Quick Connect Mounting Knob on the bottom of the arm. You will need to remove this to mount the arm to the PACS™ bracket. Hold the Mounting Knob's square body using an adjustable wrench. Then use a hex key to turn the Mounting Knob's screw counerclockwise. Then remove the Mounting Knob from the arm.
3. Refer to the attachment-plate's (ID 1) drawing 026914. The notes indicate which holes are for the Kinova arm. You will need to enlarge the four holes to Ø6.3 mm with a drill.
4. Mount the arm (ID 2) to the attachment-plate (ID 1) using four M6×1 screws (ID 3).
5. Mount this assembly onto your robot, using the included spacers (ID 4) and screws (ID 5).

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Software Bringup

ROS 2 Configuration

This manipulator is included in the Clearpath Robotics descriptino and robot package that is installed on all of our robots. This allows you to add or remove manipulator from your robot's software configuration by modying the robot configuration yaml.

manipulators: arms: - model: kinova_gen3_lite parent: default_mount xyz: [0.0, 0.0, 0.0] rpy: [0.0, 0.0, 0.0] ip: 192.168.131.40 port: 10000 gripper: model: kinova_2f_lite

Package and Setup

The Kinova Gen3 Lite uses the kortex_description and kortex_driver ROS 2 Packages. The driver is open source, maintaned by Kinova Robotics, and hosted on GitHub.

For more specifics on the way Clearpath's configuration system adds the manipulator to the robot description, see the Kinova Gen3 Lite description file in clearpath_manipulators_description.

Device IP and Port

The ip and port parameters must be set to the corresponding values set on the manipulators configuration page.

manipulators: arms: - model: kinova_gen3_lite parent: default_mount xyz: [0.0, 0.0, 0.0] rpy: [0.0, 0.0, 0.0] ip: 192.168.131.40 port: 10000 gripper: model: kinova_2f_lite

Package and Setup

note

The Kinova 2F Lite gripper is the standard gripper on the Kinova Gen3 Lite. It is controlled via the arm's hardware interface and therefore, does not need it's own controller.

The Kinova 2F Lite gripper uses the kortex_description and kortex_driver ROS 2 Packages. The driver is open source, maintaned by Kinova Robotics, and hosted on GitHub.

For more specifics on the way Clearpath's configuration system adds the manipulator to the robot description, see the Kinova 2F Lite gripper description file in clearpath_manipulators_description.

Networking, with netplan

The Kinova Gen3 lite does not let you change its static IP address. Its address is always 192.168.1.10. when you connect using a USB - USB cable.

You will need to extend the network bridge to the 192.168.1.x subnet to interface with the Kinova Gen3 lite arm.

Open the netplan configuration file with /etc/netplan/50-clearpath-bridge.yaml. You will be adding a bridgeusb section to the file, and an additional _192.168.1.1/24 address to the network bridge. Your file should look like this:

network:
  version: 2
  renderer: networkd
  ethernets:
    bridge_en:
      dhcp4: no
      dhcp6: no
      match:
        name: en*
    bridge_eth:
      dhcp4: no
      dhcp6: no
      match:
        name: eth*
    bridge_usb:
      dhcp4: no
      dhcp6: no
      match:
        name: usb*
  bridges:
    br0:
      dhcp4: yes
      dhcp6: no
      interfaces: [bridge_en, bridge_eth, bridge_usb]
      addresses:
        - 192.168.131.1/24
        - 192.168.1.1/24

Close and save the file be pressing ctrl + x, then typing y, and pressing Enter.

Now apply your new netplan changes by running sudo netplan apply.

You can test the netplan settings by pinging the robot's computer, and pinging the Kinova arm:

ping 192.168.131.1
ping 192.168.1.10

tip

If you cannot ping the computer or arm, try rebooting and replugging the Kinoca Gen3 lite arm before reviewing your installation steps.

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Troubleshooting

Arm is not turning on

1. Turn off the robot.
2. Remove the Kinova's circular power connector.
3. Turn the robot back on.
4. Use a multimeter to check that the voltage is 24 V between:
   • Position 2 and Position 3
   • Position 5 and Position 8
5. If you are not reading 24 V, then:
   • An upstream connector may not be fully seated.
   • A fuse may be blown.
   • A power supply may have failed.

If the Issue Persists

Clearpath is committed to your success. Please get in touch with us and we will do our best to get you rolling again quickly: support@clearpathrobotics.com.

To get in touch with a salesperson regarding Clearpath Robotics products, please email research-sales@clearpathrobotics.com.

If you have an issue that is specifically about ROS and is something which may be of interest to the broader community, consider asking it on https://robotics.stackexchange.com. If you do not get a satisfactory response, please ping us and include a link to your question as posted there. If appropriate, we will answer in the ROS Answers context for the benefit of the community.

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Further Reading

1. Clearpath Robotics Store
2. Datasheet
3. Installation Guide
4. User Manual
5. Kinova Website
6. ROS webpage