What the 37101 alarm means

The brakes for a mechanical unit fail to engage when commanded. This is a safety-critical fault: the arm may drop when motors are turned off. This is a high-frequency ticket for our ABB repair team, and on IRC5 / OmniCore (RobotWare) systems one inspection usually identifies the fault.

Most common causes

  • Incorrectly configured external brake relay in the motion configuration
  • Faulty brake relay
  • Broken brake wiring
  • Worn or seized brake on the unit
Field note: The top-listed cause has the highest hit rate, so checking it first narrows things down fast.

Step-by-step field fix

  1. Do NOT leave the robot unpowered with a load until resolved — support the arm mechanically
  2. Verify the external brake relay definition in the motion configuration file
  3. Check the brake relay I/O signal in the I/O configuration
  4. Test the relay and wiring; replace faulty components
  5. Run a brake verification cycle before returning to service
Safety first: For ABB 37101, a failed brake means a vertical axis can drop - a person underneath is a severe-accident case, so we require mechanical support first and no repeated power-on trials. What you can check yourself first is Do NOT leave the robot unpowered with a load until resolved — support the arm mechanically; a dropping vertical axis handling is not a DIY job. On ABB 37101: the only safe self-action is stopping the axis, holding power off and supporting the arm mechanically; gap measurement, torque testing and brake replacement are engineer work.

How we diagnose brake faults on site

ABB 37101 belongs to the brake family. On ABB 37101 the failing stage is DSQC drive modules (DSQC 600 generation; OmniCore drive units) on the IRC5 / OmniCore - the electromagnetic brake: brake supply, coil, friction lining and mechanical gap - directly tied to whether an axis can drop. We start reading ABB 37101 at the FlexPendant event log and system diagnostics, with the cabinet status LEDs.

The chain involved in ABB 37101 runs: brake control signal -> brake supply circuit -> electromagnetic coil -> friction lining and disc -> axis holding.

If ABB 37101 shows a slow drop after power-off: Brakes are wear parts: the lining thins with use, braking torque falls and the gap grows. The signature is a slow axis drop after power-off, or failure to hold under heavier load. We measure actual gap and holding torque against factory figures, and inspect the lining surface for oil - contamination collapses the friction coefficient, and adjusting the gap will not fix that; it needs cleaning or replacement. After any brake change we run a static hold test and hand over only when there is no creep.

Field notes on this page cover ABB 37101 (Brake Failure — Mechanical Unit May Collapse); written by the Henghuan repair team, updated 2026-10-01.

Real Field Case

Machine: ABB IRB 1600-6/1.45 (2015)

Symptom: An IRB 1600 raised 37101 (brake failure, the mechanical unit may fall) and the customer was afraid to power it on.

What we did: We kept that axis powered down, measured the brake coil and confirmed an open circuit, replaced the brake, then ran a drop test and repeatability re-check.

Result: It passed both the drop and accuracy tests after the brake replacement and was handed back safely; about 5 hours.

Still guessing? Let a professional engineer save you time

Give us the alarm code, robot model and the action at the moment of the alarm, and our engineers can give you a quick read — phone or video remote diagnosis is free.

Get a Free Remote Diagnosis See Repair Services

Hotline: +86-20-39029800 · WhatsApp: +86-188-1886-2860

Related Brakes alarms

37096 — Brake Power Fault (MCOB/MCB) 37097 — Brake Short Circuit Fault (Axis N) 37098 — Brake Open Circuit Fault (Axis N)
Same family: this code belongs to the Brake alarms family - the page collects all Brake-family codes we have handled, with the common inspection order and spares.
Other brands: we also keep field-fix libraries for Yaskawa · Universal Robots · Kawasaki and more — see the complete alarm code hub.

Frequently asked questions

QWhat does the ABB 37101 alarm mean?

The brakes for a mechanical unit fail to engage when commanded. This is a safety-critical fault: the arm may drop when motors are turned off. This is a high-frequency ticket for our ABB repair team, and on IRC5 / OmniCore (RobotWare) systems one inspection usually identifies the fault. ABB 37101 sits in the brake family; on our work orders the highest-frequency trigger for this code is "Incorrectly configured external brake relay in the motion configuration".

QCan I clear a ABB 37101 alarm myself?

Whether ABB 37101 clears on its own depends on the outcome of "Do NOT leave the robot unpowered with a load until resolved — support the arm mechanically". Finish the flow with "Run a brake verification cycle before returning to service" to confirm ABB 37101 - do not skip it. If that step is clean, the second most frequent cause on ABB 37101 is "Faulty brake relay". Two attempts and still there means stop: ABB 37101 involves a dropping vertical axis, and running ABB 37101 on can turn a repairable fault into a replacement.

QWith a brake alarm like ABB 37101, can we keep producing for now?

The commonest causes we see on ABB 37101 are "Incorrectly configured external brake relay in the motion configuration, Faulty brake relay, Broken brake wiring", so we stock the van against those. For ABB 37101 specifically, we carry the brand's common brake assemblies, relays and supply modules; every change ends with a static hold test. For ABB 37101, brake faults carry drop risk so we prioritise them, and after replacement we hold-test on site before handover. Before we roll, tell us what ABB 37101 shows on the FlexPendant event log and system diagnostics, with the cabinet status LEDs and what the machine was doing - phone or video triage is free.

This page on ABB 37101 was compiled from actual repair records of the Henghuan Robotics repair team. Alarm notes are our own summary for troubleshooting reference only and may vary with controller and software version — please consult ABB documentation or contact us if in doubt. Henghuan is an independent service provider, not affiliated with or endorsed by ABB.