What the 9716 alarm means

The absolute encoder lost its supply — on SCARA and 6-axis Epson robots this is almost always the backup battery; absolute position is lost for the affected axes. This is a routine repair in our workshop for Epson RC90 / RC700 (EPSON RC+) systems, and we normally pin it down during the first site check.

Most common causes

  • Dead encoder backup battery
  • Battery wiring or connector fault
  • Robot internal wiring damage
  • Signal cable connection issue
Field note: Begin with the first item in the list; it has a far higher on-machine occurrence rate than the others.

Step-by-step field fix

  1. Replace the battery with a new one
  2. Check robot internal wiring and the battery connector
  3. Reset the encoder (origin reset/calibration)
  4. Move axes to calibration marks to verify the origin
  5. Record the battery change in the maintenance log
Safety first: For EPSON 9716, encoder alarms often mean position data cannot be trusted: actual pose may disagree with the system record, so releasing a brake or jogging carries unexpected-motion risk. The self-serviceable action is Replace the battery with a new one; anything past that falls under position feedback and brake release and needs a certified engineer.

How we diagnose encoder alarms on site

EPSON 9716 belongs to the encoder & position family. On EPSON 9716 the failing stage is encoder and origin data, absolute position held by battery on the RC700-A / RC90-B and the RC series - the feedback path: encoder body, encoder cable, battery, measuring board and the stored position memory. We start reading EPSON 9716 at the EPSON RC+ error list and controller front-panel indicators; codes segment as 4xxx / 5xxx / 9xxx.

The chain involved in EPSON 9716 runs: motor-side encoder -> encoder cable -> drive / measuring board acquisition -> position count and zero data -> battery-held memory.

If Dead encoder backup battery on EPSON 9716 comes and goes, suspect interference: Encoder feedback is a low-level signal and interference-sensitive. Position data jumping now and then, alarms appearing and disappearing, usually means the shield is not landed properly or the encoder cable shares a drag chain with power cables. We check that the shield lands single-ended at the cabinet, that routing is separated in the chain, and that connector pins are not oxidised. A surprising number of these clear after re-routing, and swapping the encoder would have been money wasted.

Field notes on this page cover EPSON 9716 (Power Supply Failure of Absolute Encoder); written by the Henghuan repair team, updated 2026-10-01.

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Related Encoder & Position alarms

5098 — High Temperature of Encoder 9718 — Absolute Encoder Battery Alarm 9711 — Serial Encoder Communication Failure
Same family: this code belongs to the Encoder & position alarms family - the page collects all Encoder & position-family codes we have handled, with the common inspection order and spares.
Other brands: we also keep field-fix libraries for Nachi · Omron · ESTUN and more — see the complete alarm code hub.

Frequently asked questions

QWhat does the EPSON 9716 alarm mean?

The absolute encoder lost its supply — on SCARA and 6-axis Epson robots this is almost always the backup battery; absolute position is lost for the affected axes. This is a routine repair in our workshop for Epson RC90 / RC700 (EPSON RC+) systems, and we normally pin it down during the first site check. EPSON 9716 sits in the encoder & position family; on our work orders the highest-frequency trigger for this code is "Dead encoder backup battery".

QCan I clear a EPSON 9716 alarm myself?

Whether EPSON 9716 clears on its own depends on the outcome of "Replace the battery with a new one". Finish the flow with "Record the battery change in the maintenance log" to confirm EPSON 9716 - do not skip it. If that step is clean, the second most frequent cause on EPSON 9716 is "Battery wiring or connector fault". When EPSON 9716 keeps coming back it is not a one-off trigger - especially if Record the battery change in the maintenance log is where you get stuck. Do not keep producing through EPSON 9716.

QFor encoder alarms like EPSON 9716, can it be fixed in one visit?

The commonest causes we see on EPSON 9716 are "Dead encoder backup battery, Battery wiring or connector fault, Robot internal wiring damage", so we stock the van against those. For EPSON 9716 specifically, we carry feedback-path parts: encoder cables, battery packs, connector pins and the measuring-board type data for the brand. For EPSON 9716, encoder alarms are mostly broken cores and dead batteries, both of which ride in the van, so most clear in one visit. Before we roll, tell us what EPSON 9716 shows on the EPSON RC+ error list and controller front-panel indicators; codes segment as 4xxx / 5xxx / 9xxx and what the machine was doing - phone or video triage is free.

The notes on EPSON 9716 were summarized by the Henghuan Robotics repair team from on-site service. The alarm interpretation is our empirical summary for troubleshooting reference and may vary by controller and software version — please check Epson documentation or contact us with questions. Henghuan is an independent service provider, not affiliated with or endorsed by Epson.