What the 9718 alarm means

The encoder battery voltage is low but position is still being held; this is the early warning — fix it before it becomes 9716 and position loss. In our Epson service archive this alarm on RC90 / RC700 (EPSON RC+) systems shows up constantly, and the first on-site inspection almost always locates it.

Most common causes

  • Battery nearing end of life
  • Long storage without power
  • Poor battery contact
Field note: The first cause is the most common in the field — check it first, then work through the rest.

Step-by-step field fix

  1. Replace the battery at the next scheduled stop
  2. Check the signal cable connection
  3. Verify encoder values are still consistent
  4. Do not power off the controller until the new battery is installed
  5. Add battery replacement to the periodic maintenance schedule
Safety first: For EPSON 9718, 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. On site you may look at after confirming power-off the first step yourself: Replace the battery at the next scheduled stop. Beyond that it is position feedback and brake release work - leave it to a professional.

How we diagnose encoder alarms on site

EPSON 9718 belongs to the encoder & position family. On EPSON 9718 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 9718 at the EPSON RC+ error list and controller front-panel indicators; codes segment as 4xxx / 5xxx / 9xxx.

The chain involved in EPSON 9718 runs: motor-side encoder -> encoder cable -> drive / measuring board acquisition -> position count and zero data -> battery-held memory.

If Battery nearing end of life on EPSON 9718 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 9718 (Absolute Encoder Battery Alarm); written by the Henghuan repair team, updated 2026-10-01.

Can't find the cause? One call can pinpoint it

Provide the alarm code, model and the action being performed at the alarm. Our engineers have seen EPSON 9718 many times and judge fast; phone and video remote diagnosis are both free.

Get a Free Remote Diagnosis See Repair Services

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

Related Encoder & Position alarms

5098 — High Temperature of Encoder 9716 — Power Supply Failure of Absolute Encoder 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 9718 alarm mean?

The encoder battery voltage is low but position is still being held; this is the early warning — fix it before it becomes 9716 and position loss. In our Epson service archive this alarm on RC90 / RC700 (EPSON RC+) systems shows up constantly, and the first on-site inspection almost always locates it. EPSON 9718 sits in the encoder & position family; on our work orders the highest-frequency trigger for this code is "Battery nearing end of life".

QCan I clear a EPSON 9718 alarm myself?

Whether EPSON 9718 clears on its own depends on the outcome of "Replace the battery at the next scheduled stop". Finish the flow with "Add battery replacement to the periodic maintenance schedule" to confirm EPSON 9718 - do not skip it. If that step is clean, the second most frequent cause on EPSON 9718 is "Long storage without power". After clearing EPSON 9718, watch it for one shift. A second trip means stop and let an engineer arrive with the right test gear for position feedback and brake release.

QFor encoder alarms like EPSON 9718, can it be fixed in one visit?

The commonest causes we see on EPSON 9718 are "Battery nearing end of life, Long storage without power, Poor battery contact", so we stock the van against those. For EPSON 9718 specifically, we carry feedback-path parts: encoder cables, battery packs, connector pins and the measuring-board type data for the brand. For EPSON 9718, 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 9718 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.

This page on EPSON 9718 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 Epson documentation or contact us if in doubt. Henghuan is an independent service provider, not affiliated with or endorsed by Epson.