What the 50100 alarm means

Communication with an external device (PLC, vision, conveyor) timed out on the configured interface. This is one of the most common faults in our repair logs for the ROKAE xCore (XB / CR / NB series) platform, and the first inspection typically locates the cause.

Most common causes

  • Network cable or switch fault
  • Partner device offline
  • IP or station configuration mismatch
  • Firewall or port change after IT work
Field note: Field experience says the first cause is the most likely — verify it before moving on to the rest.

Step-by-step field fix

  1. Verify the partner device is alive and reachable
  2. Check cables and switch port lights
  3. Confirm IP and protocol settings on both ends
  4. Restart the interface after correcting settings
  5. Handle timeouts gracefully in the program
Safety first: For ROKAE 50100, when communication drops, controller and external devices can disagree about state; at reconnect, external axes or tooling may act on stale commands. The self-serviceable action is Verify the partner device is alive and reachable; anything past that falls under external axes and tooling interlocks and needs a certified engineer.

How we diagnose communication alarms on site

ROKAE 50100 belongs to the communication family. On ROKAE 50100 the failing stage is ROKAE xCore controller - the data link: fieldbus, Ethernet, cabinet-to-body communication and external device interfaces. We start reading ROKAE 50100 at the pendant alarm list; codes segment as 1xxxx / 5xxxx / 6xxxx.

The chain involved in ROKAE 50100 runs: physical layer (cable / connector / shield) -> link layer (protocol / baud / node ID) -> application layer (data mapping / handshakes).

On ROKAE 50100 we start at the physical layer by default: Communication alarms start at the physical layer by default, not in parameters. The reason is simple: most field communication faults are cable and connector faults - oxidised pins, unlanded shields, broken cores in the drag chain, missing or wrong termination resistors. A meter and your eyes find these cheaply and they hit often. Only with the physical layer proven do we move to node IDs, baud rates and data mapping; the reverse order burns hours and ends at a loose connector.

Field notes on this page cover ROKAE 50100 (Fieldbus / Ethernet Communication Timeout); written by the Henghuan repair team, updated 2026-10-01.

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Related Communication alarms

10014 — Servo Drive Fault / Not Ready 10020 — Motion Planning Failed 13001 — Encoder Data Error 13100 — Joint Overtemperature 13200 — Bus Voltage Abnormal 15000 — Safety Stop / E-Stop Chain Open
Same family: this code belongs to the Communication alarms family - the page collects all Communication-family codes we have handled, with the common inspection order and spares.
Other brands: we also keep field-fix libraries for Dobot · FANUC · KUKA and more — see the complete alarm code hub.

Frequently asked questions

QWhat does the ROKAE 50100 alarm mean?

Communication with an external device (PLC, vision, conveyor) timed out on the configured interface. This is one of the most common faults in our repair logs for the ROKAE xCore (XB / CR / NB series) platform, and the first inspection typically locates the cause. ROKAE 50100 sits in the communication family; on our work orders the highest-frequency trigger for this code is "Network cable or switch fault".

QCan I clear a ROKAE 50100 alarm myself?

Whether ROKAE 50100 clears on its own depends on the outcome of "Verify the partner device is alive and reachable". Finish the flow with "Handle timeouts gracefully in the program" to confirm ROKAE 50100 - do not skip it. If that step is clean, the second most frequent cause on ROKAE 50100 is "Partner device offline". If ROKAE 50100 returns after two clears, or the checks point at Network cable or switch fault, stop the cell and call a professional robot repair engineer.

QFor communication alarms like ROKAE 50100, how long does a site visit take?

The commonest causes we see on ROKAE 50100 are "Network cable or switch fault, Partner device offline, IP or station configuration mismatch", so we stock the van against those. For ROKAE 50100 specifically, we carry common bus cables, connectors, termination resistors and shield terminals. For ROKAE 50100, communication work is about tracing the physical link segment by segment; most cases close in one visit. Before we roll, tell us what ROKAE 50100 shows on the pendant alarm list; codes segment as 1xxxx / 5xxxx / 6xxxx and what the machine was doing - phone or video triage is free.

This page on ROKAE 50100 was written by the Henghuan Robotics repair team from field service experience. Alarm descriptions are our own summary for troubleshooting reference and may vary by controller and software version — when in doubt, check your ROKAE documentation or contact us. Henghuan is an independent service provider, not affiliated with or endorsed by ROKAE.