Teach pendant and controller interface

01

Check the pendant's safety functions

OSHA's Technical Manual Section IV Chapter 4 lists the teach pendant among the major components of an industrial robot system, with the manipulator and the robot controller. It says programming is done with a teach pendant in manual mode, that robot speed in manual mode is limited to less than 10 in (250 mm) per second, and that the programmer must have control of the robot and associated equipment. [1]

It defines an enabling device as a manually operated device that permits motion only while continuously activated, notes that ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012 requires a 3-position enabling device whose release or compression stops robot motion and associated hazardous equipment, and describes it as held in the centre-ON position and as a device that may be integrated into the teach pendant. Among accident causes it lists a worker programming without a teach pendant with an enabling device, and it calls incorrect activation of the teach pendant a frequent worker error. [1]

Editorial calculation: at the 250 mm/s manual-mode limit, a tool point moves 125 mm during a 0.5 s delay between a worker releasing the enabling device and the robot stopping; ask the supplier for the measured stopping time and distance in manual mode for your robot and payload. [1]

Give the supplier the robot and controller make and model, pendant type (wired or wireless), enabling-device and emergency-stop categories required, cable length and connector, display size, keys and jog method, language, environment (temperature, dust, coolant), IP rating, standards to meet (ANSI/RIA R15.06, ISO 10218), spare cables and quantities.

02

Match the link, controller and environment

The OSHA chapter describes robot controllers as taking inputs from sensors and sending command signals over wired or wireless links, and says ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012 Parts 1 and 2, with ISO 10218-1 and -2, are the safety standards for robots and robot systems, requiring safe operating and maintenance information with the robot and the application. [1]

Editorial note: a pendant and its interface must be matched to the controller's firmware, safety circuits and connector; ask whether a replacement or third-party pendant is validated for the controller, how the enabling and emergency-stop circuits are wired through the interface, and what happens to the safety circuit when a pendant is disconnected or a wireless link is lost.

Compatibility is set by the controller. Yaskawa's Smart Pendant data sheet (March 2026) describes a 10.1-inch touchscreen teach pendant with a 3-mode key switch, emergency stop and enabling switch on an 8-metre cable (extensions available), and lists it for YRC1000 controllers with AR-series, HC-series, GP-series robots up to 80 kg and PL-series up to 190 kg, and for YRC1000micro controllers with GP-series robots up to 12 kg, HC-series, MotoMini and SG-series; some functions, such as macro job editing, are only available through its Classic Interface. [4] Editorial calculation: an 8 m cable lets the operator work about 8 m from the controller cabinet before an extension is needed; compare the cell layout with the cable length and with the wireless option above, and ask which controller and software versions a replacement pendant supports. [4] [2]

03

Compare wired and wireless pendant hardware

KEBA's KeTop Basic brochure lists the wired KeTop T70 as a 7-inch, 600 × 1,024-pixel portrait pendant suited to robot teaching, with standard versions carrying a twin-circuit emergency stop and a 3-position enabling switch. It offers pendant cables of 5, 7, 10 and 15 m and a junction box rated IP54 when installed. [3]

Its KeTop T150/T155 safe wireless pendants have a 10.1-inch, 1,280 × 800 multi-touch display and an IP65 housing. They send visualisation data over 2.4 or 5 GHz WLAN and safety data over Bluetooth 4.2 BLE to a base station with discrete relay and semiconductor safety outputs, so any safety controller can be used. RFID pairing works at 10 cm, and optional operating-area monitoring blocks operation where the machine is out of sight. [2]

The wireless pendant's 3-position enabling switch and illuminated emergency stop are each rated SIL 3 to IEC 61508 and Category 4 / PL e to ISO 13849. It runs on 24 V DC, carries a 3,500 mAh battery rated for 2–4 hours, and weighs about 1,450 g with battery; the CB410 base station weighs about 500 g. [2]

Editorial calculation: at 2–4 hours per 3,500 mAh battery, an 8-hour teaching shift needs 2 to 4 batteries or a charging break, so order spare battery packs and the charging station with wireless pendants. [2]

04

Find teach pendant manufacturers

No manufacturer record has been reviewed for this product yet. Send your specification and CNFX will match it against manufacturer records.

05

Trace the pendant and interface components

This is a functional reference built from the sources cited; it is not one maker's design.

06

Fill the specification fields with values for your robot cell

A teach pendant quotation needs values for your robot cell. The table explains each field, gives published values where a reviewed source states them, and says what to obtain from the supplier.

07

Send the robot, safety and environment data together

Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.

Robot: [make; model; controller; firmware]
Safety: [enabling device; e-stop; categories; standards]
Link: [wired or wireless; cable length; connector]
Use: [display; keys; language]
Environment: [temperature; IP; coolant]
Supply: [spares; quantity]

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