MG400 RViz panels

mg400_rviz_plugin/Mg400Controller provides one panel with shared Enable, Disable, and Clear Error buttons at the top and MovJ / JointMovJ / Collision tabs below them. The default mg400.rviz configuration includes this panel.

For an existing RViz configuration, use Panels → Add New Panel → mg400_rviz_plugin → Mg400Controller.

Build and launch

Run from your ROS 2 workspace:

source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash
colcon build --packages-up-to mg400_rviz_plugin mg400_bringup
source install/setup.bash
ros2 launch mg400_bringup main.launch.py

If the robot driver is already running, launch only RViz:

ros2 launch mg400_bringup rviz.launch.py

Operation

1. Use Clear Error when needed. Enter Load [kg] and Center X/Y/Z [mm], then click Enable to apply the payload and enable the robot. The allowed ranges match Identify: 0–0.75 kg and ±500 mm, with up to three decimals. Every Enable sends all four values together using FOUR_PARAM. The fields start at zero; empty or invalid values prevent enabling. Payload fields can be edited before enabling and are locked while enabled or a command is pending. These inputs are not saved in the RViz configuration.
2. Select a tab:
   • MovJ: enter X/Y/Z in mm and R in degree. Use Current copies the current pose into all four target fields.
   • JointMovJ: enter J1–J4 in degree. Use Current copies the current joint angles into all four target fields.
3. Edit the target and click Send MovJ or Send JointMovJ.

Switching tabs preserves the entered targets and never sends a command. While either motion is pending, both tabs prevent further sends. The shared Disable button remains available during movement when its service is ready. Robot service calls run asynchronously and report success, failure/error ID, or no response after five seconds. Motion results are shown below the tabs.

Targets start empty. Sending requires valid numeric values, robot mode ENABLE, and an available action server. JointMovJ targets are also checked with the server’s joint range validation, including the coupled J2/J3 limit. MovJ targets use mg400_origin_link. Positions are converted from mm to meters, and angles from degrees to radians for the existing action interfaces. Speed, acceleration, and CP overrides are left unset, so the robot’s existing settings apply.

Use the Collision tab to select a Target level from 0 (Off) to 5, then click Apply Collision Level. Level 0 disables collision detection. No level is selected initially; selecting a level does not send it automatically. Applying requires robot mode DISABLED or ENABLE, an available service, and no pending motion or service request. The selector is locked during a request or motion. The shared service status above the tabs reports the requested level and success or failure/error ID, or a timeout after five seconds. This is the service result, not a readback of the robot’s current collision level. The selection is not saved in the RViz configuration.

The panel uses /mg400/enable_robot, /mg400/disable_robot, /mg400/clear_error, /mg400/set_collision_level, /mg400/mov_j, and /mg400/joint_mov_j. Current values come from /mg400/joint_states and action feedback. Physical J1–J4 map to mg400_j1, mg400_j2_1, mg400_j4_2, and mg400_j5, respectively. Reordered joint names and a joint-name prefix are supported.

Identify panel

mg400_rviz_plugin/Identify is independent of Mg400Controller. It loads an experiment YAML and performs the complete move → settle → record sequence.

ros2 launch mg400_bringup param_identify.launch.py ip_address:=192.168.1.6

The driver publishes raw joint currents and end poses with force estimation disabled during collection. namespace defaults to mg400; services, actions, and telemetry are remapped together. The panel starts with no experiment loaded. An example YAML is available at mg400_tools/config/param_identify.yaml and is installed under share/mg400_tools/config. Copy it to a writable location before editing:

cp "$(ros2 pkg prefix --share mg400_tools)/config/param_identify.yaml" ./experiment.yaml

For an already running driver publishing currents, use ros2 launch mg400_bringup rviz.launch.py rviz_config:=param_identify.rviz.

1. Use Load YAML… while disabled to select the experiment. Review its path, payload, motion/measurement settings, and pose table.
2. Click Enable. The panel sends all four payload parameters using FOUR_PARAM.
3. Click Run and record… and choose an .mcap filename. If either the MCAP or its matching YAML already exists, confirm Yes to replace it and run; Cancel keeps the file and sends no motion.

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