About this manual¶
Scope and audience¶
The PAROL6 Robot Manual covers the PAROL6 desktop robotic arm from the box, or the printer, to a robot that runs programs: what the robot is, how to install it safely, how it is switched on, homed, jogged and run, which tools and grippers it takes, its inputs, outputs and pneumatics, how it is maintained and what to do when something fails. The Build guide, part of the same document, covers building one from the published files. Four more documents live on this site: the Control Board Manual, for the electronics inside the base; the End Effectors Guide, for the grippers and tools on the flange; the GUI Guide, for the graphical programs; and the Programming Guide with its API reference, for everyone who writes programs for the robot. The list under Related documents gives their numbers.
The manual is written for someone who has a PAROL6 or is building one: a maker, a student, a teacher or an engineer who can run a Python script and tighten a belt. It does not assume robotics training; the concepts the robot's software uses are explained in the Theory corner, which anyone can read first. Read the Safety chapter before you power anything. The Quick start is the first day on one page; the chapters are in the order you need them and go deeper.
Finding your way¶
The header has seven tabs. PAROL6 Robot Manual is the document you read from the start: the quick start, then safety, technical data, installation, operation, peripherals, maintenance and troubleshooting, in numbered chapters, followed by the build guide. Control Board is the manual of the electronics inside the base: the connectors, the stepper drivers, the I/O wiring, the firmware, the serial protocol. End effectors is what goes on the flange: the pneumatic and vacuum grippers, the SSG-48 and MSG electric grippers, a tool of your own, and how each is mounted, connected and driven. GUI interfaces covers the graphical programs: the commander software, Waldo Commander, Motor GUI. Programming is for everyone who writes programs for the robot: the interfaces, the concepts, the Python API, RBTscript, ROS 2, and the reference where you look things up: every method of the Python API, read from its source, the RBTscript commands, the serial protocol byte by byte, the firmware parameters. Theory corner explains the robotics behind the software, from joint numbering and units to kinematics, singularities and motion profiles, for anyone who wants to read first. Support says where to get help and how to report a problem.
The whole site describes one PAROL6 release. The dropdown next to the site name switches between releases, and a page from an older release says so in a bar at the top. The repository card on the right of the header opens the repository the page belongs to; every page ends with a link to edit it and one to report a problem with it.
Warnings and notes¶
Three kinds of warnings and notes appear in this documentation. Read every Danger and Notice before you act on the step it belongs to. A green Check box after a setup step says what you should see when the step worked, and where to go when it did not.
Note
Points out something that is easy to miss or that changes what follows: a default, a limit, a side effect.
Notice
The robot, the tool, or data on the control board or the PC can be damaged or lost if this is ignored. Nobody is at risk.
Danger
Someone can be injured if this is ignored. Stop and read the whole box before acting on the step it belongs to.
Related documents¶
| Document | Number | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| PAROL6 Robot Manual | SR-1002 | the robot: quick start, safety, technical data, installation, operation, peripherals, maintenance, troubleshooting, transport; the build guide |
| PAROL6 Control Board Manual | SR-2002 | the control board: features, technical data, connectors and pinout, stepper drivers, I/O and E-stop, CAN, firmware upload, the test firmware, the serial protocol |
| PAROL6 Programming Guide | SR-4004 | the ways to program the robot, the concepts behind them, the Python API, RBTscript, ROS 2; the reference: every method of the Python API, the RBTscript commands, the serial protocol, the firmware parameters |
| PAROL6 End Effectors Guide | SR-3004 | what goes on the flange: the pneumatic and vacuum grippers, the SSG-48 and MSG electric grippers, a tool of your own; mounting, connections, the joint 5 homing offset, driving them from the commander software and the Python API |
| PAROL6 GUI Guide | SR-4005 | the graphical programs: the commander software (installation, the windows, the tabs), Waldo Commander in the browser, Motor GUI for the grippers |
Every document describes PAROL6 release 1.1; the version selector in the header switches between releases. The compatibility table says which control board, firmware, Python API, commander and gripper versions work together.
The grippers made for PAROL6 are documented separately: the SSG-48 at docs.source-robotics.com/SSG48-gripper-docs, the MSG at docs.source-robotics.com/MSG-gripper-docs. PAR6, the larger arm, is documented at docs.source-robotics.com/par6.
Document history¶
The documents on this site describe one PAROL6 release; one revision is kept per release, and the version selector in the header switches between them. The Programming Guide and the API reference also name the Python API version they describe, because the API is released more often than the robot. The documentation as it was from 2023 to October 2026, before this site was rebuilt, stays in the version selector as Old manual; it is kept for reference and no longer updated.
The text and the images of this documentation are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, the code examples under the MIT licence. The robot's hardware files are published under CERN-OHL-S-2.0, its firmware and software under GPLv3, in their repositories. The Source Robotics name, the product names and the logos are not covered by any of these.
| Document | Revision | Date | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robot Manual | 2026.B | 2026-11-04 | PAROL6 release 1.1, with the files as downloads on the release; the workspace side and top views per tool; the reference frames per tool and the flange frame (the Python API's reversed tool frame as KI-11); the mains side of the power supply; cleaning; the old manual as version 0 in the version selector; the hardware licence CERN-OHL-S-2.0 |
| Robot Manual | 2026.A | 2026-11-03 | First version in this form: the numbered chapters, the build guide, from the pages of the previous site |
| Control Board Manual | 2026.B | 2026-11-04 | PAROL6 release 1.1: the same firmware as release 1 |
| Control Board Manual | 2026.A | 2026-11-03 | First version in this form, from the control board and peripherals pages of the previous site |
| End Effectors Guide | 2026.A | 2026-11-03 | First version: the flange, the pneumatic and vacuum grippers, the SSG-48 and MSG, your own tool |
| GUI Guide | 2026.A | 2026-11-03 | First version: the commander software, Waldo Commander, Motor GUI |
| Programming Guide | 2026.A | 2026-11-03 | First version: the concepts, the Python API 0.9.1, the commander software and RBTscript, ROS 2; the generated API reference |
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