node-red-contrib-fanuc-focas

A Node-RED node for collecting telemetry from FANUC CNC controllers via the FOCAS2 TCP protocol.

Pure Node.js — no Python, no native libraries, no FANUC SDK required. Works on any platform including Raspberry Pi (aarch64/arm64).

Features

• Connects directly to FANUC controllers over Ethernet using the FOCAS2 wire protocol
• Selectable Function — poll only the data you need per node instance
• Sub-type selector for Axes Data (position, servo/spindle load, feedrate)
• Configurable Parameter and Macro variable reads by number
• Sub-second timer resolution (millisecond companion parameters)
• Correct run-state decoding for Series 16/18/21/0i/30i controllers
• Series 15/15i support via config selector
• Status indicator on each node (blue = polling, green = ok, red = error)

Supported Controllers

| Series | Examples | |--------|---------| | Series 0i-D / 0i-F | 0i-D T (lathe), 0i-D M (mill) | | Series 16i / 18i / 21i | 16i-T, 18i-M | | Series 30i / 31i / 32i | 30i-B | | Series 15 / 15i | (select Series 15 in config) |

Requires the FOCAS Ethernet option to be enabled on the controller (option code A02B-0207-J732 or equivalent). Default TCP port is 8193.

Installation

From Node-RED Palette Manager

Search for fanuc-focas in Menu → Manage Palette → Install.

From command line

cd ~/.node-red
npm install node-red-contrib-fanuc-focas

Usage

1. Drag a fanuc focas node onto your flow (found under the input category).
2. Double-click it and create a new FANUC Controller config:
   • IP Address — controller Ethernet IP (e.g. 192.168.0.100)
   • FOCAS Port — default 8193
   • CNC Series — 16/18/21/0i/30i for most modern controllers
3. Select a Function from the dropdown.
4. Wire an Inject node (e.g. repeat every 2 seconds) to trigger polling.
5. msg.payload contains the result for the selected function.

Functions

| Function | Description | msg.payload fields | |----------|-------------|----------------------| | All Data | Full combined snapshot | controller, machine_state, active_program, timers, part_count, feedrate_spindle, active_alarms | | Status Info | Machine run state | mode, run_state, motion, mstb, emergency, alarm, edit | | System Info | Controller identity | cnc_type, mt_type, series, version, axes | | Timers | Accumulated time counters | power_on_time, auto_operation_time, cutting_time, cycle_time | | Axes Data | Position / load / feed | See sub-types below | | Parameters | Raw CNC parameters | { [param_number]: value, … } | | Program Number | Active program | running_program, main_program, running_comment, main_comment | | Part Count | Parts produced | required_parts, lifetime_total | | Alarm Messages | Active alarms | Array of { type, code, axis, text } | | Macro | Custom macro variables | { [macro_number]: value, … } |

Axes Data sub-types

| Sub-type | Description | |----------|-------------| | Absolute position | Axis positions in absolute coordinates | | Machine position | Axis positions in machine coordinates | | Relative position | Axis positions relative to last reset | | Distance to go | Remaining distance in current block | | Servo load meter | Per-axis servo load (%) | | Spindle load meter | Spindle load (%) | | Spindle motor speed | Actual spindle RPM | | Actual feedrate | Feedrate in mm/min |

Timer format

Each timer returns both a machine-readable value and a formatted string:

"cutting_time": {
  "total_seconds": 53594.237,
  "formatted": "14h 53m 14.237s"
}

Example Payload — All Data

{
  "controller": {
    "cnc_type": "0",
    "mt_type": "T",
    "series": "D6G3",
    "version": "29.0",
    "axes": 32
  },
  "machine_state": {
    "mode": "MEMory",
    "run_state": "STaRt",
    "motion": "Moving",
    "mstb": "Inactive",
    "emergency": null,
    "alarm": null,
    "edit": "Inactive"
  },
  "active_program": {
    "running_program": "O8888",
    "main_program": "O8888",
    "running_comment": "DRIVING BAND TURNING",
    "main_comment": "DRIVING BAND TURNING"
  },
  "timers": {
    "power_on_time":       { "total_seconds": 810844,    "formatted": "225h 14m" },
    "auto_operation_time": { "total_seconds": 183989.237,"formatted": "51h 06m 29.237s" },
    "cutting_time":        { "total_seconds": 53594.237, "formatted": "14h 53m 14.237s" },
    "cycle_time":          { "total_seconds": 47.123,    "formatted": "0h 00m 47.123s" }
  },
  "part_count": {
    "required_parts": 500,
    "lifetime_total": 488584
  },
  "feedrate_spindle": {
    "actual_feedrate_mm_min": 24000,
    "actual_spindle_rpm": 101
  },
  "active_alarms": [],
  "timestamp": "2026-05-28T07:35:23.213Z"
}

Dynamic Override

You can override the configured function at runtime by setting properties on the incoming message:

| Property | Description | Example | |----------|-------------|---------| | msg.function | Override function | "status_info" | | msg.subtype | Override axes sub-type | "abs_pos" | | msg.params | Override parameter/macro numbers | "6711,6712" |

run_state Values

| Value | Series 16/18/21/0i/30i | Series 15/15i | |-------|------------------------|---------------| | **** | Reset / not in auto | — | | STOP | Stopped in auto | Stopped | | HOLD | Feed hold | Feed hold | | STaRt | Auto running ✓ | Auto running | | MSTR | Tool retract / MDI exec | M/S/T executing |

Note: Series 16/18/21/0i/30i run=0 means reset (not running), not STOP. Using the wrong table is a common source of misclassified machine states.

Multiple Machines

Create one FANUC Controller config node per machine, each with its own IP address. Wire separate polling chains independently:

[Inject 2s] → [fanuc-focas · Lathe 1] → [OPC UA out]
[Inject 2s] → [fanuc-focas · Lathe 2] → [OPC UA out]

Requirements

• Node.js ≥ 14.0.0
• Node-RED ≥ 2.0.0
• FOCAS Ethernet option enabled on the controller
• Network access to the controller on its FOCAS port (default 8193)

No additional npm dependencies — uses only Node.js built-ins (net, Buffer).

Technical Notes

• FOCAS is strictly sequential. Each request must complete before the next is sent on the same TCP connection. This node correctly awaits each response before proceeding.
• Connection per poll. A new TCP connection is opened and cleanly closed for each poll cycle, matching the FOCAS session model.
• The FOCAS wire protocol is reverse-engineered from diohpix/pyfanuc with several bug fixes applied (valtype-2 unpack, readparam3 fallback guard, statinfo cnctype matching).

License

MIT