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Brother Troubleshooting

Cannot Connect to Machine​

Problem: Connection test fails or machine shows as disconnected.

Possible Causes:

  • Incorrect IP address
  • Network connectivity issue
  • Machine control not configured correctly
  • Firewall blocking connection

Solutions:

  1. Verify IP Address:

    • Check IP address on machine control matches configuration
    • Ensure no typos in MachineMetrics configuration

  2. Test Network Connectivity:

    • Ping the machine via Diagnostics → Manual Ping in Edge Management, or from another computer on the network: ping 192.168.42.200
    • Verify successful ping responses
    • Check network cable connection

  3. Verify Machine Configuration:

    • Confirm "Display slave command alarm" is set to 0
    • Confirm "Restrict Ethernet access" is set to 0 (firmware 12+)
    • Verify IP address is configured correctly

  4. Check Firewall:

    • Ensure network allows HTTP (port 80) and FTP (port 21) traffic
    • Coordinate with IT team if needed

  5. Restart Control:

    • Power cycle the machine control (if safe to do so)
    • Wait for control to fully boot before testing

FTP Authentication Failed​

Problem: Connection test fails with FTP authentication error.

Possible Causes:

  • The client credential fields were filled in instead of the server fields
  • Incorrect FTP username or password
  • FTP server not configured on machine
  • Using HTTP mode but provided FTP credentials

Solutions:

  1. Check Server vs Client Fields (most common cause):

    • The control's Ethernet/FTP page has two credential pairs. MachineMetrics connects to the control, so only the server pair applies
    • Confirm Server user name and Password as server are set
    • Confirm User name as client and Password as client are blank — these are for the control connecting out to someone else's FTP server and are not used by MachineMetrics
    • See Configure FTP Server Credentials

  2. Verify Credentials Match Exactly:

    • The username and password in the adapter script must match the control character for character — they are case-sensitive
    • Re-enter both carefully, watching for trailing spaces
    • Keep values short and alphanumeric (e.g. BRO1); the control's input fields are limited
    • Save changes and restart control

  3. Check Connection Mode:

    • If using HTTP mode, remove FTP credentials from configuration
    • If using Mixed/FTP mode, ensure credentials are provided

No Data Appearing​

Problem: Machine shows as connected but no data items populate.

Possible Causes:

  • Machine in wrong mode (not AUTO/REMOTE)
  • Firmware version too old
  • Collection mode misconfigured
  • Missing or incorrect cnc-version (D00 controls)
  • Machine not running a program

Solutions:

  1. Check Machine Mode:

    • Ensure machine is in AUTO or REMOTE mode
    • Some data only appears during program execution

  2. Verify Firmware Version:

    • Check machine firmware version
    • On C00, upgrade to 12.026 or higher if possible

  3. Check cnc-version (D00):

    • On a D00 control, the configuration must include collection-mode: ftp and cnc-version: d00
    • See D00 Control Not Reporting below

  4. Run Test Program:

    • Load and run a program on the machine
    • Watch for data updates in MachineMetrics

  5. Request Adapter Logs:

D00 Control Not Reporting​

Recommended: For D00 controls, use OPC-UA instead of the Brother Adapter. See D Series.

Problem: A D00 machine on the Brother Adapter shows as connected but data is missing, or adapter logs show "file not found" (FTP 550) errors.

Cause:

D00 controls store their status files in different FTP locations and formats than C00 controls. If the adapter runs against a D00 control without cnc-version: d00, it looks for the C00 file layout and fails: typical symptoms are FTP 550 (file unavailable) errors in the adapter logs, or program header lookups against nonsensical paths (e.g. a path ending in O000000000.NC).

Solution:

  1. Edit the machine's data collection method
  2. Ensure the adapter script contains both keys: 
    collection-mode: ftp
    cnc-version: d00
  3. Save and test connection
  4. If FTP 550 errors persist for individual files with cnc-version: d00 set, the machine stores those files in non-default locations: set the corresponding *-path parameter(s) explicitly (see the parameter table in Configure the Brother Data Collection Method)

D00 part count note: the production counter used for part_count on D00 controls is a best-effort source. Verify it against the machine after setup; if it does not track your process, use one of the workpiece counters (custom_part_count_1 … custom_part_count_4) via data mapping instead.

Adapter Blocked by Another FTP Client​

Problem: Data collection stops (values go UNAVAILABLE) while another FTP client — e.g. an operator or DNC application transferring programs — is connected to the machine. Adapter logs may show FTP 503 "Bad sequence of commands" errors.

Cause:

The Brother FTP server supports at most 4 simultaneous connections and has a single shared data channel. Another FTP client transferring files in ACTIVE mode can hold that channel and block the connector.

Solutions:

  1. The connector detects this condition, logs a prominent warning, and automatically resets its own connection to recover — no action is needed for occasional occurrences
  2. If it recurs frequently, the fix is on the other FTP client: configure it to use PASSIVE mode, and/or avoid concurrent FTP transfers against the machine
  3. Alternatively, on C00 controls, switch the connector to HTTP mode so it does not use FTP at all (this gives up program headers and the FTP-only data items)

Part Count Not Incrementing​

Problem: Part count stays at zero or doesn't increment.

Possible Causes:

  • Part counter not configured on machine
  • Program doesn't trigger part count
  • Data mapping not configured
  • Old C00 firmware page format (HTTP/Mixed mode)

Solutions:

  1. Check Machine Part Counter:

    • Verify machine has built-in part counter
    • Run program and check if counter increments on machine

  2. Verify Data Mapping:

    • Go to Machine Settings → Data Mapping
    • Confirm part_count is mapped as PART_COUNT data type
    • Alternatively, map one of the workpiece counters (custom_part_count_1 … custom_part_count_4)

  3. Check Data Rules:

    • Go to Machine Settings → Data Rules
    • Verify correct part count source is selected

  4. Check Firmware (HTTP/Mixed mode):

    • On C00 controls with firmware older than 12.026, part_count may not be available over HTTP; use FTP mode or a workpiece counter

  5. Review Program:

    • The workpiece counter only increments when the program arms it with M211 (counter 1) before M30, and it has to be armed in every cycle
    • See Setting Up the Part Counter for C Series or D Series

Program Headers Not Available (HTTP Mode)​

Problem: Program header information is missing.

Cause:

  • HTTP Mode does not support program headers

Solution:

Switch to Mixed Mode or FTP Mode to enable program headers:

  1. Edit machine's data collection method
  2. Change adapter script, using the Server user name and Password as server set on the control: 
    version: 2
    collection-mode: mixed
    username: BRO1
    password: BRO1
  3. Save and test connection