Troubleshooting Non-Functional Servos Issue

Yes - ARC stores robot skills (plugins) in a few places depending on whether they’re shared/installed or per-user. Here’s how to find them and how to safely manage/disable them.

Where to look (Windows)

• Shared / installed controls & assets (all users):
  • %ProgramData%\Synthiam Inc\ARC by Synthiam
  • Open this in Explorer by pasting into the address bar: C:\ProgramData\Synthiam Inc\ARC by Synthiam
  • Look for folders named Controls, Skills, Plugins, Examples, Downloads here.
• Your personal project / user skills / STL / servo profiles:
  • %USERPROFILE%\Documents\ARC
  • In Explorer: C:\Users<yourname>\Documents\ARC
  • Check subfolders like Controls, RobotSkills, Projects, STL, Profiles, ServoProfiles.
• Program installation (app files):
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Synthiam Inc\ARC by Synthiam
  • This mostly contains the program executable and some built-in controls.

How to find a plugin that creates virtual ports (v0..v99)

1. Open Explorer and paste %ProgramData%\Synthiam Inc\ARC by Synthiam - scan the Controls or Plugins folders for skill names (Dynamixel, Feetech, Robotis, etc.).
2. Also check %USERPROFILE%\Documents\ARC\Controls or similar - some user-installed skills live here.
3. Use Windows search if unsure: search for filenames or folders containing "Dynamixel", "Feetech", or "virtual" or search for file types like *.dll or *.control within those ARC folders.

Safer way to disable / remove a robot skill (recommended)

• In ARC, find the robot skill window you suspect (e.g., Dynamixel). Click the three-line kebab/hamburger menu (top-right) Remove Control (or Close). This avoids deleting files manually and keeps ARC consistent.
• If you want it back later, re-add via Project Add robot skill search the robot skill Store.

If a skill keeps re-creating virtual ports or you want to remove files manually

• First close ARC.
• Backup the folders you plan to edit (copy the skill folder to a safe place).
• Delete the skill folder from ProgramData or Documents\ARC (only if you’re certain).
• Start ARC and verify the virtual ports are gone.

Next steps I can help with

• Want me to show how to disable the skill from inside ARC stepbystep?
• Tell me which skill name you see in your Project (or paste the folder names from %ProgramData%\Synthiam Inc\ARC by Synthiam) and I’ll point to the exact folder and whether it creates virtual ports (v0..v99).
• If you prefer, paste the ARC Status output (COPY button) and the servo Summary port list - I’ll identify which skill is responsible and how to disable it.

@athena

i found the folder plugins . i deleted all plugins . still same error .

Good - thanks for checking the folders. Since you deleted the plugins but the problem persists, let’s isolate whether this is a project/configuration issue or a hardware/power issue. Follow these steps in order and paste back any outputs or errors you see.

Important: I can’t view images, so please copy/paste any ARC Status text you see (use the COPY button in the bottom status area) if asked.

1. Restart ARC and power-cycle the EZB

• Close ARC, power off the EZB, start ARC, then power the EZB back on.
• Why: deleting plugin files can leave project settings referencing them until ARC restarts.

2. Confirm EZB connection (all indexes)

• Create a JavaScript script in ARC and run this. It will report if each connection index is connected and the address.

for (var i=0; i<5; i++) {
  var connected = controlCommand("Connection","GetStatus", i);
  var addr = controlCommand("Connection","GetAddress", i);
  print("Index " + i + " connected? " + connected + "  address: " + addr);
}

Paste the printed output here.

3. Quick single-servo test (bypass UI)

• Run this JavaScript to command D0 (physically plug one known-good servo into D0) to move:

print("Single servo D0 test starting");
print("IsReleased(d0) = " + IsReleased(d0));
Servo.setPosition(d0,120);
sleep(1000);
Servo.setPosition(d0,60);
sleep(1000);
print("Single servo D0 test finished");

• Did the servo move? If yes, hardware/power is OK and this is a UI/config mapping issue. If no, report any ARC Status messages and the battery voltage measured while the test runs.

4. Try the same test on other d ports (D0..D7)

for (var p=0; p<=7; p++){
  var port = eval("d"+p);
  print("Moving d"+p);
  Servo.setPosition(port,90);
  sleep(350);
}
print("Sent positions to D0-D7");

• Report which ports moved, if any.

5. Test Virtual port v0 (just to confirm it’s ignored by PWM servos)

print("Trying virtual port v0");
Servo.setPosition(v0,90);
sleep(500);
print("v0 command sent");

• If a skill that handles v0 exists, it might respond - otherwise nothing will happen. Tell me the ARC Status output if any.

6. If servo moves with scripts but servo Summary still shows v0

• Open the servo Summary control window.
• Click the three-line kebab menu (top-right) -> Settings.
• For each servo entry: check Board Index and Port. Set Port to the physical port (d0, d1, ) - NOT v0.
• If the UI keeps reverting or won’t let you pick d0:
  • Remove the servo Summary control (kebab menu -> Remove Control).
  • Add it again: Project -> Add robot skill -> servo Summary.
  • Reconfigure ports to d0..d7.

7. If servo Summary still shows v0 entries even after re-adding

• Create a new blank project (File -> New Project) and add a servo Summary there. Configure one servo to d0 and test with the single-servo script above.
  • If it works in a new project, your original project file has references to virtual ports that you need to edit/clean.
  • If it still shows v0 in a new project, something global is creating virtual ports.

8. Search your project files for references to v0

• Open PowerShell and run (paste into PowerShell):

Get-ChildItem -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\Documents\ARC" -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
  Select-String -Pattern "v0" -SimpleMatch |
  Select FileName, LineNumber, Line | Format-Table -AutoSize

• Or use Windows Explorer "Search in files" for "v0" inside C:\Users<you>\Documents\ARC.
• Paste any filenames and lines shown here - that tells us which control or project file still references a v0.

9. Check for leftover skill entries in your Project

• In ARC, open Project -> My Robot (or Project Details) and look for installed controls listed there. Remove any robot skill you don’t need (especially those related to Dynamixel/Feetech/virtual servos).

10. Power & wiring quick checklist (again)

• Confirm servo wiring G-V-S orientation (Ground to G, V to +, Signal to S). Re-seat connectors.
• Report battery voltage at the EZB VIN while trying to move servos.
• Confirm the EZB board index used in servo Summary matches the EZB index that is connected (usually index 0).

What I need from you next

• The outputs from steps 2 and 3 (connection list + single-servo test).
• The result of the D0..D7 test (step 4).
• If you created a new project, tell me whether the new project servo Summary worked.
• The results of the PowerShell search (step 8) if you ran it.
• The exact ARC Status text (COPY and paste) if you saw errors after sending commands.

I’ll use that info to tell you whether there’s a lingering project file referencing virtual ports, a misconfigured control, or a hardware/power issue and provide exact edits to resolve it. Do you want stepbystep help doing any one of those checks now?