F234 is the code for Emergency Stop Activated. This is obviously an important safety action, stopping machine movement which could damage your system or products, or which could create danger for your team.
Knowing that this is a good thing doesn’t mean that you’re going to be happy to see Error Code F234. This code means that +24 V has been switched off at the emergency stop input. The drive will decelerate and stop. The goal is to shut down the machine as fast as possible without doing any damage.
Essentially, this is the same process that takes place when you push the Emergency Stop Button. In this case, however, the machine has done it on its own, without waiting for you.
Now what?
The first thing is to identify the problem that caused the drive to take this drastic measure. There are plenty of possibilities.
Once you’ve solved the problem, it’s just a matter of doing a reset. This could be completed with the S1 button on some legacy drives, or with a command line to the control.
One thing you can’t do is reset without solving the root problem. The drive will shut down again, of course, but in the meantime you might have damaged your machinery or put someone in danger.
We talk with people whose solution to error codes is just to reset and hope everything will be okay. This method, if you can call it a method, doesn’t work. We’ve also talked with people who like to open ‘er up and poke around a little. This is also not good method.
Where safety is concerned — including the safety of your motion control system and your work product as well as human safety — there’s no version of “let’s see what happens” that makes sense.
Your first step when you’re not sure what’s causing the F234 message should be to call us. We provide phone support, field support, and factory repair and reman. We’re Rexroth electric industrial motion control specialists. We’ll get you back up and running with minimal downtime.