[OpenArm Troubleshooting] Torque Saturation and Current Spikes Under Load (Advanced)
OpenArm torque saturation and current spike troubleshooting under load: synchronized trace analysis, mechanical-vs-control separation, and mitigation order.
Some OpenArm failures only show up when the robot is under real load: current spikes appear, torque saturates earlier than expected, and suddenly a controller that looked stable in air becomes unreliable in contact or payload tasks.
How are you diagnosing unexpected current spikes and torque saturation on OpenArm without immediately blaming the controller gains?
Please share how you separate payload effects, friction, cable drag, controller limits, and sensor timing issues before changing too many variables at once.
If you reply, include one exact saturation symptom and one exact measurement or hardware/software check that moved the diagnosis forward.
Advanced context: We saw current spikes on joint 2 jumping from 4 A baseline to 9 A during acceleration with the same payload that used to run fine. In-air moves looked clean, but loaded cornering caused torque clamp events.
Advanced context: Most useful check was syncing current logs with commanded jerk and video of cable motion. Spikes aligned with one cable bend region, so friction and routing were contributing alongside controller limits.
Advanced context: Fix was a combination: reroute cable harness, lower jerk 20%, and keep a watchdog on sustained current over 8 A for more than 150 ms. After that, 2-hour stress runs stayed below saturation.
Advanced context follow-up: Follow-up question for advanced teams: do you log synchronized current, jerk, and cable-state traces, and which metric turned out to be the best early-warning signal?