Photon feeders use UUIDs (Universally Unique Identifiers) to communicate with OpenPnP. This is generally reliable, but it creates a specific class of problems when feeders share IDs, get reassigned, or conflict with each other. If you've ever seen OpenPnP detect the wrong feeder or fail to recognize a feeder that's physically connected, UUID conflicts are the likely culprit.

Here's what's happening under the hood and how to fix it.

Your nozzle has no vacuum and you can't pick anything up. Before you start unwiring the solenoid, check the actuator command — on the PikkoBot Vertex 4 that's the cause far more often than a hardware fault, and it's a one-field change.

Every hardware startup faces the same question: do you buy a desktop pick-and-place or invest in an industrial machine? The answer depends on where you are now and where you're heading. Here's an honest comparison with real numbers, not marketing copy.

"What component sizes can a desktop pick-and-place actually handle?" is the question we get most often, and the honest answer is that package size is usually not the limit. The limit is tape width, nozzle choice, and how much time you're willing to spend on the small stuff.

Here's the reference chart we use, and then the four things that actually decide whether your board runs reliably.

Fiducial detection is the backbone of accurate placement. When OpenPnP can't find your board's fiducials, the entire assembly process stops. Before you blame the software, work through these five fixes in order—they resolve the vast majority of detection failures.

Welcome to the PikkoBot blog. This is where we share what we're learning about desktop pick-and-place assembly, OpenPnP, and the practical realities of building hardware in-house.