PowerFlex 525 ADC Anomaly...
Cydog said:
...need to replace one, and a newer version , maybe 1,2 or 3 ahead is the replacement , will the Automatic Device Configuration still work...
jraef said:
..."Firmware Supervisor"...(in most cases) it will put the OLDER firmware into the VFD...
Phil Buchanan said:
...check the compatibility of the different firmware upgrades...
Hi Folks,
Reading the good advice on what should work "in most cases" and how we should check firmware "compatibility" prompted me to mention something I got caught with a couple of years back using these drives...
There was, and I suppose still might be for some, a specific anomaly that exists when using ADC with PowerFlex 525 drives at firmware revision 3.001:-
Since the beginning (don't be frightened, I'll make this quick!...), at firmware revision 1.xxx, and for subsequent firmware revisions, there has existed a Parameter Group called "AppView". Within this Group existed Groups G1-G9. Incidentally, these are used to create user-defined groups of parameters which can then be selected for display under the CustomView Parameter Group ("GC+++" you might often see when scrolling on display?). However, only Groups G1-G8 were used from the outset and Group G9 was unused and so was reserved for future use. But, it was decided before releasing firmware revision 3.001, that AppView Group G9 would no longer be required and so (maybe they needed the memory space for something else?) they decided to remove it. Because firmware revisions 1.xxx and 2.xxx include G9, and r3.001 does not, this created a firmware incompatibility. Because of this incompatibility, ADC will fail for a replacement revision 3.001 drive where the original drive was r1.xxx or r2.xxx.
Firmware revision 4.001 corrected this anomaly i.e. a newly provisioned r4.001, or later, drive will work with ADC that was originally configured for a r1.xxx or r2.xxx drive.
However, r3.001 is likewise not compatible with r4.001.
Pulling all that together, what, essentially, am I saying?...
If you setup ADC on a r1.xxx drive and replace it with a r1.xxx or r2.xxx drive -
ADC will work
If you setup ADC on a r2.xxx drive and replace it with a r1.xxx or r2.xxx drive -
ADC will work
If you setup ADC on a r1.xxx or r2.xxx drive and replace it with a r3.001 drive -
ADC will fail
If you setup ADC on a r3.001 drive and replace it with a r1.xxx or r2.xxx drive -
ADC will fail
If you setup ADC on a r3.001 drive and replace it with a r3.001 drive -
ADC will work
If you setup ADC on a r3.xxx drive and replace it with a r4.xxx or later drive -
ADC will fail
If you setup ADC on a r4.xxx or later drive and replace it with a r3.xxx drive -
ADC will fail
If you setup ADC on a r4.xxx or later drive and replace it with a r4.xxx or later drive -
ADC will work
ADC users, that may either be going to purchase or already have spare PowerFlex 525 drives, would be best advised to check whether any of them are firmware revision 3.001, and if so, would they be incompatible with the current ADC configured drives. Of course, most newly purchased stock should be at the latest revision, but there may be older units sitting on supplier's shelves not yet sold. Unless specified by the customer, not all Vendors ensure that purchased equipment is bang up-to-date before shipping out. Then there is always the aftermarket stock to consider.
If users do find they have revision 3.001 drives, and they are of concern to them, then they could consider:-
1. Flashing them to the required application firmware revision
2. Flashing them to a non r3.001 firmware revision
3. Flashing them to the latest firmware revision
Of course, this does defeat the purpose of using ADC in the first place. But, this is an "anomaly", after all, and so unfortunately for some, they may have to mitigate this firmware bump. There are a few definitions out there for an "anomaly", but I do like this one the best...
www.vocabulary.com said:
An anomaly is an abnormality, a blip on the screen of life that doesn’t fit with the rest of the pattern...If you are an Olympian who comes from a family of bookish types who all find it strenuous to walk the dog, you are an anomaly...
You haven't seen my dog!
Regards,
George