Swapping control boards on PowerFlex 700 drives to retrieve parameters.

[AutomationTechBrian]

I'm headed to my shop right now to try an experiment. I'm trying to find out if the PowerFlex 700s can swap control boards and successfully power up to be able to retrieve the parameters from the alien board. I don't know if PF700s can do this, but we've successfully done it with other brands. But some are not as friendly, because they are matched to the other boards. For example, my senior tech tells me Schneider Electric (Square D) drives are like that, and the parameters are reset to default.

So, if anyone has thoughts or experience on this, please post them. It'll take me a while to get set up. The bummer is that the drives are slightly different sizes. But these are replaced drives that I hold onto for labs like this. They are essentially throw-away drives.

I'll post the results.

 

[Jim3846]

I have started up a few PF700.

If you have the PF700 with ADC(ethernet)/ADR(devicenet) checked as it relates to your IO config tree. Then the parameters would autodownload on power up. This is a tab on the configuration in the IO config tree.

I would think it would work with CCW, where you kept the drive parameters in a file when you commissioned it. But this would be a 1x deal where you connect to drive uploaded the parameters when done commissioning. When you replace the drive, go online with CCW, download the parameters when you establish connection.

I think the problem I see when you have parameters from a drive that was at a different firmware revision is there a problem. So if you can back flash the new drive to the old drive firmware, then you can download the old parameter set. Otherwise, you have to look at old parameter set that is not default and compare to new parameter set to see what matches and change those parameter on new drive.

 

[AutomationTechBrian]

I have started up a few PF700.

If you have the PF700 with ADC(ethernet)/ADR(devicenet) checked as it relates to your IO config tree. Then the parameters would autodownload on power up. This is a tab on the configuration in the IO config tree.

I would think it would work with CCW, where you kept the drive parameters in a file when you commissioned it. But this would be a 1x deal where you connect to drive uploaded the parameters when done commissioning. When you replace the drive, go online with CCW, download the parameters when you establish connection.

I think the problem I see when you have parameters from a drive that was at a different firmware revision is there a problem. So if you can back flash the new drive to the old drive firmware, then you can download the old parameter set. Otherwise, you have to look at old parameter set that is not default and compare to new parameter set to see what matches and change those parameter on new drive.

If my research is correct, that auto download started at RSLogix 5000, version 18. (I found that information in an old post here last night.) I'm working with version 17. Anyway, I'm often called in when a customer's drive has died and they need a replacement. Usually I can just set simple set-up parameters based on twin (back-up) drives, or other simular application drives. Once in a while there is an application like this customer's centrifuge that communicates over Ethernet IP and the saved parameters from the manufacturer are pre-setup. OR, in many other instances, there are no parameter files available. There is a HUGE amount of legacy machines out there that have no known backup files. I'm hoping to learn something that'll help in that scenario, as well. In my customer's instance, the VFD's outputs were shorted in water. I don't know if the control board was damaged, but the output IGBTs were blown. I'm hoping to retrieve the speed control PID tuning parameters to plug into the new drive. I have a separate issue with VFD firmware versions between the old drive and the replacement, but right now I'll keep things simple and try this lab.

 

[AutomationTechBrian]

And the result....

I had the following drives:
408v, 15 HP, Firmware 10.001

480v, 25 HP, Firmware 4.006

I took version 10 and put it into the version 4 drive. Power-up was not an issue. The keypad said I needed to choose my setup method. I selected abort and connected CCW. The non-default parameters were gone. I can play around with this test setup some more, but right now it seems that it is behaving the same as the Square D drives... if you switch the control board with another drive, the parameters are set back to default. At this point I don't know if that's the case in every scenario. What if I had the same size drive, with the same firmware? I might need to call AB about this.

 

[AutomationTechBrian]

btw... that was a typo. Both drives were 480v.

 

[AutomationTechBrian]

BTW... I did a video with hopes that my experiment was going to be successful. It's not polished. I just wanted to have something to share with my co-workers if it worked out.

Here is the YouTube link: https://youtu.be/uVj-BQe0Nrw

 

[James Mcquade]

I would advise caution.
the 700 series drives has a lot of variations even on the same base model number. we use drive executive to store the parameters on key laptops and th network. parameters range from 1200-2300 variables depending on what you do and the unit.
i would use the himm module and store the parameters on it and then download the to the new unit.
james

 

[jraef]

You can do what’s called a “HIM copy cat”, where you store the programming in the HIM before removing the old board, then transfer it back into the new one when done. This is NOT automatic though, you have to actively tell it to do that.

The instructions for this are in the manual for the HIM, not the manual for the drive.

 

[AutomationTechBrian]

I'm on site at another job right now, but I should clarify something while you guys are responding. The scenario we are trying to rectify, is when I have to work on Legacy equipment where the vfd has completely failed and no one saved the drive parameters.