VFD Recommendations

[Nova5]

Not good luck with Schnieder. (SquareD/Telemechanique) Altivar series.

Man I have a Altivar 312 that is just stupidly designed.. Set the drive to local to test control if you have some problem.. You have to FACTORY RESET IT to put it back to remote mode. SE even has a video showing how to do that. Bonkers.

 

[TheWaterboy]

I have a several Altivars with ETH I/P modules and I can crash any one of them at will by scanning them with just about any ping sweep utility. Sure, proper design might dictate that you shouldn't have them on the same subnet that you scan like that, but that's hardly an excuse. I shouldn't be able to fault any drive so easily.
I should submit it to CERT and let them publish it.. but I don't want to do the analysis paper.

 

[IndianaCoder]

ABB ASC150's are inexpensive, I don't think anyone mentioned them directly I did see someone mention ABB but didn't' give a model # or link.

https://new.abb.com/drives/low-voltage-ac/micro/acs150

 

[Nova5]

I have a several Altivars with ETH I/P modules and I can crash any one of them at will by scanning them with just about any ping sweep utility. Sure, proper design might dictate that you shouldn't have them on the same subnet that you scan like that, but that's hardly an excuse. I shouldn't be able to fault any drive so easily.
I should submit it to CERT and let them publish it.. but I don't want to do the analysis paper.

You can do that to a Yaskawa, the web interface on one firmware has a link that goes to a secure section of the drive.. but tries to go right there, no password. Instant comm bus fault. which trips the drive out. Even reset button the face doesn't clear it. It keeps looping and trying to get to the page. Have to fully power down the drive.

There are just some boneheaded errors in systems that you have to wonder... did you folks even CHECK this?

 

[NetNathan]

ABB or Yaskawa

 

[James Mcquade]

AB powerflex 4 - simple - only issue i ever had, you need to wait 1 minute after turning the power off before turning back on, the caps need to bleed down. Rugged though
AB powerflex 40 - a few more parameters
AB 7XX - very rugged - lots more parameters - rugged

AB Kinetix - i try to avoid them, we have lots of issues
AB5xx - never used
james

 

[mylespetro]

AB powerflex 4 - simple - only issue i ever had, you need to wait 1 minute after turning the power off before turning back on, the caps need to bleed down. Rugged though
AB powerflex 40 - a few more parameters

AB5xx - never used

PowerFlex 4 and 40 are pretty bulletproof in my experience. I know I mentioned the 520 series in my previous post, but I removed one in late 2020 that was exposed to plant conditions and was absolutely encrusted in limestone dust inside and out and was chugging along happily.

ABB ASC150's are inexpensive, I don't think anyone mentioned them directly I did see someone mention ABB but didn't' give a model # or link.

You may be referring to me, and the ACS150 drives were exactly what I was referring to. Super easy to set up, nice little drives.

 

[cidchase]

Do ACS150 have any Ethernet/Profinet comms capability? I looked at a couple of references and I can't see it.

 

[Saffa]

Seems to be a lot of hate for the Schneider ATVs... funnily enough, I love em. ATV630 /650 is a great drive, although the 650 is a bit ugly to look at (ATV630 in a coffin). We had awesome global pricing with them at the last place I worked. I just found them able to do whatever i needed, and integrating into the M340 / M580 PLCs was really easy.

Never used any of the cheaper ATV3xx range.

Danfoss Aqua FC202 are great as well for what we do, solidly built drive that looks good and performs well.

We use mostly IP54 so that does limit my exposure a bit.

 

[mylespetro]

Do ACS150 have any Ethernet/Profinet comms capability? I looked at a couple of references and I can't see it.

I actually didn't even notice this, I can't find any reference to comms capability at all for the ACS150.

 

[Rockfordmfg]

My $0.02...

+1 for Yaskawa +1 for Yaskawa service/support

We've been using GS500 series without issues. We have several pieces of German machines that are about 12 years old with 20+ drives each. All Yaskawa!

We used to use AB PF523/PF525 They are OK but our pricing became unbearable. Also, not the most robust drive we've ever used. We've replaced many after 2 years of operation. PF7xx series much more robust and reliable, but a much higher price point as well.

A/D GS series are OK. We had one 15HP in service for about 10 years before it failed.

Danfos - bad experience with the drive as far as set-up. Functionality was OK, but simple tasks like setting max speed seemed difficult.

 

[boardmaker]

It's funny how everyone's experience with certain drives can be so different.

I have quite a few AB PF4 & 40s on a boiler system that runs 24/7. All 20HP or less. I cannot get more than 3-4 years out of them. The ethernet comms cards aren't much better.

I've have had nothing but great luck with PF70's and 525.

Also, great experiences with ABB.
Had metal get into a big ABB 880 drive. Caused all kinds of fun. Their tech support is top notch.

Believe it or not, I've had great luck with AD's Durapulse and GS2 drives.
Not sure why everyone rags on Automation Direct. I have several of those drives working in 120-140 degree ambient temps 24/7 with no problems.

I will say, I've slowly been shifting away from AB. Their equipment is good, I just don't agree with their pricing or service.

 

[tdoa]

Seems to be a lot of hate for the Schneider ATVs... funnily enough, I love em. ATV630 /650 is a great drive, although the 650 is a bit ugly to look at (ATV630 in a coffin). We had awesome global pricing with them at the last place I worked. I just found them able to do whatever i needed, and integrating into the M340 / M580 PLCs was really easy.

Never used any of the cheaper ATV3xx range.

Danfoss Aqua FC202 are great as well for what we do, solidly built drive that looks good and performs well.

We use mostly IP54 so that does limit my exposure a bit.

Just received 4 dead Altivar 930 22kW, all not working due to the HIM panels, replaced them with a test one, and they all work just fine.

All drives are in an enclosure with AC, no dust, no moisture, took an HIM appart, no signs of damage at all.
But they all have lots of undervoltage errors...

 

[Gene Bond]

For N4X & Disconnect, I'd look at the TECO/Westinghouse (Tian, I believe) E510 looks like the current version. https://www.tecowestinghouse.com/product/e510-nema-4-12-ac-drives/

I've worked with most brands, and some are more friendly than others, but it depends on the application. With features comes some additional complexity. Sure, for one use case, setup is quick and simple, but for another it's a mess. A different brand may be the opposite experience.

As far as reliability, I have to say the Lenze drives appear to be the worst in the areas I have experience. Too bad, since they have some cool stuff here and there. Schneider doesn't make the drives anymore as I understand it. They may have some input on parameters, etc, but I understand it is a Mitsu product underneath. Same with some of the other brands.

 

[OkiePC]

The first experienced I had with Altivar drives was very bad so I am biased against them. A company I worked for had about 40 of them MCC mounted (I forget the model) and we kept TEN spare keypads in the parts room for the occasion when we needed to troubleshoot them. Half the LCDs would be dead. This was in an air conditioned electrical room with nearly zero dust in a food plant. They had some bugs and quirks in functionality too, like faulting on power up if the field disconnect was open because they ran some sort of load check that could not be disabled.

The last Lenze/AC Tech VFD I replaced was a Nema 4X on a small chemical pump skid that was rebranded to the name of the pump skid maker. It had a failed analog input. I went ahead and ordered the latest version of drive with the same footprint and the lead time was long, but it was not worth the trouble I would have had to go through to switch models, since it was mounted right above the motor on a nice stainless steel bracket and I had a workaround to keep it functioning at a fixed speed while we waiting 16 weeks for the replacement.

The PF4 was another VFD that was "throwaway" quality but like most things A/B quite user friendly to set up.

I like ABB drives too find them to be more user friendly than Yaskawa, although perhaps not quite as rugged.