PowerFlex 525 compared to a PowerFlex 527 - any real differences ?

Good Evening ,

I came upon a system that is using a PowerFlex 527 for a large pump . Of course there is no need for any positioning .

I understand that the 527 is used for when you want an encoder on the motor to be sensed and controlled by the drive .

It seems like it is really different also in the way it shows it’s speed in % instead a frequency.

What are your thoughts of using a PowerFlex 527 on a pump motor .

Thanks so much .

The PLC-side experience with the PowerFlex 527 is very different than the 523 or 525. It uses Motion Axis commands, not the conventional I/O image and start/stop/reference.

While you definitely need an encoder feedback with PowerFlex 527 so it can do motion control, you can also get the low-end torque and tight speed control from a PowerFlex 525 with an encoder so it can run in Vector Control mode. It's practically a truism that you use the less sophisticated drives, without encoder feedback, for pumps and fans.


I wonder if there was a flying start type of application for this pump that the ordinary PowerFlex 523/525 flying start couldn't handle.

Rob S. said:

It seems like it is really different also in the way it shows it’s speed in % instead a frequency.

What are your thoughts of using a PowerFlex 527 on a pump motor .

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It's been awhile that I ordered a 527 because I was told it was identical to 525 but could also be controlled using motion instructions. (Honestly, it works similar but just different instructions and could make it harder for whoever troubleshoots later.)

I believe you can set it frequency or %, but its been awhile, go into the drive parameters to check (its been 5 years since messing with one).