Industrial Automation, PLC, VFD, and Troubleshooting
Introduction
A Variable Frequency Drive, commonly called a VFD, is one of the most important devices used in modern industrial motor control. If you work around pumps, fans, conveyors, mixers, blowers, …
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A Variable Frequency Drive may look like a simple electronic box mounted inside a control panel, but internally it performs a very important power conversion process.
A VFD does not simply …
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A Variable Frequency Drive is a powerful industrial motor control device, but it is also a piece of electrical equipment that can contain dangerous voltage, stored energy, sensitive electronics, and …
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A Variable Frequency Drive can have hundreds of parameters, but an automation technician does not need to memorize every parameter to troubleshoot or commission a drive effectively.
What a technician needs …
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One of the most common problems when troubleshooting a Variable Frequency Drive is not electrical power, not the motor, and not even a bad drive.
Many times the real issue is …
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When a Variable Frequency Drive is controlled from external pushbuttons, selector switches, relays, or PLC outputs, the technician must understand the difference between 2-wire control and 3-wire control.
These two control …
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A Variable Frequency Drive can be correctly programmed and still fail if it is installed incorrectly.
Many VFD problems in the field are not caused by a bad drive. They are …
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The HIM, or Human Interface Module, is one of the most useful tools a technician can use when working with a Variable Frequency Drive.
A VFD can be controlled and diagnosed …
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A Variable Frequency Drive is not only an electronic motor controller. It is also a programmed device that contains application-specific settings.
When a VFD fails, replacing the hardware is only part …
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