Technician checks variable frequency drive parameters during preventive maintenance
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What Are Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs)?

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes Industrial operations depend on electric motors for almost every moving part on the plant floor. Nevertheless, many of those motors still run at a single, inefficient speed while operators throttle flow…
Simplified DC-bus diagram showing rectifier, capacitors, and inverter stages of a VFD
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VFD Overvoltage Faults During Deceleration: Causes & Fixes

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) are essential for controlling motor speed in industrial and commercial applications. However, VFD overvoltage faults are a common issue that often occurs when a motor is…
“Close-up of a large industrial cooling fan—proper airflow prevents VFD overheating”
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VFD Overheating & Cooling System Failures: Causes and Fixes

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) are vital for controlling motor speed and efficiency in industrial applications. However, VFD overheating is a common problem that can trigger fault alarms and even lead…
vfd-alter-motor-efficiency

How Will VFDs Alter Motor Efficiency (Pt. 2)

In the past article, we have established that VFDs are useful in applications where the load needs to be driven at various speed. We’ve also seen the ease of how VFDs can be integrated into existing control system. But how do you maximize…
How Will VFDs Alter Motor Efficiency

How Will VFDs Alter Motor Efficiency (Pt. 1)

When you’re operating motor based equipment, energy efficiency has always been a concern, especially when calls for a greener environment are getting louder. If you’ve yet to explore the option of adding a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD),…

Nema Cabinet Ratings: Protecting a VFD from environmental conditions

Nema cabinet ratings are designed to protect electrical components from environment-specific threatening conditions. Nema cabinet ratings are made for a range of different environmental conditions. There are as many Nema cabinet ratings available…

ABB Process Automation: New I/O Solution now available

ABB Process automation projects have employed controller-centric distributed control system (DCS) architectures for decades. This approach creates dependencies between project tasks that complicate late changes. ABB’s new I/O solution will…

Difference between Eaton SVX9000 and SPX9000 adjustable speed drives

The difference between Eaton SVX9000 and SPX9000? Many Eaton customers call or email asking "what is the difference between Eaton SVX9000 and SPX9000?" There is only a small difference between the two drives other than a letter and the price.…
Cutler Hammer SVX9000 - An inside look

Cutler Hammer SVX9000 – An Overview Of Eaton’s General Purpose Drive

Cutler Hammer SVX9000 adjustable frequency drives are the compact, modular solution to variable speed applications. They enable a broad range of new application capabilities. A complete selection of option cards allows you to configure the drive…
VFD Overvoltage Fault - troubleshooting variable frequency drives

VFD Overvoltage Fault – troubleshooting variable frequency drives

A VFD overvoltage fault is fairly common with VFD regular usage. This fault may arise at different places and times for several reasons. The first step in resolving the problem is identifying when and where the fault occurs. A VFD overvoltage…
Differences Between ABB ACS550 and ACH550 VFD

Differences Between ABB ACS550 and ACH550 VFD

The are many differences between ABB ACS550 and ACH550 VFD products. If an exact replacement is unavailable, it's important to know the differences between the ABB ACS550 and ACH550 VFD before deciding on which product to order. An ABB ACH550…
cutler-hammer-vfd-fault-codes

Cutler Hammer VFD Fault Codes: Current and Overcurrent Protection

Cutler Hammer VFD Fault Codes, current control and overcurrent protection on the 9000X drive is based on motor current measurement in all three phases. In the FR9/CH61 and above drives, the current sensors are built into the IGBT SKIP modules,…