Single phase 220V inverter meets European needs

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 1, 2001

AC Technology, the largest manufacturer of small AC inverter drives in the USA, has designed a drive specifically for the European market, the SCL.

AC Technology, the largest manufacturer of small AC inverter drives in the USA, has designed a drive specifically for the European market, the SCL.

Having studied the market, AC Technology were able to identify particular European requirements such as CE marking and an integrated EMC filter and combine them with the cost effectiveness, ease of use and OEM features that have made their drives a success in the US.

The SCL is part of the SC Series of sub-micro drives, a range of products that has been developed to overcome the trade-offs which users routinely face, regarding drive size, cost and ease of set-up.

Designed for single phase 220V supply and covering the power range 0.25KW to 2.2kW, the SCL requires the smallest investment in panel space when compared to competitive variable frequency drives.

The 2.2kW unit, for example, requires just 146mm x 73mm of panel space.

Although it has one of the smallest footprints of any drive, the SCL offers a range of functions only usually found on much larger drives yet remains extremely easy to use.

Out of the box, the SCL is ready to use as a simple speed controller for AC motors.

The control terminal block has 11 terminals (all of which are finger safe) to configure input and output logic, analogue inputs and outputs, and serial communications, which are, carried out over a high speed RS485 interface.

Set-up is easy; just a start command and a speed reference will start the motor running.

And just by using the functions on front of the drive, it can be easily configured for almost any motor control requirement, including Reversing, Jogging and Multi-speed operation.

An especially significant innovation for OEM users of the SCL Series is the Electronic Programming Module (EPM) and optional EPM programmer.

The EPM is an externally programmable memory module that plugs into the front of the drive.

The EPM programmer is a hand-held battery operated device that can develop drive programs using "plain English" commands via an LCD backlit display.

Up to 30 drive programs can be stored in the Programmer and any program can be downloaded into an EPM in just two seconds.

The major benefit of EPM technology is that it can save time and money: it lets the user program an EPM and insert this into a drive without having to connect power to the drive.

It also enables the user to duplicate the drive program, in seconds, for mass programming.

Another major benefit of EPM Programming is that it maintains a non-volatile copy of the drive program in a second memory location to permit resetting of the drive to the OEMs programmed factory defaults.

Finally, using AC Technology's TechLink software, the EPM can be connected to a personal computer to upload and download drive programs.

The list of standard features offered by the SCL drives is considerable.

It includes adjustable DC injection braking, Slip Compensation, Current Limit to 180% with frequency foldback, and a 'Fault History' feature which records and lists the last eight faults.

The drive's diagnostic tools include a control terminal strip and a diagnostics keypad.

Options for the drives are: DIN rail mounting, an IP.66 keypad and a Dynamic braking kit.

SC Series models in general have output frequency up to 240Hz as standard and are also available for high frequency operation at up to 1,000Hz.

There is also a through-hole mounting version where the heat sink is mounted outside the drive for enhanced thermal management.

A typical list of applications for the SCL drives is packaging machinery, mixers, conveyors, pumps and fans, vibrators, centrifuges and food processing machinery.