Allen-Bradley / Kinetix servo drives and motors

Kinetix 5500 and 5700 catalogue numbers, the cable length limits that govern system layout, and why the motor cable is not an afterthought.

Kinetix is the Allen-Bradley servo range. Unlike a VFD, a servo system is a matched set: drive, motor, feedback cable and power cable all have to work together, and the cables are engineered parts rather than generic wire.

We supply current production as a distributor and hold surplus and used for the earlier generations.

The families

Kinetix 5500 single-axis drives

Supply is 195 to 264 V rms three phase, or 324 to 528 V rms three phase depending on rating.

The ERS and ERS2 suffixes differ. Read the full number off the drive. The ERS2 adds integrated safety functionality.

Kinetix 5500 accessories

A filter selection note worth reading. Rockwell says to select 2198-DBRxx-F line filters for all new systems, or to replace existing 2198-DBxx-F filters. That does not apply to the 2198-DB08-F.

So if you are ordering a filter for an older Kinetix 5500 system, the DBR series is the current part, not the DB series it superseded.

Kinetix 5700 dual-axis inverters

These are dual-axis inverters. Each axis dissipates half the rated power output, so a 2198-D006 covers two axes rather than one. Sizing a system module for module rather than axis for axis is a common error.

Kinetix 5700 accessories

The range also includes passive shunt modules, line reactors, AC line filters, a system mounting toolkit and shared-bus connector kits.

Neither the 2198-KITCON-DSL nor the 2198-H2DCK affects the drive mounting dimensions. The 2198-K57CK-D15M universal kit mounts above the KITCON-DSL in the MF connector.

The cable length limits that govern your layout

These are the numbers to know before you design a machine, not after.

Rockwell states system performance was tested at these lengths and that the limits also apply when meeting CE requirements. Exceeding them is not a grey area.

The 400 m combined figure catches people. It is the total across every axis on the bus, not per axis. On an eight axis machine that is 50 m each.

Build your own cables at your own risk

Rockwell is direct about this. Factory-supplied Kinetix 2090 single motor cables are shielded, and the braided cable shield must terminate at the drive during installation, with the exposed area clamped using the supplied clamp at the bottom front of the drive.

Clamp spacers included with the dual-axis inverters and held captive by rivets are not needed for Kinetix VP motor installations and can be removed.

Servo cables are matched, shielded, flex-rated assemblies. A homemade substitute is a common cause of intermittent feedback faults that get blamed on the drive or the motor.

Motor overload protection depends on the motor

Worth understanding before you pair an older motor with a current drive.

Kinetix 5700 drives use solid-state motor overload protection to UL 61800-5-1, provided by algorithms estimating motor temperature. The drive also has an input for an external thermistor embedded in the motor.

Kinetix VP motors perform motor temperature monitoring to support the UL requirement. Rockwell notes that some motors supported by the drive at firmware revision 3.001 or earlier do not contain temperature sensors, so protection against consecutive motor overloads is not provided the same way.

If you are running an older motor on a newer drive, that is worth checking.

Mounting rules

• Mount the drive upright. Do not mount it on its side.
• Mount to the subpanel with M4 steel machine screws torqued to 2.0 N·m maximum.
• In multi-axis shared-bus configurations, drives must be spaced by aligning the zero-stack tab and cutout.
• Complete all mounting and wiring before applying power. Once power is applied, connector terminals can have voltage present even when not in use.

One more: removing the AC grounding screw to minimise leakage current in single-phase operation can affect EMC performance.

Safety rating

Kinetix 5700 drives are rated Category 3 to EN ISO 13849-1 when used as described in the user manual, and are EtherNet/IP conformance tested.

If a servo axis forms part of a safety function, see our Guardmaster safety page and the note there about substitutions.

What controller does it need?

Kinetix 5500 integrates with ControlLogix 5570 and 5580, GuardLogix 5570, CompactLogix 5370 and Compact GuardLogix 5370.

See ControlLogix and CompactLogix.

What we can supply

Current production. Kinetix 5100, 5300, 5500 and 5700 drives, Kinetix VP motors, 2090 cables, feedback kits, capacitor and shunt modules, line filters. Quoted with a delivered lead time.

Earlier generations. Kinetix 300, 6000, 6500 and 7000 drives, MPL and MPM motors, and the matching cables. Surplus and tested used.

Cables especially. Servo cables fail from flexing more often than drives fail electrically, and the correct 2090 assembly is frequently what is actually needed.

We buy Kinetix

Servo drives, motors and cables all hold value. Motors especially, since they rarely fail outright. See Sell To Us.

Send us your catalogue numbers

For a replacement, send the drive number including the ERS suffix, and the motor number if the motor is involved. For a new axis, tell us the motor, the feedback type and the cable run length, since that last one may change what is possible. Quotes in NZD including GST.

Request a quote

Industech is an independent supplier of new, surplus and used industrial automation equipment. We are not an authorised distributor of, approved by, sanctioned by, or affiliated with Rockwell Automation, Inc. Allen-Bradley, Kinetix, iTRAK, ControlLogix and CompactLogix are trademarks of Rockwell Automation. All trademarks, brand names and catalogue numbers are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only.