Allen-Bradley / PowerFlex drives

The catalogue number decodes completely. Here is how to read it, which bulletin is which, and what is still in production.

PowerFlex is the Allen-Bradley AC drive family. It spans thirty years and several generations, and unlike most Allen-Bradley numbers a PowerFlex catalogue number tells you almost everything: voltage class, output current, phase and whether it has an EMC filter.

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

Which bulletin do you have?

The 520-series and the 750-series are different worlds. The 520-series is the compact general purpose line. The 750-series is the larger, higher horsepower line with option card slots. They do not share parameters, accessories or programming approach.

How to read a PowerFlex 525 number

Take 25B-D6P0N104.

The current code

This is the part people misread. The letter P is a decimal point.

• 1P4 is 1.4 A
• 6P0 is 6.0 A
• 010 is 10.5 A
• 017 is 17 A

Below 10 amps the code uses P as the separator. At 10 amps and above it is three digits.

Voltage class

D is the one you want in New Zealand industry. 380 to 480 V three phase covers standard 400 V supply. The full 520-series spans 100 to 600 V classes and 0.4 to 22 kW, or 0.5 to 30 hp.

So 25B-D6P0N104 is a PowerFlex 525, 380 to 480 V three phase, 6.0 A, no filter. And 25A-D6P0N104 would be the PowerFlex 523 equivalent.

PowerFlex 525, 380 to 480 V three phase

Ratings shown are normal duty and heavy duty, which are the same figure across this part of the range.

Please note. The 520-series continues above 17 A to 22 kW and 30 hp, and across five voltage classes. Those higher ratings are not listed here because we have not confirmed each number against the Rockwell publication. The decode above lets you read any number in the range, and if you tell us the rating and voltage you need we will give you the exact catalogue number.

What a PowerFlex 525 gives you

Embedded EtherNet/IP, Safe Torque Off as standard, integral LCD keypad, detachable control module, two accessory card slots, and an integral brake transistor. Control modes are V/Hz, sensorless vector and closed loop velocity vector. Output frequency 0 to 500 Hz programmable. IP20 open type as standard.

Operating temperature up to 70 degrees C, which is unusually high and useful in a hot plant room.

The Safe Torque Off point matters commercially. If your application has a safety requirement, the 525 has STO built in where older drives needed an external safety relay. See our Guardmaster safety page.

Wiring and commissioning notes

Wait three minutes before touching it

After disconnecting AC power, wait at least 3 minutes before working on the drive. The internal DC bus capacitors retain lethal voltage. Verify 0 V DC at the DC+ and DC- terminals with a meter before touching any internal component.

Terminals

Three phase input to L1, L2, L3. Protective earth to PE, which is mandatory. Motor leads to U/T1, V/T2, W/T3. Use shielded motor cable and terminate the shield at the drive end on the SHLD terminal.

If no brake resistor is fitted, detach the BR+ and BR- wires from the terminal block. Fit the power module terminal guard before applying power.

Circuit protection is a separate order

PowerFlex drives need upstream protection sized to the drive, and it is not included.

Tell us the drive and we will quote the matching breaker or fuses with it, rather than letting you find out on install day. See contactors and switchgear.

Replacing a discontinued PowerFlex

Three situations, three answers.

PowerFlex 4, 40, 400 or 4M

All discontinued. The 520-series is the successor. The PowerFlex 525 is the usual answer for a PowerFlex 40 replacement, and the 523 for a PowerFlex 4.

It is not a drop-in. Different dimensions, different parameter set, different terminal layout. Budget commissioning time.

PowerFlex 70 or 700

Discontinued. The 750-series, 753 or 755, is the successor. Again a real migration, not a swap, and the 750-series uses option cards where the 700 had built-in features.

Or keep the original running

If a line is down tonight, a surplus or tested used drive of the same catalogue number gets you running with no reprogramming, no rewiring and no panel change. That is faster and cheaper than any migration.

Migrate on a planned outage when you choose to. We hold and source the discontinued generations, and that is exactly the situation we exist for.

Option cards and accessories

The 750-series takes option cards for fieldbus, feedback and I/O expansion. These are separately orderable and frequently missing from a used drive.

If your application talks to a PLC over a fieldbus, check whether the replacement has the same card fitted. It usually does not.

The 520-series has EtherNet/IP embedded, so no card is needed for that. Other protocols need a module, and the 525 has two accessory card slots.

What we can supply

Current production. PowerFlex 523, 525, 527, 753, 755 and 755T, plus option cards, HIM operator interfaces and circuit protection. Quoted with a delivered lead time.

Discontinued. PowerFlex 4, 4M, 40, 40P, 400, 70 and 700. Surplus and tested used.

Spares. Fans, HIM modules, option cards and control boards. Often the actual fault rather than the power section. On a 525 the control module is detachable, which makes a control-side failure a much cheaper fix than replacing the drive.

We buy PowerFlex

If you are upgrading a line, the old drives and especially the option cards and HIM modules are worth money to the plants still running them. See Sell To Us.

Related

Allen-Bradley overview. ControlLogix, CompactLogix and Micro800 for the controllers these drives talk to. Kinetix for servo.

For Siemens equivalents see MICROMASTER 440 and SINAMICS G120.

Send us your catalogue numbers

Send the full number off the drive label. If you are specifying new, tell us the motor kW or hp, the supply voltage, whether you need a filter and whether there is a safety requirement. 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 and PowerFlex 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.