Lenze / i550 and i500 inverters

The i550 has a plug-in memory module that holds the parameter set. Move it to a replacement drive and the machine runs with its own settings, no laptop and no re-parameterisation.

i550 is the current Lenze inverter range, from 0.25 kW to 132 kW in the cabinet versions, plus i550 protec for the field.

Three plug-in modules

The i550 hardware layout separates functions that most drives build in, and each one is a part in its own right.

Alongside these the drive carries the X100 mains and DC bus connection, a relay output, the X2xx network interface, control terminals, an X105 PTC input and the motor connection at X109.

The memory module is the important one

The parameter set lives in the memory module, not in the drive electronics.

That is the single best thing about the i550 from a maintenance point of view. On the older 8200 range a replacement drive means reconstructing every setting; here it does not.

So when a drive fails, do not discard the memory module. It is the part that matters and it is rarely the part that fails.

Same principle as the SICK Flexi Soft system plug and the Mitsubishi FX memory cassette covered elsewhere on this site.

The safety module is separate too

Safety functions sit in a plug-in module rather than the base drive.

So a drive fitted with a safety module is carrying part of the machine's safety function, and a base drive of the same rating is not a substitute.

Check whether a safety module is fitted before quoting a replacement. As always, whether a substitution is valid belongs with whoever holds the machine's safety assessment.

The product code encodes a great deal

More than you can reliably read off it, so send the whole string.

Lenze's own examples show how much sits in one code:

Those two codes differ by two characters and describe different drives. One is a 60 Hz variant on Modbus TCP; the other is varnished and on EtherCAT.

So an i550 code is an identifier rather than something to decode by eye. Send it complete and we will tell you exactly what it is.

Varnished means coated

Worth checking on any machine in a wet, corrosive or condensing environment.

A varnished i550 has conformally coated boards. It looks the same as a standard unit from the outside.

If the existing drive is varnished and the replacement is not, it will work and it will not last as long in that environment. Check the code, not the appearance.

A mains choke is mandatory above certain ratings

A requirement that is easy to miss and it depends on the duty rating, not just the power.

The same drive can sit either side of the threshold depending on how it is rated for the application.

So a 22 kW drive on Light Duty needs a choke; on Heavy Duty it does not. If you are replacing a large i550, tell us the duty and we will flag whether a choke is on the list.

Earth leakage protection is specified

Lenze specifies, for a three-phase mains connection, an earth-leakage circuit breaker of 300 mA or greater, type B.

So an RCD that keeps tripping on a drive circuit, or one that never trips, may simply be the wrong type. That is a design matter for your electrician rather than a parts matter, but it is worth knowing the manufacturer specifies it.

An STO fault is not a drive fault

Worth putting plainly, because it gets drives replaced unnecessarily.

A Drive STO fault message means the Safe Torque Off function has been activated. The inverter has disabled itself and removed torque from the motor, which is what it is supposed to do.

So an i550 showing an STO fault is usually reporting the state of the safety circuit, not its own health. Look at the safety chain, the E-stop and the wiring before the drive.

The LEDs tell you where to start

The front panel carries RDY and ERR status LEDs, plus network status LEDs.

Check readiness for operation on those before anything else. A drive that is ready and not running is a command or setpoint problem; a drive showing ERR has something specific to report.

Reading the parameters

The i550 uses a different parameter notation from the older ranges, and there are several ways in.

The notation changed

So a parameter list from an 8200 does not map onto an i550. Replacing an older drive with an i550 is a re-parameterisation, not a transfer.

That is the main argument for a like-for-like legacy drive, and it is what we are set up to supply.

Every parameter has a hexadecimal index, and those visible on the keypad also carry a parameter number. EASY Starter shows both, which matters when following documentation written against one or the other.

Lenze also notes that some parameters and selections are not available on all control unit types, so a setting described in the manual may not exist on your particular unit.

Network addressing is on rotary switches

A small practical detail worth knowing.

Two rotary selectors set a hexadecimal number from 0x00 to 0xFF, giving addresses 0 to 255.

So a replacement drive needs its address set on the switches to match what the network expects. That is a thirty second job and a common commissioning hold-up when nobody thinks to check.

Note the address is on the hardware, not in the memory module.

The network is in the product code

Worth restating. The i550 supports Modbus TCP, EtherCAT, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP and others, and which one is built into the specific unit.

A drive of the right power on the wrong network will not join the machine. For PROFINET the GSDML device description file is available from the Lenze download area.

The i550 range

Supply ranges are AC 170 to 264 V and AC 340 to 528 V depending on the unit.

i550 protec mounts out on the machine rather than in a cabinet, so ingress, vibration and ambient heat matter far more. If a machine has motors and no drives in the panel, that or a motec unit is why.

One commissioning warning

Lenze states it directly: the analog input X3/AI1 must not be wired or connected to GND.

Worth checking on a drive that has been rewired and behaves oddly on its speed reference.

What to send us

The complete product code. It carries the network, the safety function, the coating and the filter, and none of those can be inferred.

Whether you have the memory module. With it, a replacement is a swap.

Whether a safety module is fitted.

The duty rating, if the drive is above 15 kW, since that decides the mains choke.

The network the machine runs.

Whether the fault is the drive, a module or the safety circuit.

Before ordering a replacement

Check the LEDs. RDY and ERR narrow it down immediately.

An STO fault means the safety circuit. Check the wiring and the E-stop chain, not the drive.

Check the memory module is intact and readable.

Check the rotary switches if the drive is present but not on the network.

Read the fault code. Overcurrent on acceleration is usually a ramp; overvoltage on deceleration usually wants a brake resistor.

What we can supply

Current production. i550 Cabinet and protec across the power range, networks and variants, i510, plus memory modules, safety modules, diagnostic modules, keypads, USB modules, mains chokes and RFI filters. Quoted with a delivered lead time.

Modules separately. The memory module in particular, which is cheap and turns a future failure into a swap.

Legacy. 8200 vector and motec, 8400 and 9400. Surplus and tested used, which keeps an existing machine on its original parameter set.

The cheapest thing you can do

Worth stating plainly.

Buy a spare memory module for each i550 on site and save the parameters to it.

It costs very little. With one, a drive failure is a mount, plug and go. Without one, it is a commissioning exercise with the line down and the settings gone.

We buy Lenze

Lenze drives hold value. Keep memory and safety modules with their drives, since a complete unit is worth considerably more than a bare one. See Sell To Us.

Related

Lenze overview.

For inverters from other brands see ABB ACS580, Schneider Altivar, Siemens SINAMICS G120, Allen-Bradley PowerFlex and Mitsubishi FR.

Send us your product codes

Send the complete string. And tell us whether you have the memory module, because it changes the job entirely. 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 Lenze. Lenze, i550, EASY Starter and Smart Keypad are trademarks of Lenze SE. EtherCAT is a trademark of Beckhoff Automation. PROFINET is a trademark of PROFIBUS Nutzerorganisation. All trademarks, brand names and part numbers are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only. Information on this page is for identification and does not constitute electrical design or safety advice.