Schneider Altivar Drives NZ | ATV320 ATV340 ATV630 ATV930

Schneider Altivar Variable Speed Drives

Schneider / Altivar variable speed drives

The letter before the power digits tells you where the decimal point is. U07 is 0.75 kW and D15 is 15 kW, and the last two characters decide the voltage and the enclosure.

Altivar is the Schneider drive range, current production across machine and process applications. Common on New Zealand conveyors, pumps, fans and packaging lines.

Reading an Altivar type code

Take ATV320U55N4B.

Part	Meaning
ATV320	Range
U55	Power. 5.5 kW
N4	Supply. Three phase 380 to 500 V
B	Format. Book

The power letter is a decimal point

Letter	Range	Examples
U	Below 10 kW	U07 is 0.75 kW, U55 is 5.5 kW, U75 is 7.5 kW
D	10 kW and above	D15 is 15 kW, D22 is 22 kW
C	100 kW and above

Unlike ABB, Schneider codes the power rather than the current. If you have been reading ABB drive numbers as amps, do not carry that habit across. See our ABB page for the contrast.

The voltage codes

Code	Supply
M2	200 to 240 V single phase
M3	200 to 240 V three phase
N4	380 to 500 V three phase. On ATV600 and ATV900, 380 to 480 V
S6	500 to 600 V three phase

M2 and M3 are one character apart and are single phase and three phase. On a New Zealand 400 V supply you want N4. An M2 drive arriving for a three phase machine is a common and frustrating error.

The format suffix on ATV320

Suffix	Format
B	Book. Narrow and deep
C	Compact. Wider and shallower

Same drive, same rating, different shape. Book format suits a panel where width is tight; compact suits one where depth is tight.

Order the wrong one and the electrical specification is correct and it still will not fit. Check the existing drive before ordering.

The current ranges

Range	Positioning
ATV12	Entry level, simple machines
ATV212	HVAC, pumps and fans
ATV320	Altivar Machine. IP20 and IP6x, book or compact
ATV340	Altivar Machine, higher performance
ATV600 series	Altivar Process. ATV630 and ATV650
ATV900 series	Altivar Process, higher performance. ATV930 and ATV950

The second-to-last digit is the enclosure

A neat pattern once you see it.

Drive	Enclosure
ATV630	IP21, UL Type 1. Wall mounted
ATV650	IP55
ATV930	IP21
ATV950	IP55

ATV630 and ATV650 are the same drive in different enclosures. On a washdown or dusty application the IP55 version avoids a separate cabinet, which is often cheaper overall than the price difference suggests.

A worked example

ATV630D15N4, from the Schneider catalogue:

Item	Value
Range	Altivar Process ATV600, ATV630
Power	15 kW, 20 hp
Supply	380 to 480 V
Enclosure	IP21, UL Type 1
Output currents	27 / 23.3 / 20.6 / 18.1 A
Dimensions	Approximately 211 mm wide, 232 mm deep, 546 mm high

Four current figures, not one

Worth understanding. A single drive has several current ratings depending on supply voltage and duty.

So a 15 kW ATV630 delivers 27 A at the bottom of its voltage range and 18.1 A at the top. Sizing on the motor full load current means checking against the figure for your actual supply voltage, not the highest number in the table.

Tell us your supply voltage and the motor FLC and we will check it against the right column.

Three things that are not in the box

These come straight from the Schneider catalogue notes and they catch people out on every drive brand.

Dynamic braking transistor

Schneider states plainly on certain products: these products do not contain a dynamic braking transistor. A separate transistor must be added for applications requiring dynamic braking.

If your application decelerates a real load quickly, or has an overhauling load, you need braking. Without the transistor the drive trips on DC bus overvoltage, and the symptom looks like a drive fault rather than a missing part.

Same trap as the regen resistor on our ABB servo page.

Line reactor

On some products Schneider states that an AC 5 percent line reactor is mandatory. Not recommended, mandatory.

That is a separate part and a real cost. If a quote for a drive looks unusually cheap against another, check whether the reactor is included.

EMC filter

Some Altivar products do not contain an EMC filter. On the ATV212, Schneider specifies that for drives with a Class B EMC filter you add the letter C to the end of the standard catalogue number.

So the filter can be part of the part number rather than a separate item. Check the trailing character on the existing drive.

Option cards can be in the part number too

A useful ordering shortcut on the ATV212, and Schneider is specific about it.

Suffix	Gets you
LW	LonWorks communication option card
BN	BACnet communication option card
C	Class B EMC filter

These ship as one line item, though field installation is required for the option cards.

So the card arrives with the drive but not fitted. Worth knowing when planning an install, and worth checking that a used drive still has its card.

Conformal coating

Two separate things in the Schneider notes, and they are not the same.

Item	Notes
Standard coating	On some products Schneider states conformal coating is standard
Enhanced treatment	Option for increased protection in dusty and corrosive environments. Schneider notes this is not stocked

The enhanced version is a made-to-order item. On a New Zealand coastal site, wastewater plant or fertiliser works that is the version you want, and it needs lead time.

Tell us the environment early rather than at the point of ordering.

SoMove, the configuration software

One tool covers the range. Schneider describes SoMove as working with the complete Altivar product line and the Altistart 22 and Altistart 48 soft starters.

Feature	Notes
Connection	Direct or Bluetooth wireless
Also does	Customising the integrated display terminal menus
Cost	Free download from Schneider

A replacement drive arrives at factory defaults. If the original had a parameter set that took commissioning time to arrive at, that needs restoring.

SoMove can save and reload a configuration file, so if you run Altivar drives, keep the configuration files. It turns a commissioning job into a download.

Common ATV600 fault codes

Useful when a customer describes a fault over the phone.

Code	Meaning
USF	Supply mains undervoltage
UrF	AFE mains undervoltage
StF	Motor stall
SOF	Motor overspeed
SLF1	Modbus communication interruption
SCF4	IGBT short circuit
SCF5	Motor short circuit

SCF4 is a drive fault. SCF5 and StF usually are not. A motor short circuit points at the motor or the cable, and a stall points at the mechanics or the loading.

Worth checking before ordering a replacement drive, because a good proportion of drives replaced for SCF5 were never faulty.

Superseded ranges

Range	Replaced by
ATV312	ATV320
ATV31	ATV312, then ATV320
ATV61	ATV600 series
ATV71	ATV900 series
ATV11, ATV28, ATV38, ATV58	Long discontinued

ATV61 and ATV71 are still very common in New Zealand. Neither is a drop-in for its successor: different dimensions, different parameter structure and different option cards.

If a line is down, a surplus or tested used ATV61 or ATV71 of the same rating gets you running tonight with no panel work and no reprogramming. Migrate on a planned outage instead.

What usually fails

Cooling fans. The most common fault across every drive brand and a fraction of the drive cost.

Display and keypad terminals. Separate parts.

Communication option cards. Frequently missing from a used drive.

DC bus capacitors on drives that have sat unpowered for years.

Before condemning a drive, check the fan.

What we can supply

Current production. ATV12, ATV212, ATV320, ATV340, ATV600 and ATV900 series across the full range, plus option cards, display terminals, line reactors, braking resistors and EMC filters. Quoted with a delivered lead time.

Superseded. ATV61, ATV71, ATV312, ATV31 and earlier. Surplus and tested used.

Spares. Fans, keypads, option cards and terminal blocks.

We buy Altivar

ATV61 and ATV71 hold real value to plants still running them, and so do the option cards and display terminals. If you are upgrading, do not scrap them. See Sell To Us.

Send us your type codes

Send the whole code including the trailing characters, since those carry the format, the filter and any option cards. Tell us your supply voltage and motor full load current if you are specifying new. 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 Schneider Electric. Schneider Electric, Altivar, Altistart and SoMove are trademarks of Schneider Electric. All trademarks, brand names and type codes are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only.