Yaskawa Varispeed G5, G7, F7, V7 and J7 Drives, New Zealand

Yaskawa / Varispeed G5, G7, F7, E7, P7, V7 and J7

On these older ranges the digits in the model number are kilowatts. On the current ranges they are amps. So CIMR-F7U4011 is an 11 kW drive and CIMR-AU4A0011 is an 11 A drive, and reading one convention across the other is how the wrong size gets ordered.

The Varispeed generation is obsolete and it is still running a large amount of New Zealand plant. These are the Yaskawa drives we are asked for most.

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The naming is doubled up

Worth settling first, because the same drive has two names and people search both.

You may see	Same drive as
VS-616G5	G5
VS-606V7	V7
VS-mini J7	J7
Varispeed G7, F7, E7, P7	G7, F7, E7, P7

The CIMR model number on the label is the authoritative one. Whatever the drawing or the maintenance system calls it, send what is printed on the drive.

The ranges and what each was for

Range	Built for
G5	The earlier flagship. Vector control, closed loop capable
G7	High performance flagship. Notable for its output waveform, which is easier on motor insulation over long cable runs
F7	General purpose vector. The volume industrial drive
E7	Fan and pump, variable torque
P7	Fan and pump, building services
V7	Compact general purpose. Everywhere on small machines
J7	The simplest compact drive
VS-616PC5	Earlier specialist range

F7 and V7 are the two we see most. G7 turns up where somebody cared about motor cable length or motor stress, and E7 and P7 on fans and pumps in buildings.

Why the G7 was chosen matters

If a G7 was specified for a long motor cable run, replacing it with an ordinary drive can put more voltage stress on the motor insulation. That does not fail immediately. It fails the motor early, and nobody connects the two events.

So on a long run, tell us the cable length. The answer may be a different drive, or an output filter, rather than a like-for-like substitute.

The model number convention changed

The single most valuable thing on this page.

Generation	What the digits mean	Example
Varispeed G5, G7, F7, E7, P7	Kilowatts	CIMR-F7U4011 is 400 V, 11 kW
A1000, V1000 and later	Rated output amps	CIMR-AU4A0011 is 400 V, 11 A

On the legacy format a P stands in for the decimal point, so a small drive reads as 40P4 for 400 V and 0.4 kW.

So the same four digits mean roughly half the machine on one generation and roughly double on the other. Somebody replacing an F7 with an A1000 and matching the digits will order a drive around half the size they need.

Two rules follow, and they cost nothing:

Size from the motor nameplate full load current, not from either model number.

And check the drive's own rating plate, which states the output current and the applicable motor rating directly. That settles it regardless of which convention the model number uses.

Closed loop needs a PG card

The most common reason a correct-looking replacement will not run the machine.

Closed loop vector control needs an encoder feedback card fitted to the drive. The drive does not have one built in.

Card	For
PG-A2	Open collector or complementary encoder
PG-B2	Complementary output encoder
PG-X2	Line driver encoder. The common industrial type
PG-D2	Line driver, single channel

The card has to match the encoder's output type, not just be present. A line driver encoder into a card expecting complementary signals does not work.

So on a closed loop machine: the drive, the PG card and the encoder are three things that have to agree, and only one of them is in the drive's model number.

Tell us whether the application is closed loop and what the encoder is. A bare drive is not the whole answer.

Option cards do not cross generations

Option type	Notes
Communication cards	PROFIBUS, DeviceNet, MECHATROLINK and others, by card
PG feedback cards	As above. Matched to the encoder
Analogue and digital I/O cards	Extra terminals

Cards are generation specific. A card out of an F7 is not a card for an A1000, and that is a real cost on a migration.

The card does not come with a replacement drive. Move it across, or put it on the order. This is the line item most often left off a quote.

The operator does not cross either

The digital operator is matched to the drive generation. A legacy operator does not fit a current drive and the reverse is also true.

Two practical points:

The operator copies parameters between drives of the same generation. On an obsolete range that is the difference between a swap and a commissioning visit, so take a copy off every running drive while you still can.

And a drive can be set to fault when the operator is removed. If a machine stops whenever somebody unplugs the keypad, that is a setting rather than a fault.

Migrating to a current drive

The honest comparison, because it is usually the real decision.

What changes
The sizing convention. kW to amps
The parameter numbers. They do not map across
The option cards. New comms and new PG card
The operator. New, and no parameter copy from the old one
Footprint, mounting and terminal layout, usually
Recommissioning, and retuning on a closed loop axis

So a like-for-like Varispeed drive is a swap and a current drive is a project. Both are legitimate.

On a machine with years left in it and a maintained parameter record, the identical drive is very often the cheaper answer. Supply of these ranges thins out over time and does not improve, so if a machine matters, buy the spare while it exists.

Common faults

Code	Meaning	Usually
oC	Over current	Output short or motor cable, before the drive
oV	DC bus over voltage	Braking resistor or ramp time
Uv1	DC bus under voltage	Supply dip or an input phase
Uv3	Soft charge circuit	The soft charge relay. A wear item
oL1, oL2	Motor or drive overload	Load, or motor current set wrongly
oH	Heatsink over temperature	Cooling fan. The usual failure on these
GF	Ground fault	Motor or motor cable
PF, LF	Input or output phase loss	Supply side, or motor cable and windings
PGo	Encoder feedback lost	Encoder, cable or the PG card
oPr	Operator disconnected	Somebody removed the keypad
CPF	Control circuit fault	The drive

On drives of this age the cooling fan is the single most common failure, and it is a separately replaceable part. An oH fault is worth a fan before it is worth a drive.

These are old drives now

Worth saying directly, because it changes what you should buy.

Wear item	Position
Cooling fan	Replaceable. Usually the fault
DC bus capacitors	Age out. The thing that eventually ends the drive
Soft charge relay	Fails as an inability to start
Cooling path	Twenty years of dust in the heatsink

A drive that is running warm and tripping occasionally is telling you something. On a machine that matters, that is the point to secure a spare rather than the point to wait.

And a spare that has sat unpowered for years needs its capacitors reforming before it goes on full mains. Power a shelf spare up occasionally and it stays a working spare. Used and surplus drives from us are powered up and tested before they ship.

Before ordering a replacement

Symptom	Check first
oH	The cooling fan and the heatsink
Will not start, otherwise healthy	Uv3 and the soft charge relay
oV when stopping	Braking resistor and ramp
PGo	Encoder, cable, then the PG card
New drive will not do closed loop	No PG card, or the wrong type
Ordered the wrong size last time	kW against amps between generations
Motor failing early on a long cable run	What the G7 was doing, and whether a filter is needed
Stops when the keypad is unplugged	oPr. That is a setting

What to send us

The full CIMR number off the label.

The drive rating plate output current, which settles the sizing convention.

The motor nameplate full load current and voltage.

What the load is. Fan, pump, conveyor, extruder.

Whether it is open or closed loop, and what the encoder is.

What cards are fitted. A photo with the cover off does it.

The motor cable length, if it is long.

Whether you have a parameter copy on the operator.

What we can supply

Drives. G5, G7, F7, E7, P7, V7, J7 and the VS-badged equivalents, across voltage classes and ratings. New old stock, surplus and tested used.

Cards. PG feedback cards, communication cards and I/O cards for these generations.

Operators. Matched to the drive generation.

Parts. Cooling fans, braking units and braking resistors.

The current equivalents. A1000, GA700 and GA800, where a migration is the right answer rather than a like-for-like.

We buy Varispeed drives

These hold real value, because the machines running them cannot buy new and a migration means recommissioning.

Keep the operator with the drive and the cards in their slots. A PG card or a communication card is worth real money separately, and a drive with its cards is worth more than either. See Sell To Us.

Common questions

Can you get a part that is not listed on your site?
Usually. The site shows what we hold, not what we can source.

Is CIMR-F7U4011 an 11 kW or an 11 A drive?
On the F7 the digits are kilowatts, so 11 kW. On an A1000 the same digits would be amps. Check the drive rating plate.

Is VS-616G5 the same as a G5?
Yes. Same drive, older naming.

My new drive will not run closed loop.
It needs a PG feedback card, and the card has to match the encoder output type.

Can I replace an F7 with an A1000?
Yes, as a project. Different sizing convention, different parameters, new cards and new operator.

The drive trips on oH.
Try the cooling fan first. On drives of this age it is the usual answer.

Do you supply used equipment?
Yes. On these ranges it is usually the only option, and units are tested before they ship.

What is the lead time?
Ex stock items ship the next working day within New Zealand. We give you a firm lead time with the quote.

Do you quote in NZD?
Yes, in NZD including GST for New Zealand customers.

Send us your model numbers

Send the CIMR number and the drive rating plate together. The rating plate states the output current, and that settles which convention you are reading. Quotes in NZD including GST.

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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 Yaskawa. Yaskawa and Varispeed are trademarks of Yaskawa Electric Corporation. All trademarks, brand names and model numbers are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only.