ABB Drives Blown Boards.
ABB Drives Blown Boards.
(OP)
Apparently there is a problem with ABB drives that are part of a packaged air handler. They seem to blow their "power supply boards" frequently and with such regularity that refrigeration guys carry spare ones in their trucks.
Anyone else heard of this or know anything about it?
Anyone else heard of this or know anything about it?
Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com





RE: ABB Drives Blown Boards.
Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.
RE: ABB Drives Blown Boards.
RE: ABB Drives Blown Boards.
RE: ABB Drives Blown Boards.
wayne; I suspect you are exactly right.
I'll see if I can dig up some more info DickDV.
Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com
RE: ABB Drives Blown Boards.
There are issues with many EU design drives with regards to grounding and the fact that they have no need to consider un-grounded delta supplies, such as 240V Delta systems often found in commercial installations, or 208Y120 systems where they don't run the Neutral to the HVAC equipment because they don't think it's necessary for a motor. That leaves us with potential grounding issues and most VFD mfrs include instructions as to how to remove a Y bonding jumper in in the cap bank for those cases. Also if they are using drives with built-in EMI filters on ungrounded delta systems, they must remove or disable the filters because they too are referenced to ground.
Unfortunately a lot of HVAC equipment is installed by mechanical contractors as part of their package, but the installers don't bother to read instructions, nor are they likely to understand them if they do and so they ignore it because (and I have heard this directly from some) "It's just grounding stuff, no big deal".
"Dear future generations: Please accept our apologies. We were rolling drunk on petroleum."
— Kilgore Trout (via Kurt Vonnegut)
For the best use of Eng-Tips, please click here -> FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: ABB Drives Blown Boards.
Here's the further info I was able to get.
Still seems to fit with your cautions Jeff.
Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com
RE: ABB Drives Blown Boards.
One problem is, they use the term "IT or TN System" which has no meaning here in the US, nobody knows what it means. I've had guys tell me they thought they only had to do something special if it was located in the IT department (as in Information Technology) or that TN meant there were special rules for Tennessee!
So basically if they didn't run the ground out to the drive, or they grounded to the AHU frame without thinking about the fact that it's on rubber isolators (that happens too), they have set the drive up for failure.
"Dear future generations: Please accept our apologies. We were rolling drunk on petroleum."
— Kilgore Trout (via Kurt Vonnegut)
For the best use of Eng-Tips, please click here -> FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: ABB Drives Blown Boards.
Well, you all know - of course - that IT is Isolé Terre where the I refers to how the transformer neutral is connected to ground (Isolé is French for Isolated) and the T says how the motor or other device frame/housing shall be connected (Terre is French for ground).
There is no such ting as an open delta in the European thinking and that may cause a problem.
It is really bad that they haven't translated those terms into a description that the US user can understand. I thought better of the American ABB organisation. Beancounters rule again?
BTW, the TN and TN-C* system means that transformer neutral is connected to ground (Terre) and that the motor frame shall be connected to PE/Neutral (French Neutre). This is also known as 'four-wire system' and is more and more abandoned for the TN-S where you have a separate Neutral and PE conductor. That system is also known as a 'five-wire' system.
Yankees think the European system is funny and the Europeans think that the US system is unbelievable. It is all a question of what you are used to. But not to transkate such things in an understandable manner is criminal.
*The 'C' in TN-C says that PE and Neutral are combined (Combiné) in one wire while the TN-S (S is Separé) says that there are separated PE and Neutral wires.
Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.
RE: ABB Drives Blown Boards.
I'll go back to the guy and see what his power system is like.
Here's the board that reliably toasts. I included the one meg close-ups only as links.(for those with pathetic bandwidth LOL)
+1meg link
+1meg link
+1meg link
Just glancing at this it looks like those three resistors are in parallel. They obviously had a wheee bit much to drink.
Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com
RE: ABB Drives Blown Boards.
"Dear future generations: Please accept our apologies. We were rolling drunk on petroleum."
— Kilgore Trout (via Kurt Vonnegut)
For the best use of Eng-Tips, please click here -> FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: ABB Drives Blown Boards.
Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com
RE: ABB Drives Blown Boards.
Cheers niallnz