Help My Variable Speed Drive Will Not Start

In this video, IDS MD and Engineer, Blaise Ford, shows us one of the most common reasons an ABB Variable Speed Drive won’t start!

As Blaise states in the video, we get quite a few calls from our customers saying they can’t run their drives. Blaise shows us an example of this on our demonstration rig. The variable speed drive doesn’t switch on or off, it isn’t responding at all. One of the most common causes of this particular issue is because the variable speed drive has been set to “Local” control, usually because of an accidental button press. The way to rectify this issue is to locate the “Loc Rem” button and press it, this will return the drive to “Remote” control. You should now have full control of the variable speed drive once again.

Blaise says: “This is probably the most frequent problem reported to us. There can be ‘proper’ reasons why an inverter is not working – failed inverter, seized load, lost signals etc. but the most usual problem is that the inverter has been put into ‘local’ control. This means that the inverter is looking to the keypad for its start, direction and speed signals, not to the remote ones – digital inputs, analogue inputs or fieldbus.”

Help Is Always At Hand

This is definitely one of those issues where it is easy when you know how to fix it, but unfathomable if it is the first time you encounter the problem. At IDS we support our customers with 24/7 technical support. Whilst we do get a large number of these queries, that are thankfully easy to rectify, there are also occasions when the problem can be a little more serious. If in doubt call our technical support line 0115 944 1036 or email our engineers on [email protected] We hope you found our video “Help My Variable Speed Drive Will Not Start” useful.