GS20(X) Variable Frequency Drive Capacitor Care
https://www.AutomationDirect.com/drives
(VID-DR-0127)
Learn how to re-charge or "re-form" your drives electrolytic capacitors and why it is so important to do it in this brief variable frequency drive tutorial. To learn more, check out our video library for lots of how to videos including PID, Torque Mode, using the FREE software, PLC programming and more!
All GS20(X) Video Tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPdypWXY_ROq119AqwSjbSqxq3TgXJJFY
Before using your drive, ask yourself, how long has the drive been sitting un-powered? If it has been around a year since the GS20 drive was last operated, then one of the best things you can do to extend the life of your drive is to re-charge – or “re-form” - the big electrolytic capacitors in the drive BEFORE you use the drive to control a motor. Why? Because the big capacitors in the drive discharge over time which relaxes the oxide in the insulation layer of the capacitor. If you apply a voltage when the capacitors are discharged, then the capacitors are essentially a short circuit and the huge resulting inrush current can damage the capacitors, which shortens the life of the drive and costs you money. So, reforming that oxide layer BEFORE applying a load to the drive is really important. The good news is, it’s easy to do. Just remove the motor from the drive and apply input power for about 2 hours. That’s it. The oxide layer in the capacitor is now reformed and your drive is ready to use. All drives have these big electrolytic capacitors and they all need to be re-charged or re-formed if they have been idle for a while. But, beware that how long the drive has been sitting idle and what exactly the re-charging procedure is varies depending on drive manufacturer. Other drive manufacturers may use a different idle time requirements and have different re-charging procedures so don’t assume this is how you do it on all drives. Again, all drives do need to be re-charged, but how you do it varies so be sure to read your drive's manual to learn how. Just don’t skip recharging the capacitors because it will end up costing you money. The instructions in this video only apply to the GS20 family of drives. If you just got your brand new GS20 drive, then you can tell how long it has been idle from the date code on the label. Click here to see more GS20 Variable Frequency Drive video tutorials. Click here to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you will be notified when we publish new automation videos. And click here to learn about AutomationDirect’s free award-winning technical support.
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