GS20(X) GS2 Migration Part 1 from AutomationDirect

If you are thinking about upgrading your GS2 Variable Frequency Drive to a GS20 drive so you can get the better specs, expanded feature set, and a smaller footprint - all at a lower cost, then this video is for you. If you just want to drop a GS20 in place of an existing GS2 drive and use it exactly like a GS2 drive without any of the expanded GS20 features, then check out this video where we simply tell the GS20 to act like a GS2 drive. The GS2 has 10 parameter groups, the GS20 has 14 groups. Neither drive family uses Group 12. While they have a number of common groups like motor, digital, analog, PID and communications, the GS20 has rearranged those and has additional groups that make it easier to find parameters. For example, in a GS2, the drive specific parameters like factory reset, drive ID, frequency, frequency scaling, firmware versions, and stop methods are spread around the groups. In the GS20 all the drive specific stuff is in the drive group. That makes things much easier to find and manage. So, let’s quickly skim through each of these GS20 parameter groups and highlight the similarities and differences of the two drive families. This will be a very quick walk through just touching on each of these. If you want more details, there is an awesome cross reference matrix in appendix G of the user manual that shows you exactly which GS2 parameters correspond to which GS20 parameters and it points out any differences you need to be aware of and the default values used by the GS20 – some of those can be different than the GS2. There is also a link to a spreadsheet that provides even more detail. It has this summary page that shows how the GS20 crosses to both the GS2 and the GS4 drive families and then individual tabs that show in great detail how the full parameter sets of the GS4 and GS2 families compare with the GS20 family of drives and a final tab listing all GS20 parameters for quick reference. You can even sort on any column to quickly locate what you need. Both of those amazing resources will be your best friend as you make the transition. Direct links to both of those are in the description below this video. And of course, we have lots of videos covering those features. There’s a link to those in the description too. With over 600 parameters there’s a huge amount of information to cover here, so we’ll break this up into a series of videos, so your brain doesn’t explode. We are going to walk through these parameter groups roughly in this order. Here we go ... The drive parameter group covers the usual drive information but the GS20 also provides the rated current, the ability to password protect your parameters and you can tell it what you want it to display on power up. I love having the rated current handy – especially when I am trying to debug overcurrent – issues – I don’t have to go digging through spec sheets to find that number. Both families have a custom user display and the ability to scale the frequency for display. The GS20 drive is rated for both constant torque and variable torque applications when in speed mode. The GS2 drive is only rated for constant torque applications like loaded conveyors. Can you use a GS2 drive on a variable torque application like a fan or a pump? Sure, but it falls on you to select the right drive. The GS20 drives tell you right on the label exactly what the ratings are for both constant and variable torque applications. And, they have parameters to automatically optimize the drive for each. And that’s saves you the headache of doing it yourself. In addition to volts/hertz, the GS20 drive also has volts/hertz with encoder feedback, and sensorless vector for induction or permanent magnet A/C motors. That’s right! The GS20 can do permanent magnet motors! That means you can now take advantage of the smaller size, more accurate and more energy efficient A/C permanent magnet motors that give you full torque at zero rpm! That’s cool. The GS20 drives have a built-in PLC which you can program using the free GSLOGIC software and a USB cable to handle any extra functionality you want to add to the drive. Both drives have the usual frequency, command, and stop methods. But the GS20 has a second – or auxiliary – frequency source that you can use to offset the drive frequency. Suppose you have two drives running off the same frequency source. You can use the auxiliary frequency source to add an offset to the second drive to tweak the second motors speed relative to the first motor. The GS20 gives you both local and remote operating configurations so you can have the drive operate one way when you are standing right in front of it and another way when you are remotely controlling it. The GS2 only has one operating mode. Both drive families can disable forward or reverse for applications where you don’t want the motor to run in one direction. On the GS20, if the keypad is the frequency source, you can retrieve the last frequency command in the event of a fault. That can be really handy when trying to debug faults. The GS2 can’t do that. Both drives allow you to disable the stop button on the keypad. The GS20 allows you to customize the display format of the user display, both decimal places and units displayed. And finally, the GS20 allows you to filter the displayed values to make them easier to read. The basic and motor groups are all about the motors so let’s do those two next. On the GS20 you set the max drive frequency the motor can handle. On the GS2 you set the max motor RPM. That’s a subtle difference you need to be aware of. Both drives have the usual motor rated frequency, voltage and volts/hertz curves but the GS20 supports up to 4 different motors. The GS2 only handles 2. The GS20 also allows you to specify a startup frequency. That’s so you don’t have to manually enter whatever speed you need the drive to run at after a power cycle when using the keypad or coms for frequency control. Both drive families have acceleration and deceleration times, but the GS20 has four to select from, the GS2 only has 2. Both drive families have acceleration and deceleration transitions, so you can have one acceleration time during one part of the ramp and another during the second part of the ramp. Maybe you want to accelerate slowly at the start to prevent overcurrent issues, then speed up the acceleration for the rest of the ramp. Or maybe you want to quickly get close to speed, but then slowly approach the final speed. This option is great for either of those. Both families have acceleration and deceleration S-Curves to smooth out transitions and options to automatically give you the fastest possible acceleration and deceleration times. The GS20 has upper and lower skip frequencies so each skipped frequency band can be unique. The GS2 has skip frequencies about which a single skip band is applied so you have to use the same band for all skipped frequencies. The GS20 allows you to specify how the drive reacts if a frequency is requested that is below the min allowed. Should the drive do nothing? Apply a DC brake, or just continue on using the min frequency? The GS2 doesn’t have that option. And finally, the GS20 has regen options to give you more control over deceleration. The motor group gives us motor parameter auto tuning and has the usual motors ratings except the GS20 handles 4 motors and the GS2 handles 2. The GS20 can automatically switch between Y and delta connections to the motor in real time so you can get the best of both worlds. Start out using the Y connection to get the extra torque at the low speeds, then once it reaches a frequency you specify, switch to the delta configuration to get low torque but high speed. That does require a motor specifically designed for Y delta switching. That’s enough for this video. Take a break, top off your coffee and then join me in the next video where we will continue to skim through the differences between the GS2 and the GS20 families of variable frequency drives. Remember, the links to the detailed cross-reference documents and lots of video tutorials are in the description below this video and that this is just a quick run through intended to give you a general idea of what’s available. Be sure to read the user manual to confirm and fully understand anything I’ve said here because I may have taken some creative license with accuracy in favor of expediting this video. Click here to learn more about the GS20 Family of variable frequency drives. 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