ABB launches flagship AC drive family

Easier commissioning is achieved through the use of Start-up Assistant that helps the user through the installation, while complex programming is easily achieved using Adaptive Programming.

Start-up Assistant – interactive commissioning tool

A feature of the drive is the Start-up Assistant. This standard tool makes commissioning the drive the quickest and easiest on the market.

This time saving feature guides the user through the commissioning procedure and helps select the application’s most important settings.

It automatically detects when the drive is turned on for the first time and offers guided commissioning. Motor nominal values are requested, as well as I/O configuration and application-specific parameters.
If option modules, like I/O extensions or fieldbus modules, are installed, the Start-up Assistant detects and offers guided commissioning for that module.

To make installation easier and more informative, there is an on-line information system available at each stage, offering useful hints, such as limits for allowed motor nominal values. Each step is also
cross-referenced to the manual, if more detailed information is needed.

Adaptive Programming – no extra hardware or software needed The ACS 800 features Adaptive Programming, which extends the already freely programmable I/O and extensive parameter selections that make the ACS 800 one of the most flexible AC drives in the market.

Adaptive Programming consists of a set of blocks that can be programmed to perform any operation from a predefined set of functions. All common mathematical and logical functions as well as switches,
comparators, filters and timers are available. Using the blocks simplifies detailed programming.

Users freely define inputs to the blocks, wiring between the blocks and connections to the drive I/O or to the drive control. Users can create new input and/or output signals and modify the drive’s speed or
torque control. It can also be used as a small PLC for controlling external devices like auxiliary pumps. It is possible to integrate user-specified functions into the ACS 800, which are traditionally done with
additional equipment like relays and timers.

A further breakthrough is that programming is carried out using the standard control panel. No special hardware or software programming tools are needed. As such, the programming takes a few minutes and can be carried out on-site during commissioning.

The panel’s multilingual plain text display is suitable for Adaptive Programming as well as for the Startup Assistant, for drive monitoring and for normal parameter setting.

Everything inside
Everything that is needed in an AC drive can be mounted inside the drive, including integrated RFIfilters chokes, brake choppers, I/O extensions, fieldbuses and pulse encoder module. This makes the ACS 800 extremely easy and fast to install. There is no need to reserve extra space and no extra cabling is needed, saving substantial costs.

Inside the drive, slots for up to three plug-in option modules and other accessories are also available, removing the need for external extension modules. An additional enclosure extension can be added to
the ACS800-02 to give a wide variety of accessories, such as a contactor with an emergency stop button or a customer terminal block.

The ACS 800 is backward compatible with the previous ACS 600 family. The parameters have the same name and scaling; there is no need to change the PLC programme that communicates with the
ACS 800; and there is no need to draw new circuit diagrams.

Initially the ACS 800 is rated from 1.1 kW to 500 kW and at supply voltages of 380 V to 500 V.