All-new ACS550 AC drive line from ABB provides customers a quantum leap in easy installation, start-up and use With a control panel modeled after a cell-phone design, the 1-500 Hp AC drives are extremely intuitive and simple to set up; and packed inside -- a full complement of features that make precise motor control across all commercial/HVAC applications easier than ever before.

What Drives You, Drives Us
The new drives were created from scratch, based on listening very closely to the needs of our customers - and they are the easiest motor drives to install, start and use, bar none. The ACS550 is the first ABB drive developed jointly between the U.S. and Finland. It was built utilizing three-dimensional design tools, with R&D and manufacturing engineers from ABB’s facilities sharing resources in a design effort that combines simplicity, convenience, fieldbus connectivity, harmonic mitigation and programmability to a degree we’ve not seen in drives before. The drives’ 1 to 500 horsepower range and multiple modes of motor control provides users wide flexibility across the full range of HVAC applications.

Simple Controls/Set-up
The all-new control panel is similar in look, feel and functionality to a mobile phone and features two soft keys, the functions of which change according to the operating state of the panel. A built-in HELP button and a real-time clock assist in drive set-up and fault diagnostics. This enables fast set-up, simple configuration and rapid fault diagnosis. Start-up Assistant software built in as a standard tool means, literally, that the start up and tuning of these drives can be accomplished faster than ever before.

Fieldbus Control - Access To Automation Systems
Both a digital interface card (115/230V) and/or field bus adapters are available as options and mount quickly into an option slot inside the ACS550 drives -- providing connectivity to a wide variety of major automation systems. Because drive users have a wide array of protocols to choose from, they can interface all of these built-in device benefits with virtually any automation system they have. These drives accommodate users where they are, and do not dictate the automation system that must be used or installed.

Copy/Download Parameters
All programming of ABB’s ACS550 drives can be carried out using the standard control panel; no special hardware or software programming tools are needed. Programming should take only minutes, max, and can be carried out on-site during start-up. The panel’s multi-lingual plain-text, full-graphic display is easy to use with Start-up Assistant - as well as for drive monitoring and normal parameter setting. A parameter copy feature also allows all drive features to be copied from one motor controller to another, to simplify start up. The copy feature is used regularly as a back up, in case of a drive failure, allowing the existing application -- including all the motor data attained during start-up -- to be downloaded to the replacement drive. This saves the need of a new start-up, and time spent repeating parameter settings.

Everything Inside
Everything that is needed in an AC drive is inside the ACS550 drives - or can be mounted there. There is no need to mount and wire auxiliary devices externally -- saving substantial time, space and money. The goal is to make drives simple -- provide a common technology to drive motors across a wide range of applications, small to large.

Contact Great Lakes Automation Supply for more information regarding ABB's new ACS550 drives.