Variable speed drive controller

[WinZip]

Hope this picture got attached was PITA

This is a large fountain job at a college with 18 water jets with LV 50 watt MR 16 lamps , lighting fixtures are with in the jet housing.

The controller supplies power an control wiring to 2 in ground vaults.

This Variable speed drive controller sent from the factory , check out L1 L2 L3 to the left of the picture , conductor put in behind a washer an nut , I removed nut an washer on L3 so you could see how it was done , anyhow we had to put in mechanical lugs on L1 L2 L3 - U V W terminals.

 

[WinZip]

Larger picture of the controller.

 

[stevenj76]

Seeing as there is only one cable entering the drive...

Is that a speed command coming from a controller?

If it is an rs-485 comm cable, I would definitely be concerned about interference as it is very close to U,V,W drive output.

 

[WinZip]

What you see in the first picture is how it came from the factory , what I did is use dual rated mechanical lugs on L1 L2 L3 - U V W

YES THAT COMM CABLE IS PRETTY CLOSE BUT FACTORY REP WAS HERE LAST WEEK AN OK EVERYTHING AND DID START UP , NOW i HOPE TO GET A VIDEO OF THE FOUNTAIN AT NIGHT 18 HEADS AN LIGHTS.

 

[ceb58]

What you see in the first picture is how it came from the factory FACTORY REP WAS HERE LAST WEEK AN OK EVERYTHING AND DID START UP

I would have ask the rep. why they couldn't afford lugs to do a professional build.

 

[WinZip]

He said he would bring it to the attention to a higher up an the photo.

 

[eric7379]

When you say "came from the factory", I am making an assumption that this panel was not built by Siemens, but instead some other panel builder or OEM that utilizes Siemens components?

Depending on how big your company is and how much business you do with the OEM, don't accept it or sign off on the installation. In my case, we would not have signed off on the installation until this was done properly. This was probably done on a Friday afternoon right before beer thirty and the worker probably did not/could not find the correct lugs to use.

Or, worse yet, did the field rep that did the commissioning do this??

 

[Besoeker]

When you say "came from the factory", I am making an assumption that this panel was not built by Siemens, but instead some other panel builder or OEM that utilizes Siemens components?

That would be my guess. And a very unprofessional panel builder at that.

 

[WirenutNH]

We install a lot of drives and we see these type of termiations set ups on some drives from manuf. Some like this one you can add foot lugs but a lot of them have wierd europeanm terminatons and do not leave room for foot lug. but they do have a listing ?

 

[WinZip]

I did not supply the controller but should have asked where it was built and I intend on doing that Monday , Imagine if assembled in CHINA !!

 

[Besoeker]

We install a lot of drives and we see these type of termiations set ups on some drives from manuf. Some like this one you can add foot lugs but a lot of them have wierd europeanm terminatons and do not leave room for foot lug. but they do have a listing ?

European terminations are generally metric.
Why do you think that is weird?

 

[Cow]

Do you think they used enough stickybacks for the control wires going across the door?

That's probably why they couldn't afford proper lugs for the drive......

 

[Besoeker]

Do you think they used enough stickybacks for the control wires going across the door?

They don't even look level. How much more effort does that take?

 

[WinZip]

Found out it was a package deal from Siemens an the the sales rep says we make that connection ( L1 L2 L3 ) all the time with no problems, pretty crappy to me.

 

[WirenutNH]

European terminations are generally metric.
Why do you think that is weird?

I realize they are metric, but the termination bolt set up will not accept a standard foot lug in the space provided and you have to use the weird washer set up that is provided with the drive.

 

[WinZip]

The stud and the nut were both metric , but it's a shame things are done that way from where ever it came from , at least it was taken care of an pictures where taken and saved.

 

[justdavemamm]

There should have been heat shrink on the shield to ground and around the cable where the shield separates.

The small wires out of the main CB to the circular device to it's left most likely should have been off the power dist. block as I doubt that the CB terminals are rated for two wires of that size.

Other than what's been pointed out about the VFD lugs, I don't see any other glaring problems.

 

[eric7379]

European terminations are generally metric.
Why do you think that is weird?

IMHO, metric is the only way to go!

I grew up using standard, learned the metric system, then worked for a European company that was, of course, all metric.

Just my opinion. Not trying to thread-jack.

 

[eric7379]

Found out it was a package deal from Siemens an the the sales rep says we make that connection ( L1 L2 L3 ) all the time with no problems, pretty crappy to me.

If this came from Siemens like this, then their quality standards have dropped considerably. This panel looks OK, but it could look a lot better. As someone else pointed out, the shield for the Profibus cable should at least have been heat-shrinked. A grounding clamp (not sure of the "proper" name) would have looked better and neater than a foot long piec of shielding (heat shrinked or not) hanging in mid-air.

 

[WinZip]

I know all of you are good Electricians but can you imagine our replacements in the future , what will they be like, will they even care or have pride in the trade.