ABB has premiered a new, high-performance series of power converters called DCS800, featuring numerous striking innovations. These include operator control of unprecedented simplicity for power converters, uncomplicated scalability, plus IEC 61131 programmability integrated as standard (IEC 61131 PLC).
The new DCS800 drives family from ABB easily outflanks all its DC predecessors via the unique simplicity of its operator control and commissioning functions. All controllers set themselves automatically and numerous intuitive assistants mean there’s no need to look up every parameter and control setting in the manual. The drive is ideal for retrofit of installed motors in mining applications.
“The DCS800 features a user-friendly control panel as standard, with a high-resolution display and context-sensitive assignments for individual keys, rather like a mobile phone,” said Thomas Junger, product manager for the new series at ABB, low voltage drives. Eight different languages can be set here, including Russian and Chinese.
Three cables in, four out: installed
Installing the DCS800 is unique in how simple it is. Thanks to a completely integrated field supply, the entire power connection procedure comprises “three cables in, four cables out,” Junger noted. Automatic detection of the phase sequence means the user need not worry about in-phase connection. Thanks to supply voltages of 230VAC – 1,200VAC, 50Hz / 60Hz, plus CE, cULus and c-tick approvals as standard, the drive can be used all over the world. DCS800 drives range from 20ADC to 20,000ADC.
The new DCS800 converters score in terms of almost unlimited scalability. Expansion modules for all commonly used field buses, and for additional analogue and digital inputs/outputs, can be plugged in quite simply, with no need for tools. Use of the same expansion modules and PC tools as ABB’s AC drives ensures harmonized operator control throughout.
Drive-to-drive communication via DCS-link
Thanks to DCS-link, the fast, high-performance peer-to-peer communication feature, data can be simply exchanged directly from drive to drive. If, at commissioning, modifications unexpectedly do have to be made, the user can perform them at the control panel using adaptive programming, without needing any additional hardware or software.
In addition, the DCS800 features yet another innovation: for each converter, a powerful PLC is available – and this without any additional computer modules. This enables the user to handle local control tasks affordably and efficiently directly in the drive.
For programming purposes, the widely disseminated CoDeSys standard tool is used, which supports all IEC-61131 languages. Besides a comprehensive library of standard building blocks, users are provided with convenient drive-specific functions, like PID controllers, winders or tensile-force computations. The source files here can be filed together with the application in the drive on a memory card to keep them safe – with optional password protection.
Deep, full feature set all built in
Built into the new DCS800 converter range is a deep, full set of additional features. These include:
- 20ADC – 20,000ADC
- 230VAC – 1,200VAC, 0 – 1,500VDC
- Exceptionally compact
- Numerous assistants for commissioning and trouble-shooting
- Automatic self-adjustment for all controllers
- Intuitive menu prompting thanks to context-sensitive control unit in eight languages, supplied as standard
- Plug-on modules ensure scalability for virtually every application
- Integrated EC-61131 PLC with a standard CoDeSys programming tool
- Numerous high-performance solutions, such as 12-pulse, serial, sequential and parallel
- DCS-link: direct communication from drive to drive (peer-to-peer)
- Ethernet module for remote maintenance and diagnostics over the internet
- Communication modules for all commonly used field bus systems
- Powerful PC tools for dimensioning, commissioning and diagnostics
- CE, cULus, and c-Tick approvals, plus 50Hz – 60Hz supply as standard, which means the converter can be used all over the world
- Integrated field supply up to 25ADC
- External field supply up to 520ADC
- Noise-immune optical PC link
- The same expansion modules and PC tools as AC drives from ABB