Fanuc Alpha Series Power Supply and Spindle Units

This month, we are highlighting the Fanuc Alpha series Spindles and Power Supply units. We had previously described some of the features and alarms with the Alpha series servos and wanted to continue on with the Alpha series drives. The A06B-6087 and A06B-6088 units are the modular style power supply and spindle units respectively. They…

The Basics of Electronics Washing

What does it mean when we say that a motor, drive, or inverter was washed? Today we walk you through the proper procedure and helpful tips for washing and cleaning electronics. We have also included a video that demonstrates the correct approach. Your Basic Electronic Washing Procedure  Washing Motor Stators – Combination of copper and steel…

Electronics Cooling 101 – What’s the Point?

Overview When it comes to electronic devices, there are a few key attributes that a component has which will determine the functionality and implementation of its use. Electrical ratings – maximum voltage allowed, maximum current allowed, and dissipation through heat – are a few of the key ratings to keep an eye on. Apart from…

Okuma BLII-D AC Servo Drives

Okuma’s BLII-D servo amplifiers come in two varieties – a single axis or dual axis offering. The naming convention of the unit distinctly identifies the power rating of the axes. The single axis drives range from 15kW to 150kW whereas the dual axis version will range between 15kW per axis and can go up to…

Troubles with Drive Software and Parameters

When a servo amplifier, spindle drive, or inverter fails, there is a multitude of things that can and do go wrong. Large-scale component failures or issues with the mechanical side of the machine can be relatively obvious to catch and correct. Machine alarms or drive alarms are designed to point in the right direction for…

How to Reset 12-Bit Absolute Encoder for Yaskawa Sigma 1 Drives (Method 2)

Method 2 There are 2 different methods for resetting A.00 or A.81 alarms on a Yaskawa Sigma I Servo Drive. Today, we are going to go over the second method for clearing these two alarms if the first method was unsuccessful for you. This procedure should be done only after you have made sure that…

Troubleshooting AC Servo Motors

Today, we are going to show you how to troubleshoot your AC Servo Motor. Two of the most common failures that happen with the motors are over-current faults and ground faults. Below, we explain to you the three simple steps to static checking both of these faults. We have also included a video at the end to…

Control Racks Shipping Best Practices

Occasionally, we receive customer control racks in for repair that sustained damage in transit. We hope to bring to light some of the common issues we see regarding control rack shipping problems and how to prevent these issues from occurring by taking some precautionary measures before removing and shipping. The first step when preparing to…

Magnetek Crane Inverter Common Alarm Codes

In this month’s technician’s tip, we go over alarm codes on the Magnetek Crane Inverter Drive P3 Series 2. We will walk you through common alarm codes and failures of this drive, their cause, and tips on how to resolve them. Under voltage or overvoltage (UV or OV) refer to issues with the incoming power. Check…

Mitsubishi MDS Spindle Drives

This month’s product spotlight falls on the Mitsubishi MDS Spindle drives, and to be more specific, on MDS-A-SP and MDS-B-SP series, which are offered in sizes starting from 0.4kW and up to 55kW. They offer a number of features that make it easy and effective to use the drives within a system. An easy to…

Yaskawa MTIII Spindle Drive Series

In this article, we gathered important technical information about Yaskawa MTIII Spindle Drive Series: from a basic overview to adjusting the orientation points, and alarm code troubleshooting tips. Performing A Static Check On Yaskawa MTIII AC Spindle Drives How To Change Orientation Point On Yaskawa MTIII AC Spindle Drives Setting The Initial Orientation Adjustment Using…

Performing A Static Check on the Magnetek GPD505/506 Inverter

In this video, we go over a quick static check procedure with the Magnetek 505 or 506 series inverters. Static checks can catch big issues with the drive’s inputs and outputs but keep in mind: even if the drive passes a static check, there can still be issues present. Required Tools What to look for?…