Fluke MDA-550 Motor Drive Analyzer

Analysis and diagnostic

troubleshooting reference guide
 Drive
input Drive and drive output Motor and drive train
Mains AC to DC DC filter DC to AC converter Cable Motor (load) Mechanical
supply conversion and buffer interface output

+Vdc

L1 bus
T1 T1
voltage
T2 T2
L2 T3
T3

L3 PWM Output
Analyzing the drive
Gnd
performance or diagnosing
-Vdc
problems requires testing
at critical subsections of
the drive. Measurements
at critical subsection Drive Drive output, pulse width
Section Input to drive AC to DC conversion modulated waveform Motor input
test points will provide
Drive tripping caused by AC to DC conversion circuit • Elevated Motor • Elevated Motor
informative data to isolate harmonic distortion breakdown causing drive DC operating temperatures operating temperatures
Symptoms
causes of drive problems impacting adjacent link errors or improper load • Repeat winding • Motor single phasing
or failures
like mysterious tripping, equipment operation performance (torque) insulation failures • Excessive bearing
• Loss of output torque wear or failures
erroneous fault codes or
Out of tolerance input Absolute DC link Output voltage, current and Drive output measurements
even repeated drive and voltage, current and voltage level V/Hz ratio at the motor end to check for
motor failures. frequency negative impact of cabling
Excessive Unbalance AC ripple voltage Modulated waveform peak Motor shaft bearing flashover
Diagnostic voltage that exceed winding current, or shaft discharge
Tests insulation breakdown voltage voltages
Harmonic distortion Modulation switching
frequency
IGBT voltage impulse
switching times (dV/dT)
Drive maintenance best practices
Drive technology will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, and
even within a manufacturer’s product line. In addition, operational L1

changes and environmental conditions will influence the state of the L2

Motor power cabinet
test point measurements and waveforms. Therefore, it is recommended L3 Motor drive

technicians capture measurements and waveforms at each test point Disconnect Motor Load
when the motor drive system is first installed, in a known working
condition and every time components are serviced. Capturing as-
found and as-left measurements and waveforms along with detailed
notes aids in identifying root causes and enables technicians to
proactively monitor drive conditions. The secondary benefit is that the
technician will gain invaluable experience of drive technology and
troubleshooting motor drive systems.
L1 L1 T1
L2 L2 T2
L3 L3 T3

Standard motor drive tests and example results:

Drive input voltage and current Drive input voltage and Drive output and motor input Drive output and motor input Motor shaft discharge voltages /
current unbalance voltage and current voltage and current unbalance flashover events

Drive input harmonics DC bus ripple voltage Voltage modulation waveform on Voltage modulation with zoom
drive output or motor input.
 Recommended tests
Test: Test: Test:
Out of tolerance input motor drive voltage, Excessive motor drive input voltage unbalance Harmonic distortion on motor drive input
current and frequency

Desired State: Desired State: Desired State:

What to look for: What to look for: What to look for:

• V-rms within +/- 10% of system voltage
• A rms less than drive max current rating
• Stable voltage sine wave
NOTE: Drives may trip if the voltage is outside of normal
operating voltage limits or unstable.
Amplitude
A difference in amplitude between each phase
NOTE: Voltage unbalance can cause tripping of the drive
overload fault protection. Current unbalance may cause
damage to the motor resulting
in downtime.
• Voltage Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) greater than 6%
• Strong even harmonics is a potential indicator of
faulty rectifiers
NOTE: Excessive harmonic distortion can be costly, and can
cause any of the following:
• High current flow in neutral conductors, causing over
heating or even failure.
• Motors and transformers to run hot, shortening their lives.
• Increased susceptibility to voltage sags, potentially caus-

Amplitude

ing spurious resets.

Time Time
• Reduced efficiency of transformers—or, a larger unit is
required to accommodate harmonics.

Amplitude
Harmonic multiples of the
fundamental frequency
 Recommended tests
Test: Test: Test:
DC link voltage level AC ripple voltage on DC bus Motor drive output voltage, current and V/Hz ratio (filtered)

Desired State: Desired State: Desired State:

What to look for: What to look for: What to look for:

• Except for controlled rectifiers (IGBT), the voltage should
be about 1.31 to 1.41 times the rms line voltage
• Use the RECORD function to check the dc voltage
variations over time
NOTE: Low DC voltage can trip the motor drive, this may
happen if the mains input voltage is too low or the input
sine wave is distorted by flat topping.
• After the AC to DC conversion a slight AC ripple compo-
nent will remain present on the DC-bus. The shape will
depend on the conversion principle
• Perform the measurement while under load
• If the peaks of the ripple have a different repetitive level,
one of the rectifiers could be malfunctioning
NOTE: This excessive ripple voltage may cause the drive to
fail and cause the motor to trip.
• Check if the drive output voltage and current are within
the limits for the motor. If the output current is too high,
the motor may run hot which may result in decrease of
stator insulation life.
• Check if the voltage/frequency ratio (V/Hz) is within spec-
ified limits for the motor. If V/Hz too high the motor may
overheat, if V/Hz too low the motor will lose torque.
• Stable Hz, unstable V points to DC bus problems. Unstable
Hz, stable V points to IGBT problems. Unstable Hz and V
points to speed control circuits

NOTE: Motor overheating may cause the motors to fail

earlier than expected, unstable operation can cause
process downtime.
Amplitude
Amplitude

Time Time
 Recommended tests
Test: Test: Test:
Motor drive output waveform analysis Motor drive output modulated waveform peak voltage Motor drive output modulated waveform dV/dt
phase to phase

Desired State: Desired State: Desired State:

What to look for: What to look for: What to look for:

• Zoom 1: Check the overall modulated waveform shape
uniformity and stability
• Phase to phase is mainly used to check for high voltage
peaks. These may damage the motor insulation and drive
output circuit and cause the drive to trip. Voltage peaks
higher than 50% of nominal voltage are often problematic
NOTE: High voltage peaks may cause insulation breakdown
causing premature motor failure.
Amplitude
• Zoom 2: Check for high voltage peaks or unwanted Zoom 3: Check if the steepness of the switching impulses
reflections. These may damage the motor insulation indicated by the dV/dt reading, is within motor insulation
and drive output circuit and cause the drive to trip. specification
Voltage peaks higher than 50% of nominal voltage are
often problematic NOTE: High dV/dt can cause insulation breakdown and
• Phase to ground is mainly used to measure switch premature motor failures.
frequency and identify high voltage peaks to ground that
could damage the motor insulation
• Phase to DC or DC+ is also used to measure switch
frequency, identify IGBT problems or when signal is dV/dT
floating up and down this may indicate system
grounding problem

NOTE: Voltage reflections and high peak voltages can be

Time high enough to exceed the insulation voltage which can
cause short premature motor failures due to short circuits.
Amplitude

Time
 Recommended tests
Test: Test: Test:
Motor drive output voltage unbalance Motor drive output current unbalance Motor shaft bearing flashover current, or shaft
discharge voltages

Desired State: Desired State: Desired State:

What to look for: What to look for: What to look for:

• Perform this measurement preferably at full load
• Voltage unbalance should not be more than 2%
• Voltage unbalance causes current unbalance that may
results in excessive heat in the motor windings
Possible causes are:
• One of the phase drive circuits is faulty
NOTE: Current unbalance can overload the drive output
cause the drive to trip.
• Generally, motor current unbalance motors should not
exceed 10%
• Large current unbalance, while voltage unbalance is low,
could point to winding or phase to ground shorts
• Large current unbalance can cause drive tripping, high
motor temperatures and burnt windings
• ‘Single phasing’ is a condition when one phase is open.
Look for drive malfunction, bad connections, disconnects
and open fuses.
• Detect bearing flashover currents that may damage
motor bearings
• Uses the carbon brush probe to measure the voltage
between motor chassis and drive shaft
• Fast edges of the switching voltage from a drive may
result in shaft voltage
NOTE: Erosion of the shaft and bearing may cause the
bearing to overheat resulting in premature failure.

NOTE: Current unbalance cause motors to run hot, not

restart and loose efficiency.

Amplitude
Amplitude

Time Time
Amplitude

Time

©Fluke Corporation. Specifications subject to change without notice.

11/2018 6011514a-en