The new Digidrive SK range from Leroy Somer takes all the functional and user-friendly concepts offered by the company's highly successful SE range, enhances them and expands them. In doing so, it creates a new benchmark in this highly competitive sector. Even with all the user-friendly features still there, the units are more competitively priced than their predecessors. In addition, their 'bookcase' style design allows better side-by-side mounting within control cabinets and their smaller frame size mean that applications with "real-estate" issues can now make more effective use of the space on offer.
The new Digidrive SK offers three frames sizes with additional sizes on the horizon for higher power applications. At 200 to 240V (±10%) the A, B and C frame sized units offer 025 to 075kW, 1.1 to 1.5kW and 2.2kW respectively, while at 380 to 480V (±10%) the B and C units offer 0.37 to 1.5kW and 2.2 to 4.0kW respectively.
Installing, configuring and running the Digidrive SK can be as simple as 123. Step one: Fit the unit to the cabinet using a DIN rail or screw mount. Step two: Connect the unit using its simple push-in connectors. Step three: Start the unit using the default optimised factory configuration. Even if the installation procedure or application demands more complexity, Leroy Somer has catered for this eventuality with a number of options – making more complex installations as simple as possible.
Mounting couldn't be simpler with the units offering surface mounting, integral DIN-rail mounting (on size A & B), ‘Keyhole’ mounting at the top and ‘open’ feet at bottom. Users are also offered a huge array of connections for power, data and option modules. Power Terminals are screw cage clamp-type terminals and vary from unit to unit; size A offers +DC bus and braking resistor connections while, size B & C offer +DC and -DC bus and braking resistor connections. An internal EMC filter (to meet drive standard) is also part of the unit and it can be easily connected to or disconnected from the power circuit with a tab indicating its state.
I/O connections use spring terminals for quick connection and disconnection. The units offer two analogue inputs (0 to 10V, 4 to 20mA), one analogue output (0 to 10V) and four digital inputs: Enable/Reset, Run Forward, Run Reverse and Local/Remote. In addition, users have the ability to add option modules. For additional protection, the option module connector has a protective plastic cover, which is simply broken off before use.
Two keypad options are available depending on the mounting configuration of the unit, a remote LED keypad and an LCD keypad. The remote LED keypad has been developed for remote panel mounting and simply plugs into the Modbus RJ45 port on the front of the Digidrive using a connecting cable that can be up to 30m in length. Exhibiting IP54 ingress protection it is designed to use standard 22mm panel holes and, even when the keypad is in use, the display and keypad on the front of the drive remains active. The LCD Keypad offers exactly the same functionality but it can also be mounted directly onto the front of the drive via a RJ45 port.
The plastic casing of the drive has been moulded in such a way that it displays a large amount of helpful information – the most obvious being the ten most commonly used parameters listed on the front cover. These parameters make up level one and are supplements by a further 85 additional parameters split across two further levels giving a total of 95. A number of these parameters have been changed or added to increase the flexibility of the drive from the keypad.
The Digidrive SK comes with multiple options all of which are designed to make it even easier to use and even more powerful for particular applications and installations. For even easier programming and information sharing Leroy Somer offers the SmartStick and the LogicStick. The former is used for parameter cloning across multiple drives while the latter is designed for user programming and storage of programs created using SYPTLite.
A number of I/O options are also offered for the size B and C units. The SM-I/O Timer and SM-I/O Lite are I/O module with and without a real-time clock respectively. The B and C units also accept a number of plug-in fieldbus modules that allow communication with ProfibusDP, Device Net, CanOpen, Interbus and Ethernet. EMC filters can also be attached either footprint or side mounted.
For programming users can take advantage of an isolated serial communications cable for use with LS Soft a proprietary programming package that offers a number of different wizards for easy configuration. The serial communications port also handles data from SYPTLite.
With all of the enhancements on offer and a staggering range of options, the DigiDrive range from Leroy Somer can cater for a huge array of applications. With simple set up and its communications capabilities with a range of leading protocols, it is a real alternative for many new installations as well as those undergoing upgrade and retrofitting.