Ten Measurements for Adjustable-Speed Drives

An email message pointed me to the application note, “Electrical measurements on adjustable speed drives,” published by Fluke Corporation, a company that manufactures test-and-measurement instruments. The note’s introduction states, “…modern electronically controlled motors, more commonly referred to as adjustable speed drives, present a unique set of problems that can vex the most seasoned pro. This application note describes the electrical measurements you need to make during the installation and commissioning of a drive, as well as when diagnosing bad components and other conditions that may lead to premature motor failure in adjustable speed drives (ASDs).”

Although the writers at Fluke aimed the paper at motor technicians, it provides a lot of useful information about drives that engineers and equipment designers will value. The ten measurement descriptions include schematic diagrams and oscilloscope waveforms, which reinforce the points made for many tests.

You can find this application note in two places. First, on the Fluke web site at: support.fluke.com/educators/download/asset/2161101_a_w.pdf. Second in the Technical Library section of the Web site for Davis Instruments: www.davis.com/techinfo/techinfo.asp?htmlfile=Fluke-ElectricalMeasurement-ASD.htm. Davis distributes products from Fluke and other instrument manufacturers.

If you work with adjustable-speed drives, this application note belongs in your library or in your browser’s favorites list. Feel free to suggest other useful mechatronics app notes that could help your colleagues. –Jon Titus