Advances in drive configuration, commissioning and diagnostic tools

PC-based tools supporting the configuration, commissioning and maintenance of AC and DC drives have proliferated since the advent of microprocessor-based drive control and the industrial computer. This paper reviews the history of such tools and surveys current tool capabilities available from the landscape of industrial drive vendors. Each major class of features is discussed and illustrated. The authors provide application examples from real experiences to illustrate the importance of some features. This paper concludes with a look to the future, identifying powerful drive tool capabilities within the reach of rapidly evolving software and hardware technologies.