Installation and maintenance
Introduction
This chapter provides general instructions for the installation and maintenance of the controller.
The specific procedures for installing and maintaining the motor controller in a particular application may differ from what is presented here or may include additional steps. It is the responsibility of the integrator to develop detailed instructions for the installation and maintenance of the controller in the target application.
High voltage – the risk of injury to personnel and/or equipment damage
Exposed at each power terminal (Battery and motor phases) are high power levels. Safeguard these terminals against inadvertent contact to prevent potential harm to personnel and/or short circuits.
Sensitive equipment – risk of damage to the equipment.
The siliXcon motor controllers has no user-adjustable or user-replaceable components beneath its protective cover. Do not remove the cover.
Avoid cleaning the motor controller with high-pressure water.
The maintenance procedures provided in this chapter are general guidelines and do not cover end application-specific requirements. Individuals conducting maintenance tasks should refer to the instructions provided by the end application manufacturer, which take precedence over the instructions in this document.
Periodic maintenance
The suggested routine preventive inspection and maintenance for the motor controller and its associated components are minimal. It is advised by siliXcon to regularly perform the following tasks.
High voltage – risk of electric shock
Disconnect the battery power supply before commencing any work on the end application
High voltage – the risk of personnel injury and/or damage to equipment
To prevent personnel injury and safeguard the controller from potential damage caused by voltage transients, it is imperative to discharge the inverter's DC bus capacitors following the instructions below. Do not short the +/B+ to B- terminals, as it may lead to an arc.
Hot surfaces – the risk of personnel injury
Following the operation of the motor controller, the heat sink may reach elevated temperatures, making it too hot to touch. Allow sufficient time for it to cool before initiating any maintenance tasks on the motor controller.
- Disconnect the battery power supply.
- Allow a 5-minute waiting period for the self-discharge of the DC bus capacitors, or alternatively, apply a 100Ω 10W resistor between the +/B+ and B- terminals for 15 seconds to facilitate capacitor discharge. Confirm that the voltage between +/B+ and B- is below 10V DC.
- Verify the torque of screws at terminal posts and mounting points.
- Examine and, if needed, clear any accumulated dirt or debris from the fins of the motor controller heat sink to ensure optimal cooling performance.
- Re-establish the battery power supply connection.
Controller removal
High voltage – the risk of personnel injury and/or damage to equipment
To prevent personnel injury and safeguard the controller from potential damage caused by voltage transients, it is imperative to discharge the inverter's DC bus capacitors following the instructions below. Do not short the +/B+ to B- terminals, as it may lead to an arc.
Hot surfaces – the risk of personnel injury
Following the operation of the motor controller, the heat sink may reach elevated temperatures, making it too hot to touch. Allow sufficient time for it to cool before initiating any maintenance tasks on the motor controller.
- Disconnect the battery power supply.
- Allow a 5-minute waiting period for the self-discharge of the DC bus capacitors, or alternatively, apply a 100Ω 10W resistor between the +/B+ and B- terminals for 15 seconds to facilitate capacitor discharge. Confirm that the voltage between +/B+ and B- is below 10V DC.
- Disconnect all the signals connectors
- Mark the power cables to the terminals on the controller in order to reconnect them properly again.
- Remove the power cables (Battery and motor phases).
- Remove the controller's mounting screw
- Remove the controller from the end-application mounting surface
Controller Installation
High voltage – the risk of electric shock
Before initiating any work on the end application, ensure the battery power supply is disconnected.
Electric arc – Risk of electric shock or equipment damage
Avoid creating an electric arc by shorting the +/B+ to B- terminal.
High current – the risk of personnel injury and/or damage to equipment
Make sure that the battery cables / connector polarity is correct. It is the OEM’s responsibility to ensure that reverse polarity cannot cause short-circuiting of the battery.
- Verify that the motor controller you are going to install is correct for the end application.
- Apply thermal grease evenly over the heat sink surface.
- Mount the motor controller to the end-application mounting surface and tighten the screws slightly.
- Tighten the screws. Applied torque must be defined by OEM according to the material used in the mounting surface.
- Insert mating signal connectors into the motor controller.
- Perform initial start-up procedure according to this Checks before the first start
- Connect the power cables to the terminals in the right order on the motor controller.
- Check that the battery voltage is within the controller's operational range.
- Reconnect the battery power supply.
Start-up and commissioning
This section outlines a general procedure for initiating and validating a controller after installation in an end application.
The controller is a software-configurable device with built-in diagnostic functions that oversee phase current, battery voltage, heat sink temperature, motor temperature, and various other conditions. The controller retains error word, status word and limiter, accessible within the controller (check siliWatch or diagnostic script), this information can be useful for debugging.
Verifying Vehicle Parameters – Risk of Personnel Injury/Damage to Equipment
Incorrect wiring, improper setup, or other conditions may result in the end application moving in the wrong direction or at an incorrect speed.
Prior to applying power for the first time, take essential precautions to prevent injury to personnel or damage to equipment.
Checks before the first start
Before applying power to a motor controller for the first time, perform the following checks:
- Confirm that the appropriate controller for the application has been installed.
- Ensure that the application battery voltage aligns with the motor controller's Nominal DC Supply indicated on the product identification label.
- Confirm that the correct software for the application has been loaded into the inverter.
- Ensure that all power and signal wiring to the controller is correctly connected.
- Verify that connections to battery and motor terminals (connectors) are tightened and securely fastened.
- Confirm that the signal connector plugs are fully mated and latched into position with the mating connector on the controller.
- Verify that the controller is adequately fused for the application.
- For traction applications, raise or otherwise disable drive wheels to prevent the possibility of unexpected vehicle motion or motion in the wrong direction during initial commissioning. For other applications, ensure that unwanted motion will not pose any dangerous situations.
Verifying motor controller readiness for operation
The following procedure can be used to verify that a controller is functional and ready for operation.
- Apply logic power to the controller by applying battery voltage to the POWER pin.
- Verify that the LED status indicator (described in Product overview of the corresponding controller) on the controller is turned on for a few seconds after start-up and then turns OFF.
- If the indicator is flashing or steadily turned ON, it indicates an error/warning or other fault condition within the controller. See the LED status indicator section in the Product overview chapter of the corresponding controller.