Fluke MDA-550 Series III Motor Drive Analyzer

Make complex troubleshooting of motor drives simple. With guided test setups and automated measurements on drives that produce reliable, repeatable test results.

The Fluke MDA 550 Motor Drive Analyzer saves you time. You no longer need to set up complex measurements and motor drive troubleshooting becomes much easier. Simply select a test and the step-by-step guided measurements show you where to make voltage and current connections. In addition, preset measurement profiles ensure that you record all the data you need for each critical part of the motor drive, from input to output, the DC bus and the motor itself. From simple to advanced measurements, the MDA-550 lets you handle it all. And with a built-in report generator, you can produce reliable before/after reports quickly and easily.

The MDA-550 is the ideal portable instrument for analysing motor drives. It helps you detect and fix common inverter motor drive problems.

Measure key parameters for motor drives such as voltage, current, DC bus voltage level and AC ripple, voltage and current unbalance and harmonics, voltage modulation and voltage discharges through the motor shaft.
Perform comprehensive measurements of harmonics to identify the effects of low and high harmonics on your electrical system.
Perform guided measurements to the motor drive input, DC bus, drive output, motor input and motor shaft with graphic, step-by-step wiring diagrams for voltage and current.
Use a simplified measurement setup with preset measurement profiles to automatically trigger data collection based on the selected measurement procedure.
Create reports quickly and easily which are perfect for documenting troubleshooting and collaborating with others.
Measure additional electrical parameters with a full-fledged 500 MHz oscilloscope, metering and recording function for a complete range of electrical and electronic measurements on industrial systems.

The Fluke MDA-550 Motor Drive Analyzer uses guided test measurements to make analysis easier than ever

Drive input

Measure the input voltage and current to quickly see if values are within acceptable limits by comparing the rated voltage of the drive with the actual supply voltage. Then check the input current to determine whether the current does not exceed the maximum value and the conductors are sufficiently sized. You can also check whether the harmonic distortion is within acceptable levels by visually checking the shape of the waveform or by viewing the harmonic spectrum screen, which shows both the total harmonic distortion and the individual harmonics.

Voltage and current unbalance

Check voltage unbalance at the inputs to make sure phase unbalance is not too high (> 6-8%) and that phase rotation is correct. You can also check for current unbalance, as excessive unbalance may indicate a problem with the drive rectifier.

Comprehensive measurements of harmonics

Excessive harmonics are a threat not only to your rotating machinery but also to other equipment connected to the electrical system. With the MDA-550, you can look for the harmonics of the motor drive but also discover the possible effects of the inverter's switching electronics. The MDA-550 has three ranges for harmonics, from the 1st to the 51st harmonic, from 1 to 9 kHz and from 9 kHz to 150 kHz, so you can detect any problem related to harmonic contamination.

DC bus

In a motor drive, converting AC to DC in the drive is critical, as the correct voltage and adequate smoothing with low ripple is needed for the best performance of the drive. A high ripple voltage can be an indication of faulty capacitors or incorrect measurement of the connected motor. The record function can be used to monitor the performance of the DC bus dynamically in operating mode while a load is on.

Drive output

Check the output of the drive in terms of both voltage-to-frequency (V/F) ratio and voltage modulation. At high readings of the V/F ratio, the motor may overheat. At low readings of the V/F ratio, the connected motor may not be able to deliver the required torque for the load to adequately perform the intended process.

Voltage modulation

Measurements of the pulse-width modulated signal are used to check for high voltage spikes that can damage the insulation of motor windings. The rise time or steepness of pulses is indicated by the dV/dt value (the rate of voltage change over time). This should be compared with the specified insulation of the motor. The measurements can also be used to measure the switching frequency to determine if there is a possible problem with electronic circuitry, or with grounding, where the signal rises and falls.

Motor input

Ensuring the voltage supply to the motor input is essential, and the choice of cabling from the drive to the motor is critical. An incorrect choice of cabling can lead to damage to both the drive and motor due to excessive reflected voltage spikes. It is important to check that the current at the connections is within the motor specification, as overcurrent can lead to overheating of the motor, which can shorten the life of the stator insulation and therefore cause premature motor failure.

Motor shaft voltage

Voltage pulses from a frequency-controlled drive can be induced by the stator of an electric motor into the rotor of the motor, leading to an electrical voltage in the rotor shaft. If this rotor shaft voltage is higher than the insulating capacity of the bearing grease, arcing can occur, leading to pitting and grooving in the motor bearing raceway: damage that can cause a motor to fail prematurely. The MDA-550 comes with carbon brush measuring pins that easily detect the presence of destructive spark currents, while the impulse amplitude and event count allow you to take action before failure occurs. By using this accessory, you can detect potential damage without investing in expensive permanently installed solutions.

Step-by-step guided measurements ensure you have the data you need, when you need it

The MDA-550 is designed to help you quickly and easily test and troubleshoot typical problems on three-phase and single-phase inverter motor drives. Thanks to the on-screen information and step-by-step guidance, you can easily configure the analyser and take measurements on the drive to quickly make better maintenance decisions. From the power supply to the installed motor, the MDA-550 provides the measurement capabilities for the fastest troubleshooting of motor drives.

Drive input step-by-step guided measurement connections

Specifications: Fluke MDA-550 Series III Motor Drive Analyzer

Combinations of measurement and analysis functions
Measuring point	Subgroup	Readout 1	Readout 2	Readout 3	Readout 4
Input of motor drive
Voltage and current
Phase-phase	V-A-Hz	V ac+dc	A ac+dc	Hz
	V peak	V peak max	V peak min	V pk-to-pk	Crest factor
	A peak	A peak max	A peak min	A pk-to-pk	Crest factor
Phase-earth	V-A-Hz	V ac+dc	A ac+dc	Hz
	V peak	V peak max	V peak min	V pk-to-pk	Crest factor
	A peak	A peak max	A peak min	A pk-to-pk	Crest factor
Tension imbalance	Imbalance	V ac+dc	V ac+dc	V ac+dc	Imbalance
Tension imbalance	Peak	V pk-to-pk	V pk-to-pk	V pk-to-pk
Current imbalance	Imbalance	A ac+dc	A ac+dc	A ac+dc	Imbalance
Current imbalance	Peak	A pk-to-pk	A pk-to-pk	A pk-to-pk
DC bus of motor drive
DC		V dc	V pk-to-pk	V peak max
Wrinkle		V ac	V pk-to-pk	Hz
Output of motor drive
Voltage and current (filtered)	V-A-Hz	V PWM	A ac+dc	Hz	V/Hz
	V peak	V peak max	V peak min	V pk-to-pk	Crest factor
	A peak	A peak max	A peak min	A pk-to-pk	Crest factor
Tension imbalance	Imbalance	V PWM	V PWM	V PWM	Imbalance
Tension imbalance	Peak	V pk-to-pk	V pk-to-pk	V pk-to-pk
Current imbalance	Imbalance	A ac+dc	A ac+dc	A ac+dc	Imbalance
Current imbalance	Peak	A pk-to-pk	A pk-to-pk	A pk-to-pk
Voltage modulation
Phase-phase	Zoom 1	V PWM	V pk-to-pk	Hz	V/Hz
	Zoom 2	V peak max	V peak min	Delta V
	Zoom 3 peak	V peak max	Delta V/s	Peak rise time	Overshoot
	Zoom 3 level	Delta V	Delta V/s	Level rise time	Overshoot
Phase-earth	Zoom 1	V PWM	V pk-to-pk	V peak max	V peak min
	Zoom 2	V peak max	V peak min	Delta V	Hz
	Zoom 3 peak	V peak max	Delta V/s	Peak rise time	Overshoot
	Zoom 3 level	Delta V	Delta V/s	Level rise time	Overshoot
Phase DC +	Zoom 1	V PWM	V pk-to-pk	V peak max	V peak min
	Zoom 2	V peak max	V peak min	Delta V	Hz
	Zoom 3 peak	V peak max	Delta V/s	Peak rise time	Overshoot
	Zoom 3 level	Delta V	Delta V/s	Level rise time	Overshoot
Phase DC -	Zoom 1	V PWM	V pk-to-pk	V peak max	V peak min
	Zoom 2	V peak max	V peak min	Delta V	Hz
	Zoom 3 peak	V peak max	Delta V/s	Peak rise time	Overshoot
	Zoom 3 level	Delta V	Delta V/s	Level rise time	Overshoot
Motor input
Voltage and current (filtered)	V-A-Hz	V PWM	A ac+dc	Hz	V/Hz
	V peak	V peak max	V peak min	V pk-to-pk	Crest factor
	A peak	A peak max	A peak min	A pk-to-pk	Crest factor
Tension imbalance	Imbalance	V PWM	V PWM	V PWM	Imbalance
Tension imbalance	Peak	V pk-to-pk	V pk-to-pk	V pk-to-pk
Current imbalance	Imbalance	A ac+dc	A ac+dc	A ac+dc	Imbalance
Current imbalance	Peak	A pk-to-pk	A pk-to-pk	A pk-to-pk
Voltage modulation
Phase-phase	Zoom 1	V PWM	V pk-to-pk	Hz	V/Hz
	Zoom 2	V peak max	V peak min	Delta V
	Zoom 3 peak	V peak max	Delta V/s	Peak rise time	Overshoot
	Zoom 3 level	Delta V	Delta V/s	Level rise time	Overshoot
Phase-earth	Zoom 1	V PWM	V pk-to-pk	V peak max	V peak min
	Zoom 2	V peak max	V peak min	Delta V	Hz
	Zoom 3 peak	V peak max	Delta V/s	Peak rise time	Overshoot
	Zoom 3 level	Delta V	Delta V/s	Level rise time	Overshoot
Motor shaft
Axis tension	Events from	V pk-to-pk
Axis tension	Events to	Delta V	Rise/fall time	Delta V/s	Events/s
Input and output of motor drive and motor input
Harmonischen	Tension	V ac	Base voltage	Ground frequency	% THD
Harmonischen	Current	A AC	Basic stream	Ground frequency	% THD/TDD

Measurement function	Specification
DC voltage (V DC)
Maximum voltage with probe 10:1 or 100:1	1000 V
Maximum resolution with probe 10:1 or 100:1 (voltage to earth)	1mV / 10mV
Scale end value	999 counts
Accuracy 4 s to 10 µs/div	± (1.5 % + 6 counts)
True RMS voltage (V AC or V AC + DC) (with DC coupling selected)
Maximum voltage with probe 10:1 or 100:1 (voltage to earth)	1000 V
Maximum resolution with probe 10:1 or 100:1	1 mv / 10 mV
Scale end value	999 counts
DC up to 60 Hz	± (1.5 % + 10 counts)
60 Hz to 20 kHz	± (2.5 % + 15 counts)
20 kHz to 1 MHz	± (5 % + 20 counts)
1 MHz to 25 MHz	± (10% + 20 counts)
PWM voltage (V pwm)
Target	For measuring pulse-width modulated signals, such as output signals of frequency converters of motor drives
Principle	Readouts show the effective voltage based on the average value of samples over a whole number of periods of the fundamental frequency
Accuracy	As V AC+DC for sinusoidal signals
Peak voltage (V-peak)
Modi	Max peak value, min peak value or peak-peak value
Maximum voltage with probe 10:1 or 100:1 (voltage to earth)	1000 V
Maximum resolution with probe 10:1 or 100:1	10 mV
Accuracy
Max peak, min peak	± 0.2 division
Pk-pk	± 0.4 division
Scale end value	800 counts
Current (AMP) with current clamp
Reach	Same as V AC, V AC+DC or V peak
Scale factors	0.1 mV/A, 1 mV/A, 10 mV/A, 20 mV/A, 50 mV/A, 100 mV/A, 200 mV/A, 400 mV/A
Accuracy	Same as V AC, V AC+DC or V peak (add current clamp accuracy)
Frequency (Hz)
Reach	1,000 Hz to 500 MHz
Scale end value	9999 counts
Accuracy	± (0.5% + 2 counts)
Volt/hertz ratio (V/Hz)
Target	Display of the measured V PWM value (see V PWM) divided by the fundamental frequency for frequency-controlled AC drives
Accuracy	% Vrms + % Hz
Voltage unbalance input drive
Target	Display of the largest percentage difference of one of the phases compared to the average of the 3 True RMS voltages
Accuracy	Indicative rate based on V AC+DC values
Voltage imbalance between drive output and motor input
Target	Display of the largest percentage difference of one of the phases compared to the average of the 3 PWM voltages
Accuracy	Indicative rate based on V PWM values
Current unbalance drive input
Target	Display of the largest percentage difference of one of the phases compared to the average of the 3 AC current values
Accuracy	Indicative percentage based on A AC+DC values
Current imbalance between drive output and motor input
Target	Display of the largest percentage difference of one of the phases compared to the average of the 3 AC current values
Accuracy	Indicative rate based on A AC values
Ascent and descent time
Readouts	Voltage difference (dV), time difference (dt), voltage versus time difference (dV/dt), overshoot
Accuracy	As accuracy at oscilloscope
Harmonics and spectrum
Harmonischen	DC to 51st
Spectrum ranges	1-9 kHz, 9-150 kHz (20 MHz filter on), up to 500 MHz (voltage modulation)
Axis tension
Events/second	Indicative rate based on measurements of rise and fall time (pulse discharges)
Report data recording
Number of screenshots	Normally 50 screenshots can be stored in reports (depending on compression ratio)
Transfer to PC	Using a 32GB USB stick or a smaller one of 2GB or a mini-USB-to-USB cable or Wi-Fi link and FlukeView™ 2 for ScopeMeter®
Probe settings
Voltage measuring probe	1:1, 10:1, 100:1, 1000:1, 20:1, 200:1
Current clamp	0.1 mV/A, 1 mV/A, 10 mV/A, 20 mV/A, 50 mV/A, 100 mV/A, 200 mV/A, 400 mV/A
Asspanningsprobe	1:1, 10:1, 100:1
Safety
General	IEC 61010-1: Pollution degree 2
Measurement	Measurement IEC 61010-2-030: CAT IV 600 V/CAT III 1000 V
Maximum voltage between any connection and earth	1000 V
Max. input voltages	Via VPS410-II or VPS421 1000 V CAT III / 600 V CAT IV
BNC input	A, B, C, D direct 300 V CAT IV
Max. suspended voltage, measuring instrument or measuring instrument with VPS410-II / VPS421 voltage measuring probe	From any connection to earthing 1000 V CAT III / 600 V CAT IV Between any connection 1000 V CAT III / 600 V CAT IV
Operating voltage between measuring pin and probe reference lead	VPS410-II: 1000 V VPS421: 2000 V

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Fluke MDA-550 Series III Motor Drive Analyzer

Key features

Make complex troubleshooting of motor drives simple. With guided test setups and automated measurements on drives that produce reliable, repeatable test results.