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Drive and Motor Troubleshooting

  • Updated
  1. Power wiring to Motor Controller
  2. Control wiring to Motor Controller inputs and outputs
  3. Motor Controller
  4. Smart Motor

 

Control Wiring Methods

Monitor Only Wiring

Defined by a Motor Controller wired in parallel with the 24V signals from the thermostat.

Thermostat still controls RTU heating and cooling stages.  

In Monitor-Only applications, the motor controller is prewired with a white input and black output cable. 

  • The white input wired in parallel with the thermostat 24V signals to the RTU. 
  • The black cable wired for 24V Common. 

Full Integration 

The motor controller interrupts the 24V signals between Thermostat and RTU. The thermostat sends stage signals to the motor controller via the white input cable. Once the motor reaches speed, the motor controller energizes the corresponding heating or cooling stage via the black output cable to the RTU.

  • The white input cable is wired to the thermostat, to receive the 24V signals. 
  • The black output cable is wired to the RTU terminals to energize heating and cooling stages on the unit once the motor reaches stage speed.

 

Motor Not Running

1. Check Power

  1. Verify the RTU disconnect is in the ON position.
  2. If no LEDs are lit on the motor controller, then remove its junction box cover and check voltage from: L1 to L2, L1 to L3, and L2 to L3. 

(For the P04 and P05 controllers, the terminals are designated as U, V, and W.) You should read +/- 10% of unit voltage.

If proper voltage is present but no LEDs are lit, you must replace the drive.

 

2. Connect with Turntide Technician App to run the motor manually.

You must be connected to a motor controller with the motor home screen visible in the App.

  1. Tap the Manual button. Enter 750 in the RPM field and tap Run. 
  2. If the motor ramps to the selected speed, then the issue is NOT with the motor.
  3. If the motor does NOT ramp to the selected speed, then you must recommission the motor. Go to step 4 Recommission.  If after recommissioning the motor does not ramp, try to observe what is prohibiting the ramp up. Is the issue mechanical, is there an alert issued on the Turntide Technician App?
  4. Disconnect the App from the motor controller: Tap the back arrow icon in the upper left corner of the screen.

3. Select Disconnect and switch to auto mode.
The App must be left in Auto mode for the Turntide Smart Motor System to function correctly.

- Manual mode is mainly used to verify correct motor rotation and that the motor is responding to commands from the Turntide Technician App.
- Operating the motor in Manual mode does NOT ensure that wiring is correct, or that the setup is correct. It is NOT equal to a function test.
- Manual mode does not force heating or cooling operation.

 

4. Jumper/Inputs

Verify that input mode jumpers are on pins 5 and 6 for 24V signal operation.

  • On P04 and P05 drives, this is J96
  • On the SL120 drive, this is J10
  • On the SL121 drive, this is SW1
  • On the P06 drive, this is SW7

5. Once you have verified the input mode jumpers, view the status of the 24V inputs to
the motor controller:

  1. Using the Turntide Technician App, (you must be connected to a motor
    controller) from the motor home screen, tap the I/O icon.
  2. The I/O Status screen opens. At least one input from 1 through 5 must have an
    ON status displayed next to a Digital Input on the I/O Status screen for the
    motor to run.
  3. If you don’t see ON status displayed next to a Digital Input on the I/O Status
    screen, use a jumper to apply 24V to any of the white cable input wires at the
    thermostat end of the cable. This should cause the motor to run.
  4. If the motor doesn’t run, you will need to recommission the motor.

6. Physical exam of the motor

  1. Remove the belt and verify the motor moves freely in both directions.
  2. Check that the motor isn’t making any unusual noise as it turns, for example, a metal to metal sound.
  3. If it doesn’t move freely or if it makes metal to metal sounds as it turns, you will
    need to replace the motor.
  4. Verify the power wiring to the motor. Verify that the wire colors from the motor
    controller power whip are connected to matching colors of the wires at the
    motor.
  5. Verify that both ends of each wire are touching within the wire nut and the wire
    nut is secure.
  6. Verify that the ground wire has raw wire touching the ground lug and that the
    lug is secure.
  7. At this point, if the motor is wired correctly and spun without any odd noise,
    check motor winding resistance. In the junction box, the motor windings are
    paired from P1 to P2, from P3 to P4, and from P5 to P6. Using the example of a
    V01 motor model with 460V, 4.1 Ohms should be between each motor winding
    pair.
    Important: If you read a value +/- 25% of the Ohm rating shown in the following
    rating chart, the motor must be replaced.

 

If Heating/Cooling Stages Not Active

Assumes that the fan is running but the heating or cooling is not activating.

 

  1. The output relays in the motor controller get 24VAC power from the unit control
    transformer. Verify the red and black wires from the black control cable are landed on
    continuous 24V power.

  2. IO Status
    This feature is available only for motor controllers with 2.7.0 firmware or higher.
    Using the Turntide Technician App, you must be connected to a motor controller
    with the motor home screen visible.
      1. Tap the I/O icon in the upper right area of the screen to view the state of
        various motor controller input and output information. The I/O Status screen
        opens displaying Digital Input and Output.
      2. Verify the inputs and outputs. 

  3. Verify the white input wiring connections:
    • green wire goes to G terminal on the thermostat board
    • yellow wire goes to Y1 terminal on the thermostat board
    • blue wire goes to Y2 terminal on the thermostat board
    • white wire goes to W1 terminal on the thermostat board
    • brown wire goes to W2 terminal on the thermostat board

  4. Verify the black output wiring connections:
    • yellow wire goes to Y1 Unit terminal for cooling stage 1
    • blue wire goes to Y2 Unit terminal for cooling stage 2
    • white wire goes to W1 Unit terminal for heating stage
    • brown wire goes to W2 Unit terminal for heating stage 2
    •The red wire goes to Unit R and the black wire goes to Unit C to provide 24V AC
    power to motor controller output relay.

  5. Verify that the motor controller has a Logic Flow configured using the Turntide Technician App
    1. You must be connected to a motor controller with the motor home screen
    visible in the Turntide Technician App.
    2. Tap Settings. The Settings screen appears.
    3. Tap Operation. The Operation Settings screen appears.
    4. If a logic flow is configured, it will appear on the list as Current Flow.
    5. If you need to change the logic flow, (because an installer selected a single-stage
    flow on a two-stage unit or vice versa), tap Update Flow:
    a. In the example, Special Projects is used and AZ-2STG-2022.02 is selected.
    b. To read the sequence of operations and/or pinout diagram, tap Sequence
    of Operations and Pinout Diagram, respectively. Return to the previous
    screen by tapping the back arrow icon.
    c. Tap Load Flow.

  6. Function Test
    Note: In Monitor Only Wiring method, you will verify ONLY whether the motor
    ramps to correct speed since no outputs are wired to the motor controller.
    1. Disconnect the white To Thermostat cable from the To Thermostat or BMS.
    2. Keep the black cable connected to the Unit Terminal Board.

  7. Fan Test
    1. Connect one end the jumper wire to the R terminal of the Unit Terminal Board.
    2. Connect the other end of the jumper wire to the green wire of the white To Thermostat cable.
      • Within a few seconds the motor should ramp up to Vent speed.
      • After several seconds, the motor should achieve approximately 40% speed.
      This is the Vent speed, which is also known as a continuous fan. The exact speed
      may vary by application. The motor starting and running is key to this function test.

  8. Cool 1 Test
    1. Keep one end of the jumper wire connected to the R terminal of the Unit
    Terminal Board. (To get 24VAC power)
    2. Move the other end of jumper wire from the green wire to the yellow wire of
    the white To Thermostat cable.
    • For a two-stage flow, the motor should ramp to 65-75% of full speed.
    • For a one-stage flow, the motor should ramp to 80-90% of full speed.
    • The speed depends on what logic flow has been uploaded and what max RPM is set to.
    The change in motor operating speed is noticeable as compared to the Vent speed.
    Measuring the motor speed is seldom necessary. Because this test simulates a
    demand for cooling. As such, the first stage compressor must start in order to pass
    this test. Relay R1 should close and energize the compressor for stage 1.

  9. Heat 1 Test
    Important: The cooling test needs to exit its time off delay (up to 240
    seconds) before starting the heat test.
    1. Keep one end of the jumper wire connected to the R terminal of the Unit Terminal
    Board.
    2. Move the other end other to the white wire of the To Thermostat cable.
    • In some applications first stage heating speed is 65-75% of full speed.
    • Because this test simulates a demand for heating, the first stage heating must
    start.
    • Note that time delays built into the RTU control system may prevent the cooling
    or heating starting immediately.
    • Fan should ramp to Heat 1 speed.
    • Relay R3 should close and energize the heater for stage 1.

Motor Alarms

If the red LED is lit on the motor controller, there is an error that prevents the motor from running.

  1. Check Input Voltage
    1. Must be within +/- 10% of the motor voltage rating.
    2. When the motor controller was originally commissioned, the installer had to select the motor input voltage.
    3. Using the Turntide Technician App, verify the motor input voltage was set correctly. From the motor summary screen, tap Settings, then General.
    4. In the General Settings screen, make sure the displayed Input Voltage matches the voltage noted on the nameplate of the Turntide motor.
    5. If the input voltage setting was correct, check the incoming power to ensure all 3 phases are within +/- 10% of motor voltage rating.

  2. Motor Torque
    • A low torque alarm indicates that belt is extremely loose, broken, OR the motor is turning in the wrong direction.
    • A high torque alarm indicates the motor has much higher resistance than expected. This could be caused by a mechanical issue with the blower assembly or with the motor itself. Verify for proper belt tension and verify the blower fan assembly and motor spin freely.

  3. Restart Attempts
    When a critical alarm occurs, the motor controller will attempt to restart the motor
    twice by default. If this operation setting was set to 0 in the Turntide Technician
    App, then any alarm condition would render the motor inoperable until the power
    is cycled OR the alarm is cleared using the Turntide Technician App.
    To ensure that the motor Restart Attempts option is set to a default of 2:
    1. Using the Turntide Technician App, from the motor summary screen, tap
    Settings, and then tap Operation.
    2. In the Operation Settings screen, tap Restart Attempts. Enter 2 and tap
    Done.

  4. Current Sensors Failed
    1. If any of the A, B, or C current sensors have failed, the drive will need to be replaced.
    2. Ensure that none of the motor power harness has not shorted out and was the cause of the current sensor failure. P1-P6 wires

  5. Unable to Power Motor
    1. If the drive has good input power but the DC Bus Voltage is 0, the drive will need to be replaced.
    2. Otherwise, verify the selected motor voltage in the Technician App.
    3. Recommission the drive.
    4. Perform a power cycle with the drive being left Off for at least 3 minutes.
    5. If steps 2-4 made no change, then the drive will need to be replaced.

 

For questions or inquires for equipment warranty and replacement, please see the Warranty Form and Information article.

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