RVS-AX

Analogue Soft Starter

8-170A, 220-600V

Instruction Manual
Ver. 1- 9 / 2001
Table of Contents

Page Subject
2 Starter Selection
3-5 Installation Notes
6-7 Motor Protection
8 Start-up Procedure
9 Technical Specification

Safety
• Read this manual carefully before operating the equipment and follow its instructions
• Installation, operation and maintenance should be in strict accordance with this manual,
national codes and good practice. Installation or operation not performed in strict
accordance with these instructions will void manufacturer's warranty.
• Disconnect all power inputs before servicing the soft-starter and/or the motor.
• After installation, check and verify that no parts (bolts, washers, etc) have fallen into the
starter

Attention
1. This product was designed and tested for compliance with IEC947-4-2 for class A equipment.
2. Use of the product in domestic environments may cause radio interference, in which case the user may
be required to employ additional mitigation methods.
3. Utilization category is AC-53a or AC53b. Form1.
4. For further information see Technical Specification (on back page)

Warnings
• Internal components and P.C.B's are at Mains potential when the RVS-AX is connected to
mains. This voltage is extremely dangerous and may cause death or severe injury if
contacted.
• When RVS-AX is connected to Mains, even if start signal has not been issued, full voltage
may appear on motor's terminals.
• Starter must be properly grounded to ensure correct operation and safety.
• Check that Power Factor capacitors are not connected to the output side of the soft starter

The company reserves the right to make any improvements or modifications to its products without
prior notice.

1
Starter Selection

The RVS-AX electronic soft starter incorporates six The starter should be selected in accordance with the
thyristors to start a three phase squirrel cage induction following criteria:
motor by supplying a slowly increasing voltage,
providing soft start and smooth stepless acceleration, Motor Current & Starting Conditions
while drawing the minimum current necessary to start Select the starter according to motor's Full Load
the motor. Ampere (FLA) - as indicated on its nameplate (even if
the motor will not be fully loaded).
A Soft Stop feature can be enabled when the Ramp-
The RVS-AX is designed to operate under the
down potentiometer is adjusted. When used, upon stop
following conditions:
signal, motor's voltage is slowly reduced to zero.
Max. Ambient Temp.: 40°C
Max. Starting Current: 300, 350 and 400% of
U% I% M% motor's FLA
100 Max. Starting Time: 30, 20 and 5 sec.
400
Max. Starts per Hour: 4 starts per hour at maximum
50 100 ratings. Up to 30 starts per
100 hour at light load applications
10 (consult factory).
Voltage Current Torque Note: For very frequent starts (inching applications)
the inching current should be considered as the
Full Load Current (FLC)
RVS-AX ratings and Frame sizes
Mains Voltage (line to line)
Max Motor Starter Type Frame Size Thyristors PIV rating, internal circuitry and insulation
FLA (Amp) FLC (Case Material) determines four voltage levels:
8 RVS-AX 8 • 220-240V
17 RVS-AX 17 • 380-440V
A • 460-500V
31 RVS-AX 31
(Aluminum) • 575-600V
44 RVS-AX 44
58 RVS-AX 58 Each starter is suitable for one of the above levels and
72 RVS-AX 72 B1 for 50 or 60 Hz.
105 RVS-AX 105 (Aluminum)
145 RVS-AX 145 B2
170 RVS-AX 170 (Aluminum)

Dimensions (mm)

Size Width Height Depth

8-58 120 232 102
72-105 129 380 182
145-170 TBD TBD TBD

2
Installation Notes

Prior to Installation Short Circuit Protection

Check that Motor's Full Load Ampere (FLA) is lower The RVS-AX should be protected against a short
than or equal to starters Full Load Current (FLC) and circuit by Thyristor Protection fuses.
that Mains, Fan Voltages are as indicated on the front Recommended I2 t values:
panel.
RVS-AX type I²t
Mounting RVS-AX 8 400
• The starter must be mounted vertically, allow RVS-AX 17 5000
sufficient space above and below the starter for RVS-AX 31 10000
suitable airflow.
RVS-AX 44 12000
• It is recommended to mount the starter directly on
the rear metal plate for better heat dissipation. RVS-AX 58 15000
• Do not mount the starter near heat sources. RVS-AX 72 18000
• Protect the starter from dust and corrosive RVS-AX 105 60000
atmospheres. RVS-AX 145 100000
RVS-AX 170 140000
Note: for harsh environments it is recommended to
order the starter with Option # 8 - Special Transient Protection
Treatment. Line transient voltages can cause malfunctioning of the
starter and damage the SCRs. When transients are
Temperature Range and Heat Dissipation expected, use suitable protection - Metal Oxide
The starter s rated to operate over a temperature range Varistors (consult factory for further details).
of -10ºC (14ºF) to +40ºC (104ºF). Relative non-
condensed humidity inside the enclosure should not
exceed 85%. Caution
The heat dissipation is Approx. 0.5 x In (in watts). Power factor correction capacitors must not be
Example: When motor's current is 100 Amp, heat installed on starter's Load side. When required,
dissipation will be approx. 0.5 watts. Install capacitors on the Line side.
Internal enclosure heating can be reduced through the
use of additional ventilation
Warning
Additional Ventilation When Mains voltage is connected to the RVS-
AX, even if start signal is not given, full voltage
may appear on the RVS-AX Load terminals.
Therefore, for isolation purposes it is
recommended to connect an isolating device
AX General purpose enclosure (C/B, switch, line contactor, etc) upstream to the
Fan on air outlet RVS-AX.

Built-in Bypass
Current is flowing in the SCRs only
during starting process. When starting:
process ends, built-in bypass the
current is transferred to the relays.
Upon stop signal or in case of fault, AX
AX both the relays will open and the
RVS-N
Fan, creating air circulation SCRs will stop.
However, upon soft stop
the relays will open immediately after M
stop command and the current
will be transferred to the SCRs, which
will reduce the voltage slowly and smoothly to zero.

3
Installation Notes

Stop / Start......................................... Terminals 1 - 2

By voltage free contact (Dry contact)
Close: Start command.
Open : Stop command.

Neutral ...................................................... Terminal 3

Neutral wire is required only for operation of the Phase
Loss Protection (Phase Loss can not be detected when
Neutral is not connected to Terminal 6).

Open terminal – not connected ................ Terminal 4

End of Acceleration (N.O) .............. Terminals 5 - 6

Voltage free, 8A / 250VAC, 2000VA max.,
The contact closes according to the time adjusted on
the "Ramp-up Time" potentiometer. The contact
returns to its original position on Stop signal, on Fault
condition and upon voltage outage.

Use of this Contact

This contact can be used for:
• Activating a valve after a compressor has reached
full speed
• Loading a conveyor after the motor has reached
full speed.

Fault contact (N.O) ......................... Terminals 7 - 8

Voltage free, 8A / 250VAC, 2000VA max.
The contact closes upon operation of any fault. The
contact returns to its original position after the fault has
been removed and the starter was reset, or upon
disconnection of Mains Voltage.

Warning
Do not use the Fault contact to trip an upstream
contactor. When the Fault Contact closes on fault
and trips the upstream contactor, Mains voltage
will be disconnected, thus resetting the RVS-AX.
When upstream contactor is reconnected the
motor will start instantaneously (see Fault
Resetting).

4
Installation Notes

Working conditions L1
A special table appears on the side panel of the soft L2
starter with the applicable working condition as follow: L3
N
Current rating Time Temp.
3 x In 30 sec 40 °C Control supply before line contactor
3.5 x In 20 sec 40 °C
4 x In 5 sec 40 °C

L1 L2 L3

1 2 3 4 U V W 5 67 8

This system configuration is mainly used when the

RVS-AX is retrofitted into an existing system, to
reduce modifications in existing installations. Mains,
and Start signals are switched on simultaneously upon
closure of the series contactor. The starter will operate
as long as the series contactor is closed.
NOTE: The electronic circuit is feeding from L1&L3,
in case of Phase loss of L1 or L3 the starter will stop
the motor. In case of Phase loss of L2 the Phase loss
fault will tripped.

Warning
When the series contactor is operated by a
maintained contact, in case of Mains failure, the
motor will be automatically restarted upon
voltage restoration.
When resetting after a fault with the Reset
button, the motor will restart upon fault reset

5
Motor Protection

Current Limit
Determines motor's highest
I%
FLC % current during starting.
600%
50% 100% Adjustment range is 100-400% of
400%
FLC (as set on starter's FLC
adjustment).
Initial Voltage Too high of a setting will cause 100%

10% 50% more current to be drawn from

Mains, resulting in faster
Current Limit acceleration.
Too low of a setting may prevent the motor from
100% 400%
completing the acceleration process and reaching full
speed.
Ramp-Up Time Generally, this setting should be set to the highest
2 30 Sec. acceptable value in order to prevent stalling.

Ramp-Down Time Ramp-up Time

Determines motor's voltage ramp-
0.2 30 Sec. up time from initial to full U%
voltage. Range: 2-30 sec. 100%

Motor Full Load Current (FLC) It is recommended to set Ramp-

The adjustment allows easy setting of the RVS-AX. up Time to the minimum
All current based functions (overload, current limit) are acceptable value (approx. 5 Sec).
related to this setting.
Set FLC potentiometer according to the following Note: 2 30 Sec.

equation (Adjustable 50-100% of RVS-AX rating): 1. Setting Current Limit low

will extend Ramp-Up Time.
Motor FLC
FLC = ? 100 2. When motor reaches full speed before voltage
AX FLC reaches nominal, Ramp-up Time adjustment is
Where: overridden, causing voltage to quickly ramp up to
Motor FLC is the motor's Full Load Current as shown nominal.
on its nameplate.
RVS-AX FLC is the starter Full Load Current Ramp-down Time, Soft-stop
as shown on its front panel. Used to control deceleration of
Example: high friction loads. When Soft U%
When starting a 27A motor using RVS-AX 31: Stop is initiated, starter output 100%

27 voltage is gradually ramped

FLC% = ? 100 = 87%
31 down.
Adjustment range is 0.2-30 sec.
Initial Voltage When "Ramp-down Time" is set 0.2 30sec
Determines the initial voltage to minimum, the motor will stop
to the motor (The torque is immediately.
U%
directly proportional to the 100%
square of the voltage).
Adjustment range is 10-50% of 50%

nominal voltage.
10%
This adjustment also
determines the inrush current 2 30 Sec.
and mechanical shock. Too
high of a setting may cause high initial mechanical
shock and high inrush current (even if Current Limit is
set low, Initial Voltage setting over-rides the Current
Limit setting).
Too low of a setting may result in prolonged time until
motor starts turn. The motor should start turning
immediately after Start signal.

6
Motor Protection

Electronic Overload Fault Logic, Alarm and Reset Circuits

Inverse time electronic When any protection operates, the starter locks in a
t
overload becomes operational fault mode, disabling thyristors firing. The proper fault
after end of acceleration indication LED lights
process. 10
and the Fault contact
On
Trip current is factory set to closes.
1
115% of Motor Full Load To reset the starter, after
115 500 I% Ramp Up / Down
Current (from the setting on the fault has been
Motor FLC potentiometer), e.g. removed, press Reset
to increase O/L trip point increase FLC setting above button on starter's front Run
the calculated level. panel or disconnect
Tripping time varies from 60 sec. at 150% of nominal Mains voltage. Overload
current to 2 sec. at 600% of nominal current.
The electronic overload provides "Max Start Time" Phase Loss
protection, preventing motor from stalling due to
incorrect setting in heavy load applications due to a Over Temp.
problem in the drive system.
Reset Ramp-Down Time
Phase Loss
Becomes operational when starter is energized and
protects motor from single phasing. Trips the starter
when one or two phases are missing for more than 1
Caution
sec.
When starter is operated by a maintained contact,
Note: Phase loss operates only when terminal 6
resetting the fault will start the motor
(Neutral) is connected to Mains Neutral.
immediately.
Heatsink Over temperature Protection
A thermal sensor mounted on the heatsink trips the
starter when temperature rises above 85ºC.

Warning
The Over Temperature Protection is designed to
operate under normal conditions. e.g. extended low
overload or, insufficient ventilation (jammed fan
or reduced air flow). Incorrect starter selection or
operations frequent starting at max. conditions or
repeated starting under fault conditions can cause
SCRs to overheat before the heatsink reaches the
protection temperature of 85ºC.

7
Startup Procedure

1. Set MOTOR FLC - according to calculation: Examples of Starting Curves

Motor FLC Light Loads - Pumps, Fans, Etc.
FLC = ? 100 Current limit - set 300%
AX FLC
2. Set other parameters according to system Initial Voltage - set 30%
Ramp-up time - set 5 sec.
requirements (see examples on next column)
3. Connect Main voltage to RVS-AX Line terminals
4. Provide a start signal. If motor starts to turn U% I%
shortly after start signal was issued proceed to 100% 600%
Para. 5. If not, increase Initial Voltage setting 400%
50% 300%
until motor starts to turn shortly after start signal
has been initiated. 30%
When initial inrush current and mechanical shock
are too high, decrease Starting Torque setting and 100%
proceed to para 6. 10%
5. Motor begins to turn. If speed smoothly t t
5
accelerates to nominal proceed to para 6. If current
during acceleration is too high, slightly decrease
Current Limit setting. If motor speed does not Voltage quickly increases to the Initial Voltage value
increase to nominal, increase Current Limit (30% Un) and then gradually ramps-up to nominal.
setting. The current will simultaneously increase to peak
6. Disconnect the start command (disconnecting current value, which can be the Current Limit setting or
control voltage from Terminals 1 and 2) and wait less, before smoothly decreasing to the operating
until motor stops. current. Motor will quickly and smoothly accelerate to
7. Slightly increase Initial Voltage and Current Limit full speed.
adjustments allowing for load variations.
8. Start the motor again and verify that acceleration High inertia loads - Compressors, Crushers
process to full speed is as required. Centrifuges, Etc.
9. If acceleration time is too short, increase Ramp-up Current limit - set 400%
setting. Initial Voltage - set 50%
Ramp-up time - set 5 sec.
When Soft stop is required, set Ramp-Down U% I%
Potentiometer to the required time (minimum 100% 600%
deceleration time is recommended).
Check that soft stopping process is as required.
400%
50%

10% 100%
t t
20 20

Voltage and current increase until current reaches

Current Limit value. Voltage is remain at this value
until motor reach nominal speed, where current starts
to decrease, after which voltage continues to ramp-up
to nominal. The motor has smoothly accelerated to full
speed.

8
 Technical Specification

Supply Voltage ....................................Three phase, line to line 220-600VAC +10% -15% to be specified
Frequency ............................................50 or 60 Hz to be specified
Load.....................................................Three-phase, three-wire, squirrel cage induction motor

Adjustments
Motor FLC...........................................Ratio between motor and starter, 50-100% of RVS-AX max. current
Current Limit .......................................100-400% of FLC setting
Initial Voltage ......................................10-50% full voltage
Ramp-up Time.....................................2-30 sec.
Deceleration Time (Soft Stop).............0.2-30 sec.

Protection
Electronic Overload.............................Inverse time (I2t), factory preset at 115% of FLC, active only during Run.
Phase Loss ...........................................Trips when one phase is missing (When Neutral is connected)
Heatsink Over temperature ..................Trips when heatsink temp. exceeds 85ºC.

Control
Auxiliary Contact ................................N.O. 8A/250V "End of Acceleration"
Fault Contact .......................................N.O. 8A/250V closes on fault
Indication Lights .................................Power On, Overload, Phase Loss, Over temperature, Ramp Up & Down, Run

Temperatures
Operating ............................................. -10º to 40ºC
Storage................................................. -20º to 70ºC

SOLCON INDUSTRIES LTD.

16 Haminhara St., 46586 Herzliya, Israel E-mail: office@solcon.co.il
Tel. +972-9-9588460 Fax +972-9-9500799 www.solcon.co.il