Control Techniques / Nidec fault record

Over Volts: DC Bus Overvoltage Trip

Unidrive trips on Over Volts during deceleration, hoist lowering, winder stop or high line condition.

Deep fault route10 min read

Scope of this technical record

Routes Unidrive Over Volts through line voltage, deceleration/lowering, regenerative load, DC-bus trend, brake chopper/resistor and feedback-induced instability.

Safety boundary

Regenerative loads can move unexpectedly and brake resistors can be hot. Verify safe load state and DC-bus discharge before access.

Unidrive Over Volts route

1Stop event
2Load energy
3Brake path
4Bus feedback
5Feedback stability

Over Volts is routed through machine energy and braking before internal repair.

Over Volts braking and DC-link image

Unidrive Over Volts DC bus braking resistor and regeneration route diagram
The image places the over-voltage trip inside the stop/lowering/regeneration event where the technician actually sees it.

Service decision coverage

Over Volts users are usually troubleshooting a stopping/lowering event. The answer must explain regeneration and braking evidence before board suspicion.

Observed situationDecision neededEvidence that satisfies the case
Trip during decelRegeneration/load inertiaDC bus trend and decel time
Brake resistor fittedBrake path conditionResistor value and chopper evidence
Trip in closed-loop runningFeedback huntingEncoder trace and open-loop comparison

Over Volts as a machine-energy symptom

On Unidrive applications, Over Volts often appears during decel, lowering, unwind or hunting feedback. It is not automatically a failed DC-bus board; first prove whether the machine is returning energy faster than the drive/brake path can absorb it.

Over Volts evidence matrix

The event condition tells the route.

Unidrive Over Volts route

ConditionFirst evidenceHardware boundary
Decel/stopRamp and inertiaBrake resistor/chopper
Hoist loweringOverhauling load and brake controlBraking/regeneration path
Closed-loop huntingEncoder feedback/noiseFeedback path before brake hardware
Power-up/steady runLine voltage/transientBus sensing/input path
After resistor replacementResistance/wiring/thermalChopper transistor/driver

Repair boundary

A repair request should include the DC-bus event, ramp demand, load type, resistor/chopper evidence and feedback stability. Without feedback evidence, a closed-loop overvoltage case can be misrouted.

Field record checklist

  • Event timing
  • Load inertia
  • Brake path
  • DC-bus trend
  • Feedback stability

Technical basis and reference documents

This is an independent editorial technical reference. Original manufacturer documentation remains controlling for installation, repair and commissioning decisions.

Unidrive SP trip-code referenceDrives and Automation

Trip-code source for Over Volts and DC-bus trip levels.

Diagnostic workflow

Evidence intake

Turn this record into a qualified service request

A repair decision is much more reliable when the request includes the exact identity of the drive, the first fault evidence and the machine condition when the symptom appeared.

  • Complete drive type code / MLFB or nameplate model
  • Fault code, fault value and first event before reset
  • When the event appears: power-up, enable, ramp, run, decel or stop
  • Motor/cable connected or isolated during the symptom
  • Visible board, option-card, module and connector identifiers
  • Previous repair history, replacement parts and repeat-failure pattern
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