Here are a few troubleshooting hints regarding usual issues that a user may encounter.
| Problem | Solution |
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| The motor is running but I have no encoder feedback. | Ensure: - The encoder cable is properly connected at both ends (on the motor and on the DriveLab box).
- The connector on the DriveLab box side may be hard to push all the way into the end (for a secure connection with the cable).
- You are monitoring the right encoder. Some tests may require running a motor on inverter circuit 1 but it may have an encoder connection that only fits encoder 2. Therefore, you need to ensure that you are monitoring encoder 2, not encoder 1.
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| The model is running but the motor does not rotate when attempting to control it from the software. | Ensure: - The power connections are secured (+36V from the external power supply) and that the external power supply is turned on.
- The DriveLab box is turned on.
- The I/O cables from the real-time simulator are plugged into the DriveLab box.
- The 3-phase (A, B & C) cables are properly plugged from the DriveLab box to the motor and are not inverted (see detail for each motor in this document to make sure your connections are good).
- You are driving the right inverter circuit. You may drive inverter circuit 1 while your motor is connected to inverter circuit 2.
- There is no fault on the inverters. If you are using your own model, try to use the model provided by Opal-RT to run the motor first.
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| The BLDC motor does not rotate when using the model provided with the kit. | - The BLDC model is the only one that requires feedback from the encoders (U, V and W). If the encoders are unplugged, it will not work. Make sure the encoder cable is properly plugged into the DriveLabKit (loose connections may cause problems).
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The fault LEDs on the DriveLab board (internal) are ON as soon as the external power supply is powered on and that a voltage of at least 18V is applied. However, the fault LEDs on the DriveLab kit (external) are OFF. | - This is a common behavior of burned fuses on the DriveLab board. You can check that the fuses F2, F90, and F95 are good. If not, you must replace them. Those fuses are T1.25A250V.
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| Unable to make faults with the DC motor and DC generator. | - This is related to the fault clearance signal always being active. Look for the models provided by Opal-RT to see how the fault clearance signal is processed. The fault clearance signal must be high (1) at all times, except when a clear fault request occurs (low (0). If the signal is always low (0), the fault is always cleared, therefore faults cannot occur in this condition.
- Note that if the DigitalOut block that gives access to fault clearance is not in the Simulink model, the default status of the digital output hardware line is high (1).
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