Troubleshooting
Entry point for field troubleshooting. Start from the symptom category and follow the linked workflow, reference, or commissioning template.
Scope: Routing page for field diagnosis. It is not an OEM fault manual or an SOP — it points at the right workflow, reference, or commissioning template for the symptom in front of you.
Decision Trees by Symptom
VFD Faults
Overvoltage, overcurrent, overtemp, ground fault, and "faults but I don't know why" — by fault category, routed to the wiring guides.
Motor Won't Start
Does the contactor pull in? Branch from there into control-circuit vs power-side vs mechanical causes.
Analog Signal Faults
4–20 mA and 0–10 V reading zero, full-scale, noisy, or offset — bisect the loop to find where it breaks.
Communication Dropouts
Total vs intermittent, one device vs a segment — triage that routes into the Communications diagnostics workflow.
Motor Symptoms
General motor symptom decision tree — noise, heat, vibration, and performance patterns.
Other Starting Points
| Category | Where to start |
|---|---|
| PLC systems | Async faults in distributed systems · Machine state model |
| Safety circuits | Safety circuit wiring · Interlocks and permissives |
| Wiring practice | Wiring & installation guides — the underlying wiring for every symptom above |
How to use this section
- Confirm the machine is safe to inspect and test before anything else.
- Identify the dominant symptom category from the table above.
- Open the linked workflow or reference and follow it end-to-end — do not skip the “practical sequence” steps even when the fault seems obvious.
- Record what was checked, what the measurements were, and what was changed. The commissioning templates contain checklist formats that double as field-notebook templates.
Related Sections
- Fundamentals — Electrical · Control Systems · Motors and Drives
- Implementation — Commissioning templates · Scenarios
- Verification — Safety wiring · Management of change
- Tools — Glossary · RAG file browser
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