86              Unidrive M / HS Frame 7 to 10 Power Installation Guide
Issue Number: 5
Using a motor isolator/disconnect-switch
The motor cable shields should be connected by a very short conductor having a low inductance. 
The use of a flat metal coupling-bar is recommended; conventional wire is not suitable.
The shields should be bonded directly to the coupling-bar using uninsulated metal cable-clamps. 
Keep the length of the exposed power conductors to a minimum and ensure that all sensitive 
equipment and circuits are at least 0.3 m (12 in) away.
The coupling-bar may be grounded to a known low-impedance ground nearby, for example a large 
metallic structure which is connected closely to the drive ground.
Figure 4-26 Connecting the motor cable to an isolator/disconnect switch
Surge immunity of control circuits - long cables and connections outside a building
The input/output ports for the control circuits are designed for general use within machines and small 
systems without any special precautions.
These circuits meet the requirements of EN 61000-6-2:2005 (1 kV surge) provided the 0V connection 
is not grounded.
In applications where they may be exposed to high-energy voltage surges, some special measures 
may be required to prevent malfunction or damage. Surges may be caused by lightning or severe 
power faults in association with grounding arrangements which permit high transient voltages 
between nominally grounded points. This is a particular risk where the circuits extend outside the 
protection of a building. 
As a general rule, if the circuits are to pass outside the building where the drive is located, or if cable 
runs within a building exceed 30 m, some additional precautions are advisable. One of the following 
techniques should be used:
1. Galvanic isolation, i.e. do not connect the control 0V terminal to ground. Avoid loops in the 
control wiring, i.e. ensure every control wire is accompanied by its return (0V) wire.
2. Shielded cable with additional power ground bonding. The cable shield may be connected to 
ground at both ends, but in addition the ground conductors at both ends of the cable must be 
bonded together by a power ground cable (equipotential bonding cable) with cross-sectional 
area of at least 10 mm
2
, or 10 times the area of the signal cable shield, or to suit the electrical 
safety requirements of the plant. This ensures that fault or surge current passes mainly through 
the ground cable and not in the signal cable shield. If the building or plant has a well-designed 
common bonded network this precaution is not necessary.
3. Additional over-voltage suppression - for the analog and digital inputs and outputs, a zener diode 
network or a commercially available surge suppressor may be connected in parallel with the 
input circuit as shown in Figure 4-27 and Figure 4-28.
If a digital port experiences a severe surge its protective trip may operate (I/O Overload trip code 26). 
For continued operation after such an event, the trip can be reset automatically by setting Pr 10.034 
to 5.
Isolator
Coupling bar
From the 
Drive
To the 
motor
(If required)
Unidrive M frame7 to 10 Power Installation Guide issue5.book  Page 86  Tuesday, May 24, 2016  11:52 AM