The short answer
A Kinetix drive shows its fault on the front display: E and two digits on a Kinetix 300, an F code such as F 33 on a Kinetix 350, and text such as FLT S10 – INV OVERCURRENT on a Kinetix 5500. Overcurrent points first at the motor cable and windings, bus overvoltage at deceleration energy, bus undervoltage at the incoming line, and feedback faults at the encoder cable and its shielding. A safe torque-off code means the safety circuit has removed torque: find out why it opened, and never jumper it to get the axis moving.
This covers Allen-Bradley Kinetix 300 indexing drives (2097-V3xPRx), Kinetix 350 drives (2097-V3xPRx-LM) and Kinetix 5500 drives (2198-H).
Key takeaways
- Write down the code and what the axis was doing before you reset anything.
- Find the cause first: Rockwell warns never to defeat or override the drive's fault circuits.
- The DC bus stays charged after power-off: wait the time on the drive's label – at least 5 minutes (2198-UM001, p. 75; 2097-UM001F, p. 153) – then a qualified person verifies zero with a rated meter (2198-UM001, p. 143).
Reading the fault
- Kinetix 300: the display shows diS (disabled) or run at power-up, and a fault as E and two digits. The menu holds the fault history (FLtS), DC bus voltage (buS) and heatsink temperature (Ht).
- Kinetix 350: the four-digit display scrolls the highest-priority message: S xx start inhibits, F xx axis faults, nFxx node faults. Lxxx (boot) and Pxxx (self-test) errors mean returning the drive. Some faults need two reset commands.
- Kinetix 5500: the LCD shows the fault text – FLT Sxx for axis faults, plus INIT FLT, NODE FLT, INHIBIT, ALARM and SAFE FLT messages; FL at the end marks a factory limit, UL a user limit. The drive logs its last 128 faults with time stamps (Main Menu > FAULT LOG) and the log can't be cleared on the drive; a Fault Reset from the controller clears the display only once the fault has gone (2198-UM001, pp. 144–145). A flashing red module LED is a recoverable major fault such as a bad configuration, steady red a nonrecoverable one; a steady red network LED is a duplicate IP address. The LEDs are not reliable for safety functions (p. 146).
Common faults and first checks
| Fault | Kinetix 300 | Kinetix 350 | Kinetix 5500 | First checks (our words) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overcurrent | E74 | F 10 | FLT S10 | Motor power cable and connector for shorts; motor windings; duty cycle and acceleration. |
| Ground current | – | – | FLT S16 | Motor power wiring and cable for shorts; the motor. |
| Bus undervoltage | E09 | F 33 | FLT S33 | Incoming AC level, dips and dropouts; a UPS on the AC input. FLT S23 is a lost phase. |
| Bus overvoltage | E10 | F 35 | FLT S35 | Regeneration: longer deceleration, a shunt resistor (or its wiring), AC input too high. |
| Motor overtemperature | E04 | F 05 | FLT S05 | Within the continuous torque rating? Ambient, motor cooling, thermostat wiring, the right motor selected. |
| Drive overtemperature | E72 | F 11 | FLT S11 | Vents, fan, clearance around the drive, cabinet temperature, duty cycle. |
| Feedback | E07, E30 | F 43, F 45 | FLT S45 | Feedback cable and connector, shields and grounding, routing away from noise, motor selection. |
- Cable or motor? With all power locked out, disconnect the motor power cable from the motor. A motor that is hard to turn by hand needs replacing; on a meter, phase-to-phase must not read open, phase-to-ground must.
- Inside the drive: with all power and the motor removed, any continuity between the DC bus and a motor output (U, V, W) means stray wire strands or a drive for repair.
- Kinetix 350 bus limits: F 33 trips below 275 V DC on a 460 V system, 137 V on 230 V and 80 V on 120 V; F 35 above 820 V DC on 460 V.
- Kinetix 5500 shunt: on a bus overvoltage or FLT S31 shunt failure, with all power locked out, the DC bus discharged (the shunt connector carries DC bus voltage) and zero verified by a qualified person with a rated meter, measure the shunt resistor with its connector unplugged; Rockwell's step is to replace the drive if it reads open (S35) or shorted (S31).
Safe torque-off faults
Safe torque-off (STO) switches off the power transistors, so the motor coasts to a stop; it does not isolate the motor electrically, so electrical work still needs a lockout. Rockwell expects a malfunction to give a Category 0 stop, so plan for the coast-to-stop distance (2198-UM001, p. 158). With torque gone, nothing in the drive holds a vertical or overhauling load: that takes the motor's holding brake, which can help keep a load from falling (p. 12), or a mechanical block.
- Kinetix 300 – E39: the safety circuit opened while the drive was enabled or being enabled, or the two safety inputs disagree. Check the STO wiring, header and +24 V, reset and run the proof test; if it returns, return the drive.
- Kinetix 350 – Sc05: the safety function has switched the power stage off – no 24 V on the safety circuit, or it isn't set up.
- Kinetix 5500 – INHIBIT S05 or M05: STO is active. Check the safety inputs and devices; with integrated STO (2198-Hxxx-ERS2), the SO.SafeTorqueOff bit, and toggle SO.Reset if a reset is required.
- Kinetix 5500 hardwired STO (2198-Hxxx-ERS) – SAFE FLT 09: both inputs must switch off, and back on, within 1 second of each other. Check the STO wiring, connector and +24 V. The fault resets only once both inputs have been off for over 1 second, then with a motion axis fault reset (MAFR) from Logix Designer (2198-UM001, pp. 159–160).
An active STO is the drive doing its job. Find the opened guard, E-stop or safety relay; after any STO repair or maintenance, Rockwell calls for running the STO function to verify it (2198-UM001, p. 160).
Clearing a fault
- Kinetix 300: clear with a digital input set up as Fault Reset in MotionView, through the drive's fault-reset parameter, or by cycling the drive enable when fault reset is set to On Disable.
- Kinetix 5500: if the motor ignores a command, the axis may still be inside its stopping time – Rockwell's step is to disable, wait 1.5 seconds and enable again (2198-UM001, p. 148).
First checks
- The code and the move the axis was making, recorded.
- Incoming AC on all phases and the 24 V control supply.
- Motor power and feedback cables, connectors and shields.
- Motor: hard to turn, hot or the wrong one selected.
- Cooling; guards, E-stops and STO wiring.
Safety first: only qualified personnel should work on servo drives, and any measurement on energized equipment – a DC bus voltage check included – follows your site's live-work and arc-flash rules. Switch off and lock out the mains and the 24 V control power following Rockwell Automation's instructions and your site's lockout/tagout procedure, then wait for the DC bus to discharge – the time on the drive's label – and a qualified person verifies zero voltage with a properly rated meter, checking the meter on a known source before and after, before anyone touches power wiring. An axis can move when a fault is reset: keep clear of the mechanism. Never force outputs, jumper the safe torque-off inputs or bypass a safety circuit.
Parts that commonly fail
Servo drives, their I/O blocks and the motor and feedback cables are the hardware behind these faults. The part numbers we have the most of in stock right now:
Kinetix 300 / 350 I/O terminal blocks
Motor power and feedback cables
Stock changes every day. Every listing is photographed, so check the catalog number, series or product version and firmware on the label photo before you buy.
Not listed, or need several? Send us the part number and we'll check our shelves and our sourcing network and quote it in writing.
Sources
Every code, LED state and menu path on this page was checked against Rockwell Automation's own documents, listed below, and is described here in our own words. Manuals change between editions and firmware revisions: for your exact catalog or order number, check the current edition.
- Rockwell Automation, Kinetix 300 EtherNet/IP Indexing Servo Drives User Manual, publication 2097-UM001F-EN-P, December 2022.
- Rockwell Automation, Kinetix 350 Single-axis EtherNet/IP Servo Drives User Manual, publication 2097-UM002E-EN-P, December 2022.
- Rockwell Automation, Kinetix 5500 Servo Drive User Manual, publication 2198-UM001N-EN-P, September 2024.
- Rockwell Automation, Kinetix 5500 Servo Drives Fault Codes Reference Data (spreadsheet), publication 2198-RD005A-EN-P, updated September 2024.
- Rockwell Automation, Kinetix 5500 Servo Drives Installation Instructions, publication 2198-IN001F-EN-P, September 2023.
- Rockwell Automation, Kinetix 300 EtherNet/IP Indexing Servo Drives Installation Instructions, publication 2097-IN001K-EN-P, September 2015.
- Rockwell Automation, Kinetix 350 Single-axis EtherNet/IP Servo Drives Installation Instructions, publication 2097-IN008F-EN-P, September 2015.
Frequently asked questions
What does E39 mean on a Kinetix 300?
Safe torque-off: the safety circuit opened while the drive was enabled, or the two safety inputs disagree. Check the STO connector wiring, header and +24 V, reset and run the proof test; if it returns, Rockwell's step is to return the drive.
What causes FLT S10 INV OVERCURRENT on a Kinetix 5500?
The inverter current went past the hardware limit. Check the motor power cable for shorts, the windings and the wire gauge, stay within the continuous power rating, and lengthen acceleration times.
Why does a Kinetix drive fault on bus overvoltage when the axis stops?
Deceleration sends the motor's energy back into the DC bus. Lengthen the deceleration, add or check the shunt resistor, and check the AC input is within specification.
Can I reset a Kinetix fault and keep running?
Only once you know the cause: Rockwell warns never to defeat or override the drive's fault circuits. After a safe torque-off fault, verify the STO function before the axis goes back into service.