SIEMENS SIMODRIVE 611 HR/HRS Replacement and Advanced Positioning Techniques

SIEMENS SIMODRIVE 611 HR/HRS Control Board Replacement and Advanced Zeroing Technology Practice

In the field of industrial automation, Siemens SIMODRIVE 611 series servo drives are widely used in various CNC machine tools, packaging machinery, and special processing equipment due to their excellent closed-loop control performance and extremely high reliability. However, with product iteration, the early SIMODRIVE 611 universal HR and subsequent HRS (High Resolution High Speed) control boards have entered the shutdown lifecycle. For equipment maintenance engineers, how to perform compliant replacement in the event of HR/HRS control board failure and optimize equipment performance with the new features of later firmware (such as solving long-distance zeroing efficiency problems) is currently the core challenge they face.

This article will provide a comprehensive hardware replacement operation process, compatibility settings, and advanced functional application solutions based on the in-depth interpretation of the SIMODRIVE 611 technical document.

Hardware Replacement: Compatibility Migration from HR to HRS

When the SIMODRIVE 611 universal HR (order number such as 6SN1118-0NH01-0AA0) in your hand experiences hardware failure and needs to be replaced with a subsequent HRS (order number such as 6SN1118-0NH11-0AA1) control board, simply plugging and unplugging the module is not enough. There are three technical details that must be noted here:

1. Physical changes in hardware interfaces

The most easily overlooked is the variation in the number of pins for encoder interfaces X461/X462. The old HR control board usually uses 10 pin terminals, while the new HRS control board has upgraded the interface to 11 pin terminals to accommodate higher resolution feedback.

Operation guide: In the power-off state, you cannot directly forcefully connect the old cable plug. It is necessary to refer to Chapter 1.3 and 2.1.5 of the manual to verify the pin definitions of the new 11 core terminal (with the addition of terminal 15 for grounding), and remap and connect the signal wires from the original 10 core terminal to the new 11 core terminal.

2. Version adaptation and patches for the SimoCom U startup tool

The firmware version of the new HRS control board is usually higher than SW 9.1. If your debugging computer is installed with an old version of SimoCom U (lower than version 5.1), it will not be able to recognize the new hardware, resulting in communication issues.

Operating instructions:

Firstly, back up the controll. txt file in the SimoCom U installation directory.

Open the file using a text editor such as Notepad.

Manually add the identification code of the HRS control board in the corresponding field at the end of the file (such as under paragraph [611U] or [611UE]). The specific code format should refer to the example in section 2.1.4 of the manual (such as the 6SN1118-0NH11-0AA0 entry for different axis numbers and encoder types).

Save and restart SimoCom U for the software to correctly recognize the new HRS hardware.

3. Compatibility risks of old version memory modules

The firmware in the old Memory Module may not be compatible with the new HRS board, causing the system to fail to start (only displaying fault codes or garbled characters).

Operation guide: If the system cannot display "run" normally after inserting an old memory module, it means that the firmware is not compatible. At this point, there is no need to immediately replace the memory module. Instead, SimoCom U should be used to force firmware download of the control board through the RS232 interface (X471), and the system software that matches the HRS hardware should be refreshed into the memory module. Only by completing this step can the old module be accepted by the new hardware.

Advanced Application: Autonomous Zeroing of Distance Encoding Reference Points

After replacing hardware and upgrading firmware (especially from SW 4.1 to SW 8.3 or higher), SIMODRIVE 611 universal has gained an extremely important localization enhancement: the autonomous evaluation of distance coded measurement systems.

1. Technical background

In traditional incremental measurement systems, the driver must rely on an external reference cam switch and a zero mark from the encoder to establish the machine zero point. This means inefficient crawling back to zero on long stroke machine tools (such as large gantry milling machines) or rotating axes.

2. Solution

The distance between reference marks in distance coding measurement systems (such as HEIDENHAIN's LC series grating ruler) is not equidistant. In SW 8.3 and above versions, SIMODRIVE 611 universal (in conjunction with HRS hardware) can calculate the absolute position of the axis without relying on the complex logic of the upper NC/PLC, solely by evaluating the specific distance between two reference markers passed through.

Application scenario: Very suitable for large wood processing centers or long stroke laser cutting machines, greatly reducing the reset time after startup or emergency stop.

3. Parameter activation and configuration

To enable this feature, engineers need to modify the following key parameters on SimoCom U or panel (refer to manual 6.2.6 and 6.2.8):