KEB F5 to F6 Elevator Drive Field Conversion Guide

With the introduction of the F6 drive, machines currently running F5 drives will need a retrofit solution when it comes time for replacement. This article walks you through replacing an F5 drive in Housing sizes G, H, and R with the next-generation F6 drives in frame sizes 3, 4, and 6.

Each of these retrofits will require a kit with an adapter plate, locking nuts for attaching the new drive to the PEM studs, and, often, an encoder adapter for your type of feedback cable to connect to the F6 drive.

Watch the video below for a visual demonstration of the retrofit procedure.

 
The video above works from the smallest size to the largest-size drives, providing the required hardware and showing you the steps to remove and replace the F5 with an F6 drive.

In this article, we will give you step-by-step instructions for the three most common sizes of drives together. Before you begin, remove power to the drive and disconnect all feedback and power cables connected to the drive. Then, gather the required tools for removing the existing hardware that secures the F5 drive to the subpanel. For the retrofit conversions in these three sizes, you will need these required tools:

• Torque-adjustable socket wrench
• 10mm socket (M6 locking nut)

Also, you will need to have the required adaptor kit for your specific drive conversion. The retrofit part numbers are below.

• F5 G housing to F6 frame size 3 – 00F6ZK3-0G00
• F5 H housing to F6 frame size 3 – 00F6ZK3-0H00
• F5 H housing to F6 frame size 4 – 00F6ZK4-0H00
• F5 R housing to F6 frame size 6 – 00F6ZK6-0R00

 
If you are unsure which part number you need, please reach out to one of our application engineers for help. In addition, if you would like to download the retrofit PDF guide, you can find it under the F6 elevator drive section of the elevator support page.

Now let’s jump into the steps to retrofit an F6 drive into your system that currently holds an F5 drive.

Steps to Replace an F5 with an F6

Step 1: Remove the F5 Drive

First, locate the four bolts that hold the drive in place and, one by one, loosen them. Start with the bottom, but do not fully remove the two on the bottom. While holding the drive in place, remove the top bolts and slowly lift the drive up and away from the subpanel.

 
Do not discard the mounting hardware. You will reuse the original hardware to affix the adapter to the sub panel/mounting plate. It is up to the customer to determine the correct torque based on the existing hardware and mounting surface.

Step 2 – Mounting the Adapter Plate

 
Use the F5 COMBIVERT mounting position to locate the bottom two holes on the subpanel/mounting plate. Place the adapter plate on the bottom bolt(s) that are still attached to the subpanel. Hand-tighten the mounting hardware in the top-left hole to secure the adapter plate to the subpanel. Leave a gap between the washers and sub-panel/mounting plate on the bottom to position the adapter plate against for simplified installation. Do not tighten until all sub-panel/mounting plate hardware is used.

Step 3 – Mounting the F6 Drive

 
Align the bottom F6 mounting slots with the M6 PEM stud(s), push the drive flat against the adapter plate, then screw in the top-right and top-left locking nuts and/or sub-panel/mounting panel hardware. Tighten the sub-panel/mounting panel hardware down with the correct torque based on the existing hardware and mounting surface. Then tighten all of the locking nuts to the recommended 8 Nm of torque.

Step 4 – Connect Feedback Adaptor to F6 Drive

If your retrofit kit came with a feedback adapter, you can remove the front cover of the drive by pulling the bottom of the front face of the F6 drive toward you and up. You can now locate the X3B ports and connect the adaptor according to the specifications of your machine application.

Then connect your existing feedback and power cables, double-check that everything is connected properly, and power up the drive to begin the programming process.

Assembly is now complete.

Retrofit Support

For more information or troubleshooting, please contact us to speak with an application engineer. For specific elevator application help, please visit our Elevator Support page.