The Allen-Bradley 150-F85NBD is a programmable motor starter that unlike conventional motor starters, provides motor protection against stress due to high levels of current and voltage as well as sudden starting and stopping of a motor.

This Smart Motor Controller (SMC) is part of the Motor Management or Soft starter devices. This soft starter has a standard protection rating of IP00 or a device with an open type enclosure. It must be mounted vertically with minimum vertical clearance of 15 cm or 6 inches. The operating temperature of this hardware is -5 to 50 Deg. Celsius or 23 to 122 Deg. Fahrenheit. The physical dimension of the soft starter is 321 mm x 150 mm x 203 mm (HxWxD) and weighs 5.7 kg. This Allen-Bradley hardware has a power dissipation of 129 Watts which directly affects the internal temperature.

The 150-F85NBD supports Line Connection with Isolation Transformer, which is the default mode, Delta Connection with Isolation contactor and Delta Connection with Shorted SCR protection as optional modes.

When wiring this device, use 2.5…85 mm2 (#14…3/0 AWG) wire size for Power Wiring and 0.75…2.5 mm2 (18…14 AWG) for control wiring. The maximum allowable conductors per control terminal is Two (2) wires.

It may be configured locally through the integral LCD with embedded digital keypads or with the use of DriveTools SP, Drive Executive and Connected Components Workbench. Among all the software tools, Connected Components Workbench is an advanced configuration and programming software that supports a variety of drives not only the 150-F85NBD. It Windows 8 and Windows 10 however, requires a higher RAM of 8GB. Unlike other software tools that support up to Windows 7 only.

The SMC-Flex Controller 150-F85NBD is a solid-state controller from Allen-Bradley that is designed to use computerized control to start or stop line-connected motors (i.e. Wye-Delta 6-lead motors along with standard 3-phase squirrel cage induction motors). The controller operates in various modes such as the soft start and stop, full voltage and dual ramp start, current limit start, selectable kickstart, and the slow speed mode. It has a power rating of 85 Amps, 60 Horsepower at 460 Volts AC, an open enclosure, an input line voltage of 200 to 460 Volts AC, 3-phase, 50 and 60 Hertz, and a control voltage of 100 to 200 Volts AC (5 to 480 units). It comes with Smart Motor Braking (SMB) with each phase having CT, an integrated Run/SCR bypass, 4 auxiliary contacts that are programmable, and the Accu-stop mode. The 150-F85NBD is programmable through the use of its 5-button keypad situated at the front of the controller. By entering sequential keystrokes, these buttons can be used to program the controller’s parameters. Connectivity to communication protocols such as DeviceNet, Interbus, Allen Bradley Remote I/O, ControlNet, EtherNet, Profibus are supported when an appropriate communication adapter ins installed. The 150-F85NBD has internal algorithm for electrical overload protection. This protection feature can also be programmed, thus offering the users additional flexibility. Aside from the integrated electronic motor overload protection, the controller also has a built-in short-circuit and Thermal protection circuitry. Stalling detection is activated when the motor fails to start and the controller times out for the delay start time. Similarly, jamming detection is activated when the motor attains maximum speed and it falls below the set jam detection level. As with other protection features, the controller also has a programmable trip level and delay periods that can be set to avoid overvoltage. When a drop in the input voltage occurs, the 150-F85NBD controller’s undervoltage protection stops the motor operation. Users can set the detection level for undervoltage as well as the trip level to avoid false alarms. Another protection feature of the controller is the underload protection which protects the motor from any drop in the current and protects it when the delay trip time is exceeded. Other features of the Flex Controller include metering, voltage unbalance, network I/O, excessive starts per hour, and built-in DPI communication capabilities.