Kinco Driver / Motor (FD124S-CB-005)

A battery-powered robot asks something unreasonable of its motor drive. The pack sags under acceleration, recovers at rest and pushes energy back into the bus every time the vehicle brakes, yet the wheels must answer each command as if the supply never moved. The Kinco Driver / Motor (FD124S-CB-005) is built for exactly that environment: a low-voltage DC servo drive weighing 0.3 kg that delivers a 48AP peak current from a 24VDC-70VDC supply, guards its own bus with configurable braking and voltage alarms, and talks to the vehicle controller over RS232 and CANopen.

Robots Europa, based in Dublin, supplies the Kinco Driver / Motor (FD124S-CB-005) to integrators, machine builders and robotics teams across the EU and the DACH region. Robots Europa prepares each quotation against your motor, feedback and controller arrangement, and arranges delivery and technical support with the order.

Background

Kinco and its automation lineage

Kinco has worked in industrial automation since 1996, building a full line of standard automation products: human machine interfaces (HMI), servo systems, stepper systems, programmable logic controllers (PLC) and variable frequency drives (VFD). That breadth matters to a buyer of a single drive. A manufacturer that also designs controllers and operator panels tends to treat the servo drive as one part of a complete control chain rather than as an isolated power stage, and it shows in the interface choices of the FD series, where fieldbus communication, digital I/O and pulse output sit alongside the power electronics.

The FD1X4S-CB-005 family and low-voltage DC drives

The FD124S-CB-005 belongs to a family of four models published together: FD114S-CB-005, FD124S-CB-005, FD134S-CB-005 and FD144S-CB-005. They share one supply range, one communication interface, one set of protection thresholds and one environmental specification, and they differ in current capability and weight. Low-voltage DC drives of this kind are the usual choice wherever motors are fed from batteries or from a safety-extra-low-voltage bus rather than from mains: autonomous mobile robots, automated guided vehicles, compact handling modules and battery-powered machinery. Within the family, the FD124S-CB-005 sits at the compact end, combining a 48AP peak current with the lightest published weight.

Technical Specifications

Specifications as published by the manufacturer; confirmed against the datasheet at quotation.

Kinco has not published the exact dimensions, the rated output power, the operating humidity limit, a model-specific storage temperature or the contents of the box for this drive; these are confirmed at quotation.

How does the FD124S-CB-005 cope with a battery-fed DC bus?

The answer lies in three thresholds that work together. At the bottom, an under-voltage alarm at 18V±2V tells the controller that the supply has fallen below what the drive will accept, which on a battery vehicle usually signals a depleted pack or a heavy voltage drop under load. The operating range of 24VDC-70VDC above that covers the common battery bus voltages used in mobile robotics, so the same drive can serve vehicles built around different pack configurations.

At the top, the drive has to deal with energy flowing the wrong way. When a loaded robot decelerates, its motors act as generators and raise the bus voltage. The FD124S-CB-005 switches its brake chopper in at a default of DC73V ± 2V, and that threshold is adjustable via software, so an integrator can align it with the charging behaviour of a particular battery or with an external braking resistor. If the voltage keeps rising regardless, the over-voltage alarm at DC83V ± 2V intervenes. Together with the short-circuit protection, this gives a drive that defends itself and the vehicle's electrical system rather than relying solely on external protection.

Heat is the other half of the story. The drive relies on natural air cooling and calls for an auxiliary radiator of 300mm*300mm*10mm in oxidised black 6063 aluminium. In practice, that means the chassis plate or mounting panel becomes part of the thermal design, and the drive should be planned into the mechanical layout from the start rather than added late.

What sets the FD124S-CB-005 apart from the other FD1X4S-CB-005 models?

All four models in the family share the supply range, communication interface, feedback options, thresholds and environmental ratings listed above, so the choice between them is a question of current and mass. The FD124S-CB-005 provides a 48AP peak current at 0.3 kg, the same weight as the smallest model in the family, which makes it the option for designers who need more current than the entry model without paying a weight or space penalty. The FD134S-CB-005 and FD144S-CB-005 are heavier units aimed at higher current demands; where your motor or duty cycle calls for them, Robots Europa will quote the appropriate model with its own figures.

Who is the Kinco Driver / Motor (FD124S-CB-005) for?

The first audience is builders of autonomous mobile robots and automated guided vehicles, for whom a compact, light drive on a battery bus is the norm and CANopen is a familiar way to coordinate several axes from one vehicle controller. These projects typically end up in the kind of systems found under Logistics Robots.

The second audience is machine builders and automation engineers working on stationary equipment that runs from a low-voltage DC supply: handling modules, positioning stages and compact cells of the kind grouped under Factory Robots. Here the digital I/O and the pulse output make it straightforward to integrate the drive with PLC logic or with a second axis.

The third audience is research groups and development teams prototyping new robots, who value the RS232 port for commissioning and the software-adjustable braking threshold for experimentation.

Buyers whose application needs more current than the FD124S-CB-005 provides should look at the larger models of the FD series, such as the related Kinco Driver / Motor (FD134S-CB-000). Those pairing the drive with Kinco servo motors can also review the Kinco Driver / Motor (SMC60S-0040-30QAK-5BSU); motor and drive pairing is confirmed with each quotation.

What is the Kinco Driver / Motor (FD124S-CB-005) used for?

1. Drive wheels on mobile robots: controlling traction motors on battery-powered AMRs and AGVs over a shared CANopen network.
2. Lifting and handling mechanisms: powering the auxiliary axes that raise, rotate or position loads on a vehicle or workstation.
3. Compact automation cells: running servo axes in machines supplied from a low-voltage DC bus rather than from mains.
4. Multi-axis coordination: passing position information to a following axis or external device through the pulse output.
5. PLC-supervised motion: using the digital inputs and outputs for limit switches, homing, enable signals and status feedback.
6. Robot prototyping and research: commissioning and tuning motion axes over RS232 during the development of new platforms.

Pricing and Availability

Robots Europa supplies the Kinco Driver / Motor (FD124S-CB-005) on a quotation basis, so that each offer reflects the motor, encoder type, controller and quantity of your project rather than a generic list. Delivery, customs and support are arranged together with the quotation. To begin, send your application details and the motors you intend to drive, and a quotation for the Kinco Driver / Motor (FD124S-CB-005) can be requested from Robots Europa using the form available on this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What supply voltage does the FD124S-CB-005 accept?

The main supply voltage is 24VDC-70VDC. The under-voltage alarm triggers at 18V±2V and the over-voltage alarm at DC83V ± 2V.

Which communication interfaces does the drive provide?

The drive communicates over RS232+Canopen. CANopen suits networked multi-axis systems, while RS232 is typically used for configuration and commissioning.

Which encoder types can be connected?

The feedback options are a 2500P/R incremental differential 5V encoder, a magnetoelectric encoder and an absolute value encoder. The encoder of your chosen motor is matched to the drive when the quotation is prepared.

Does the drive need additional cooling?

The drive uses natural air cooling and requires an auxiliary radiator of 300mm*300mm*10mm in oxidised black 6063 aluminium. A chassis plate or mounting panel of suitable material can serve this purpose.

Can the FD124S-CB-005 be installed in an exposed location?

The drive is rated IP20, so it is intended for installation inside an enclosure or a protected compartment of the machine or vehicle. Its operating temperature is 0-40 ºC.

Is the drive CE marked?

The drive carries CE Certification/IEC61800-5-1. Robots Europa can provide the relevant documentation with the quotation.

Where can I buy the Kinco Driver / Motor (FD124S-CB-005) and what does it cost?

You can buy it from Robots Europa, which supplies customers across the EU and the DACH region. The cost depends on quantity and configuration and is set out in a quotation that you can request on this page.

Summary

A battery bus never holds still, and the Kinco Driver / Motor (FD124S-CB-005) is designed around that reality: a 24VDC-70VDC input range, a software-adjustable brake chopper and clear voltage alarms keep the drive and the vehicle's electrical system in step while the motors accelerate and brake. Its 48AP peak current at 0.3 kg places it at the compact end of the FD1X4S-CB-005 family, and RS232, CANopen, digital I/O and pulse output make it easy to integrate with vehicle controllers and PLC-based machines alike. Robots Europa supplies it with a quotation matched to your motors and application; for integrators who need a light, well-protected low-voltage servo drive, this page is the starting point.