Formatting MS51 Memory Card on Simadyn D for Simovert MV Drives

1. Overview

The MS51 flash memory card is a plug-in program storage module for the Siemens Simadyn D control platform, which is the standard controller family used in Simovert MV medium-voltage drives (e.g., Simovert MV 6SG7 series) and other high-power drive applications. When the card fills with parameter data, trace buffers, and logged faults, parameter writes through the operator panel and DriveMonitor will be rejected, and the drive may drop to a non-volatile parameter lock state. A controlled format operation is required to reclaim the card before a fresh program and parameter set are downloaded.

This procedure is fundamentally different from formatting an S7-1500 SIMATIC Memory Card inside TIA Portal. The Simadyn D card is loaded through a dedicated hardware programmer (OmniDrive family) or, for legacy Struc-compiled programs, the PP1X / PP1I Parallel Programmer. A standard PC card reader will only see the card as a raw block device and cannot lay down the proprietary MS51/MCxx file system that the Simadyn D CPU boot loader expects.

Before performing any format, confirm with Siemens Industry Online Support which firmware revision of the Simadyn D CPU is in the drive, because the load order, IT1/IT2 partition address, and CFC vs. Struc program source determine both the hardware programmer and the file set required.

2. System Identification and Prerequisites

Before purchasing any hardware, complete the following identification steps. Skipping these steps is the most common cause of an unreadable card or a controller that remains in a "module missing" state after reload.

1. Identify the Simadyn D CPU model installed in the Simovert MV. Common variants include PM5, PM6, DUST1, DUST2, and EP3. The CPU type is printed on the front label and is also reported in DriveMonitor under Drive > Diagnostics > Module Information.
2. Determine how the program was originally authored. Simadyn D programs are created in one of two environments:
   • Step 7 + CFC + D7-SYS (graphical continuous function chart). The user program is generated as psw.br3 and the operating system / boot system is generated as [email protected] + [email protected].
   • Struc (textual structure language, legacy). Compiled Struc programs are written with a separate toolchain and require the PP1X / PP1I Parallel Programmer in addition to OmniDrive.
3. Confirm which user load address the program occupies. Simadyn D firmware boots from IT1 (boot section) and may chain-load a second image from IT2. The compiled image mv910.br3 is typically the MV-specific additional module loaded into IT2.
4. Locate the source archive from the machine builder. The minimal file set is: [email protected], [email protected], psw.br3, and any option images (e.g., mv_910.br3).
5. Check whether a parameter backup (.dnl) exists. If a parameter set must be preserved, copy it off the existing card with DriveMonitor before formatting; .dnl files cannot be written with OmniDrive.

3. Required Hardware: OmniDrive Family

Siemens bundles the memory card programmer under the OmniDrive brand. The exact model is determined by the PC interface and the memory card family in use.

For most field service work on a Simovert MV commissioned in the last 20 years, the OmniDrive USB2 LF is the correct choice. It supports all MS51 cards and is driven directly by D7-Load and D7-SYS on a modern Windows host. If the program was created in Struc, the PP1X (or PP1I for industrial housings) is also required to download the Struc-compiled object code into the boot sectors that OmniDrive cannot address.

When ordering, request the cable set that includes the 64-pin Simadyn D card-edge adapter. The card must be inserted with the component side facing the OmniDrive socket labeled "MC/MS" and the chamfered corner aligned to the keyed slot.

4. Required Software Toolchain

The version of D7-Load must be matched to the OmniDrive model. Older D7-Load releases predate the OmniDrive USB2 driver set; if you intend to use USB, confirm with Siemens support that the installed D7-Load recognizes OmniDrive USB as a target device. The Centronics Professional is universally supported and is the safe choice if version compatibility cannot be confirmed before the call.

5. MS51 and MCxx Memory Card Variants

Simadyn D uses a small family of memory modules, and the firmware boot sequence varies by type. Misidentifying the card is a common reason a formatted card is rejected on the next power-up.

The MS51 card has a controller-side connector with 64 pins, a write-protect switch on the housing edge, and an external battery-backed SRAM area for the real-time clock and trace buffer. The format operation must preserve the SRAM signature area at the top of the address space; OmniDrive preserves this automatically when the correct card type is selected in the D7-Load menu Card > Type.

6. .br3 File Types and Loading Order

Simadyn D programs are exchanged as .br3 files. Each file has a specific role, and the load order is mandatory; the CPU will not boot if psw.br3 is loaded before the system base [email protected].

The 0@ prefix on bsw and gsw indicates the system slots; the empty user prefix on psw.br3 marks it as the primary user program. Always load [email protected] first, then [email protected], then psw.br3, and finally any IT2 image such as mv_910.br3.

7. Formatting Procedure

The following procedure assumes the program was authored with CFC and D7-SYS, and that an OmniDrive USB2 LF is the host programmer. Adapt the steps for a Centronics Professional or for a Struc-compiled program by adding the PP1X stage at the end.

7.1 Pre-Work

1. Back up the existing parameter set: in DriveMonitor connect online to the drive, then File > Save Parameter Set As. Save the .dnl to a network share. This is the only way to recover the current parameter values once the card is formatted.
2. Copy the four .br3 files to a known folder, e.g., C:\Siemens\D7\Simovert_MV\LOAD\. Verify the file sizes against the manifest provided by Siemens support.
3. Verify that the write-protect switch on the MS51 card is in the OFF position. The switch is on the card edge opposite the connector; OFF = unprotected.
4. Insert the MS51 card into the OmniDrive USB2 LF socket. Confirm the chamfered corner faces the keyed slot.
5. Connect the OmniDrive to the engineering PC via USB. Allow Windows to enumerate the device; the OmniDrive appears as a HID-class device and does not require a special driver on Windows 7/10/11 with the latest D7-Load.

7.2 Format Operation in D7-Load

1. Launch D7-Load. On first run, set the target programmer under Settings > Programmer to OmniDrive USB2.
2. Select Card > Type > MS51. D7-Load will display the card geometry and the protected SRAM region. Confirm the geometry matches the label on the card (size, blocks).
3. Select Card > Format. D7-Load performs a low-level format that writes the Simadyn D boot block, the IT1/IT2 partition table, and reserves the SRAM signature area. A progress bar indicates the pass count; a 16 MB card typically takes 30–90 seconds.
4. When prompted, accept the warning that the previous contents will be erased. There is no undo.
5. After format completion, D7-Load returns to the main screen. The card is now blank but recognized by the Simadyn D boot ROM.

8. Program Download Procedure

With the card freshly formatted, download the four .br3 files in the mandated order.

1. In D7-Load, select Card > Load > File and browse to [email protected]. Confirm the target address is IT1 / System Base. Click Start.
2. Repeat for [email protected], targeting IT1 / Operating System.
3. Load psw.br3 at address IT1 / User Program.
4. Load mv_910.br3 (or the equivalent option image for the drive) at address IT2.
5. Select Card > Verify. D7-Load reads back each partition and computes a CRC. A green pass is required before the card is removed from the OmniDrive.
6. Power down the Simadyn D CPU, insert the MS51 card, and power up. The CPU will boot from IT1 and chain-load the IT2 image.

For Struc-compiled programs, the additional step is to mount the card in a PP1X (or PP1I) Parallel Programmer and write the Struc object code into the user partition that OmniDrive cannot reach. The Struc compiler outputs a .hex or .abs file that the PP1X reads; this is independent of the .br3 files written by D7-Load.

9. Parameter Backup with DriveMonitor

OmniDrive and D7-Load operate exclusively on program images. They cannot read or write the .dnl parameter backup format used by DriveMonitor. The full workflow is therefore:

1. Format and load the .br3 files with OmniDrive / D7-Load as described in Sections 7 and 8.
2. Install the card in the Simovert MV CPU and power up the drive.
3. Connect DriveMonitor to the drive via the serial service interface (RS232 on DUST1 / DUST2, or PROFIBUS for higher-bandwidth commissioning).
4. Load the parameter set into DriveMonitor (Online > Load from Drive). The drive will be at factory defaults because the program was just reloaded.
5. Open the .dnl backup saved in step 7.1 of the Pre-Work section and use the Compare / Merge function to apply the application-specific parameter deltas onto the fresh parameter set.
6. Write the merged parameter set back to the drive (Online > Write to Drive > All Parameters).
7. Save the resulting parameter set as a new .dnl for the as-left record.

10. Verification and Commissioning

After the card is installed and the parameters are restored, perform the following verification steps before returning the drive to production service.

1. In DriveMonitor, confirm the firmware version reported under Diagnostics > Module Info matches the expected version (e.g., Simovert MV 6SG7 firmware Vx.y.z).
2. Open the parameter tree and check that the drive identification parameters (drive type, serial number, power stack ID) match the nameplate. These are stored in the bsw partition and should not have changed.
3. Run a no-load motor identification (Commissioning > Motor ID > Static). This validates that the user program is executing and the parameter set is consistent.
4. Review the fault memory (Diagnostics > Fault Memory). A freshly loaded card should have no historical faults except the boot-time entry "Parameter set loaded from card".
5. Check the card's free space in DriveMonitor under Diagnostics > Memory Card > Free Blocks. A correctly formatted MS51 should report its full capacity minus the reserved bsw / gsw / psw partitions.

11. Troubleshooting Matrix

For related S7-platform card handling, refer to the Siemens TIA Portal procedure for Formatting an S7-1500 Memory Card (S7-1500); the Simadyn D approach is functionally analogous (CPU-driven format via the engineering tool) but uses a different programmer and a different on-card file system.