PROFIdrive Telegram Reference: Standard Telegrams Explained

PROFIdrive is the application profile for variable-speed drives on PROFINET and PROFIBUS. The most frequently asked question when integrating a SINAMICS S120/S150, AKD2G, IndraDrive, or any PI-certified drive is: what is a telegram, who defines the numbers, and where is the official list? This reference consolidates the answer, the standardized telegram set, the PZD word structure, and the field-proven configuration procedure for Siemens and non-Siemens drives.

1. Overview: What a PROFIdrive Telegram Is

A PROFIdrive telegram is a fixed, pre-defined data container exchanged cyclically between a controller (PLC) and a drive (PROFIdrive slave). Each telegram carries a set of process data words (PZD) in a defined order, with each word assigned a specific signal name such as STW1 (control word 1), NSOLL_A (speed setpoint A), ZSW1 (status word 1), or NIST_A (actual speed value A).

Key principles:

• Telegrams are bidirectional. The PLC-to-drive half carries setpoints (setpoint telegram); the drive-to-PLC half carries actual values (actual-value telegram).
• Telegrams are indexed by a 16-bit integer (1, 2, 3, 5, 102, 110, 220, etc.). Vendor-specific extensions exist alongside the standardized numbers.
• The number of PZD in a telegram is fixed by the profile and must match between controller and drive. Mismatches produce error F01910 (PROFIBUS/PROFINET setpoint timeout) or F08501 (PZD configuration error) on SINAMICS.
• A drive object can be assigned a primary telegram plus an optional extension telegram (PZD extension) for additional words.

2. Who Defines the Telegram Numbers

PROFIdrive is maintained by PI (PROFIBUS & PROFINET International, PROFIBUS Nutzerorganisation e.V.). The current profile document is the PROFIdrive Profile Drive Technology, version 4.2 (released 2015, with 4.3 updates). The profile is the single source of truth for:

• Telegram numbers and PZD layouts
• Signal names and scaling (e.g., NSOLL_A is 0x4000 = 100% of p2000)
• State machines (e.g., the OFF1/OFF2/OFF3 bits inside STW1)
• Encoder, parameter, and diagnostics channel mappings (PKW)

Drive vendors (Siemens, Kollmorgen, Bosch Rexroth, ABB, SEW-Eurodrive, etc.) implement the standardized telegrams as defined by PI and add their own vendor-specific telegrams (often numbered in the 200+ range or with a vendor prefix). The standardized list is the same for every vendor; the vendor-specific numbers are not.

3. Standard Telegram Types and PZD Structure

The standardized telegram set is split into three families: Standard telegrams (1-9), Manufacturer-specific telegrams (numbered 100+ in some drives), and SIEMENS telegrams (the 20, 220, 352, 370, 371 series that originated in Siemens MASTERDRIVES and survive in SINAMICS).

3.1 Standard telegrams (PI-defined)

3.2 Siemens-specific telegrams

4. Signal Map for the Most Common Words

5. Where to Find the Official List

1. PROFIdrive profile document (PI): The "Profile Drive Technology" specification lists every standard telegram. Available at the PI PROFIdrive page and through the PI download portal (membership required for the full PDF).
2. SINAMICS S120/S150 List Manual: Section 3.9 ("Standard telegrams and signal interconnection") reproduces the PI table in a drive-centric format with all BICO connectors pre-mapped. Available via the Siemens Industry Online Support.
3. Drive-specific manuals:
   • Bosch Rexroth IndraDrive parameter description lists the same telegrams and adds Rexroth-specific extensions.
   • Kollmorgen AKD2G documentation lists supported standard and manufacturer-specific telegrams in the PROFINET fieldbus manual.
   • ABB ACS drives expose a "telegram mapping" parameter group (e.g., 51.x on ACS880) that mirrors PROFIdrive telegrams.
4. PI membership / conference papers: PI hosts the annual PI Conference and PROFIdrive plug-fests, where the latest telegram additions are previewed.

6. Configuring a Telegram on SINAMICS S120 / S150

The relevant SINAMICS parameters are summarized below. All are accessed via the expert list in Starter, Startdrive, or Webserver (S120 webserver from FW 5.2 SP1).

6.1 Step-by-step: select Telegram 1, then upgrade to Telegram 3

1. Set p0922 = 1 on the drive object. Result: drive expects 2 PZD in / 2 PZD out. PLC must map the same 2/2 layout or the controller reports a slot mismatch.
2. Save (copy RAM to ROM) and power-cycle, or execute p0977 = 1 in Startdrive to copy parameters.
3. In TIA Portal / STEP 7, install the SINAMICS GSD (GSDML-V*-Siemens-SinamicsS-*.xml) and drag the drive into PROFINET topology. The PLC now sees the telegram 1 IO image.
4. To upgrade to Telegram 3 (8/8 PZD), set p0922 = 3, copy RAM to ROM, and re-download the drive device in TIA Portal. The IO image auto-expands to 8/8.
5. If your PLC code was written against Telegram 1 using fixed bit positions, you must re-map the symbolic names because additional PZD appear at the end of the IO area, not the beginning.

7. Configuring a Telegram on Kollmorgen AKD2G

The AKD2G PROFINET drive implements the standardized PROFIdrive telegrams alongside Kollmorgen-specific ones. Telegram 1 is the default for "profiDRIVE" mode and is selected with parameter PROFIdrive.TEL in the AKD2G WorkBench (the parameter is mapped under Feedback / PROFINET > Telegram). The supported list, including the Kollmorgen-specific telegram that contains the auxiliary words MOMRED, IAIST, and M_LIM, is published in the AKD2G PROFINET fieldbus manual (see Kollmorgen documentation portal).

1. Open the AKD2G WorkBench project, connect to the drive, and switch to Expert View.
2. Set FB1.PROFIdrive.TEL to the desired telegram number (e.g., 1, 102, or a Kollmorgen-specific number).
3. Save to NV memory and power-cycle. The drive reinitializes its PROFINET module and now offers the new PZD layout.
4. In TIA Portal, update the GSDML for the AKD2G, re-include the device, and recompile. The PLC slot mapping auto-updates.

8. Migrating from One Telegram to Another (Field Procedure)

Migrating Telegram 1 → Telegram 3 (or 102, 105, 220) is the most common change request. The procedure below is field-proven for SINAMICS and applies to other PROFIdrive drives by analogy.

1. Catalog what consumes the current PZD layout. List every DB, FB, function block, and HMI tag that reads/writes STW1, ZSW1, NIST_A. Static offsets in the IO image will change.
2. Confirm library support. Siemens SINAMICS S120 Comm FB libraries are telegram-aware and will refuse to compile if the configured telegram does not match the FB's expected layout. Other vendors' libraries (e.g., SIMOTION technology objects, IndraMotion) have similar constraints.
3. Edit the drive GSD in the controller project. Switch the telegram number; recompile; verify slot length.
4. Download the new drive parameter set. In Startdrive, set p0922 to the new telegram, then upload the change to the project so PG and drive agree.
5. Re-link symbolic IO names. In TIA, right-click the new PZD, rename the symbolic tag, and update the user program to reference the new tags.
6. Commission with safety stop. Run with the drive in "no setpoint" mode (STW1 bit 0 = 0) to confirm the IO handshake works, then re-enable.

9. PLC and Library Compatibility Constraints

10. Verification and Commissioning

After every telegram change, run the following checks before releasing the machine to production.

1. IO consistency check — In TIA Portal, go to Devices & Networks > Device view; verify the slot count on the drive device matches the number of PZD in the telegram. The PLC reports 0x0001 "module missing" if it disagrees.
2. Online telegram dump — In Startdrive, drive into the drive object and read r2050 and r2051 to dump the BICO PZD interconnections. Verify that the first two words are STW1 and NSOLL_A (Telegram 1).
3. Sign-of-life test — In isochronous mode (Telegram 5, 6, 105, 106), verify the master's sign-of-life in STW2 bits 12-15 is incremented and matches the slave's expected counter. SINAMICS logs F08501 if sign-of-life is missing.
4. Diagnostic buffer — In TIA, open the drive's online diagnostics and confirm no entry for F01910 or F08501 after a 5-minute soak.
5. Cycle-time test — Use the PN IRT configuration in TIA to lock the bus cycle to 1 ms. Watch the bus update time in the topology editor; the drive's r2060 reports the actual cycle time.
6. Encoder cross-check — With Telegram 4 / 6 / 106, move the motor at 100 rpm, then compare NIST_B against G1_XIST increments. They must match within one encoder increment.

11. Troubleshooting Matrix

12. Field-Proven Tips

• Lock p2070 = 2 (PROFIdrive PZD format) for every standard telegram. p2070 = 0 is "free BICO" and the most common source of F08501 on a new installation.
• Use Telegram 5 (not Telegram 1) on every positioning application. The DSC channel inside Telegram 5 reduces position lag in the PLC scan; it is a 2-line change in the PLC code and pays for itself in dynamic response.
• Avoid Telegram 9 unless you need it. Telegram 9 is the only standard telegram that carries a 32-bit position, but the bit packing makes the 1-bit status flags awkward. Telegram 110 (Siemens) is the cleaner alternative.
• Save a "golden" project file per drive. Once you have a working p0922 / p2070 / BICO / setpoint scaling, back it up. Telegram changes are trivial when you have a known-good baseline.
• Document the cross-reference between telegram number and library FB. In a multi-engineer team, the most common regression is a code commit that uses Telegram 5 while the drive is still on Telegram 1.