Resolving Siemens G120 VFD Stuck in Quick Commissioning Mode

1. Problem Summary

During remote commissioning of a Siemens SINAMICS G120 frequency inverter, the drive successfully navigates the TIA Portal V15.1 commissioning wizard, but the drive remains trapped in Quick Commissioning mode. The parameter p0010 is never returned to 0 by the wizard, which means that subsequent safety commissioning (PROFIsafe / STO / SS1 configuration) cannot be started. The operator sees the wizard terminate cleanly, but the underlying drive state is inconsistent with the UI's "completion" state.

The same condition can appear during:

• First commissioning on a replacement unit (VFD replacement scenario).
• Firmware upgrades where the project is updated to a newer SINAMICS firmware (for example V4.7 SP13) before being downloaded to the drive.
• Project re-imports where TIA uploads parameters that no longer match the offline configuration.
• Manual commissioning with partially entered motor data.

Because no explicit fault (F...) or alarm (A...) is raised, the failure is silent: p0010 simply refuses to revert to 0 and the user interface reports commissioning as done. This is one of the most common remote-commissioning blockers for the G120 / G120C / G120D / G120P / G120F families.

2. Affected Versions and Components

The following hardware/firmware combinations have been observed in the field to produce this condition:

The SINAMICS parameter model is documented in the SINAMICS G120 Operating Instructions (Parameter Manual). Always cross-reference p0010, p3900, p0011, p0012, p1900 against the firmware-specific parameter list because indices differ between firmware versions.

3. Root Cause Analysis

The drive will refuse to exit Quick Commissioning mode (i.e., refuse to clear p0010 = 0) if one or more parameters set during the commissioning wizard are in a state that the firmware considers internally inconsistent. The wizard does not validate parameter setpoints against one another; it merely writes them to the drive. The drive's own commissioning state machine then performs a final consistency check when the wizard attempts to flip p0010 from 1 (Quick Commissioning) to 0 (Ready).

Typical parameter conflicts that produce this symptom include, but are not limited to:

• Motor type (asynchronous / synchronous / reluctance) mismatched with the selected motor data set.
• p0300 (motor type selection) set to a value whose associated p0301..p0335 parameters were never populated (e.g., selecting "third-party motor" without entering rated data).
• p0100 (motor standard IEC/NEMA) inconsistent with p0201 (power unit code) or with the line voltage on the input side of the PM module.
• p1300 (open-loop/closed-loop control mode) inconsistent with p1500 (setpoint source) and the configured command source (p0700).
• Fieldbus interface (p0015 macro) chosen in a way that conflicts with a hardware option module (e.g., selecting PROFINET macro on a CU without a PN interface).
• Safety macro (p0015 = 12, 13, 14) selected before p0010 exit, leaving the safety parameter set partially uninitialized.
• Motor identification (p1900) or rotating measurement (p1960) requested but p0010 never set to 30, blocking the exit handshake.

When any one of these conditions is present, the firmware's exit-handshake algorithm writes the offending parameter's index to a diagnostic field and refuses to clear p0010. The TIA wizard interprets the absence of a fault bit as a successful completion and proceeds, leaving the drive in commissioning limbo. This is by design: SINAMICS parameter validation is decentralized; the wizard trusts the drive's commissioning state machine and does not second-guess it.

4. Symptoms and Diagnostic Indicators

Confirm the stuck-condition with the following checks, in order:

1. Online parameter read: connect to the drive, navigate to Drive > Parameters > Online, and read p0010. If it is > 0, the drive is still in commissioning. Expected: 0. Anything else indicates a partial state.
2. Wizard state vs. drive state: in TIA, open the commissioning editor. If the wizard reports "complete" but the online p0010 is > 0, the symptom is confirmed.
3. Safety commissioning blocked: attempting to launch the Safety Integrated wizard returns the message "The drive is in the commissioning state, complete commissioning first" or its localized equivalent. This is the user-visible impact.
4. Control panel test: from the IOP / BOP-2 / control panel, try to enable the drive. The drive will refuse because p0010 ≠ 0 (the enable handshake checks r0002.0 = "Drive ready").
5. Parameter consistency dump: use the parameter list export to compare offline (Project > Drive > Parameters > Export) to online. Mismatched indices identify the conflicting tags.
6. Diagnostic buffer: read r0947 (last fault code) and r2122 (last alarm code). In the silent-failure case these will typically be empty, which is itself diagnostic - it confirms the issue is commissioning-state, not runtime.

5. Resolution Procedure (Forced Exit from Quick Commissioning)

The recommended path is to clear the drive's parameter memory, return to Quick Commissioning manually, and bisect the parameter set to identify the offending entries. The procedure below has been validated on TIA V15.1 with firmware V4.7 SP13 and remains applicable to V16 / V17 / V18 projects.

5.1 Prerequisites

• Functional online connection to the drive (PROFINET, PROFIBUS, or Ethernet/IP for the G120 PN variants).
• Password for the drive (default is 0 if not yet changed).
• Motor nameplate data and motor equivalent circuit data (for asynchronous motors: U_n, I_n, P_n, cosφ, f_n, n_n; for synchronous: EMF constant, L_q, L_d).
• One safe, controlled axis where the drive output can be released to run a motor identification routine.

5.2 Step-by-Step Recovery

1. Factory reset the drive. In TIA: Drive > Online > Commissioning > Restore factory settings or directly write p0970 = 1 (CU240E-2 / CU230P-2) and p0010 = 30 then trigger acceptance. The drive will perform a complete parameter reset and reboot. Wait for the CU to return to "online" before proceeding.
2. Re-enter Quick Commissioning manually (do not use the wizard yet). Set:

   p0010 = 1          ; Quick Commissioning
   p0003 = 3          ; Access level: Expert (required for low-level parameters)
   p0011 = 0          ; BOP lock = none
   p0012 = 0          ; BOP password = none
   

3. Configure the minimum safe parameter set:

   p0100 = 0          ; IEC motor (50 Hz, kW)
   p0201 = <power unit code from PM nameplate>
   p0300 = 1          ; Induction motor (asynchronous) - change to 2 for sync
   p0301 = <rated voltage V>
   p0304 = <rated voltage V>
   p0305 = <rated current A>
   p0307 = <rated power kW>
   p0308 = <rated power factor cos phi>
   p0310 = <rated frequency Hz>
   p0311 = <rated speed rpm>
   p0335 = 0          ; Self-cooled (or 1 for forced-cooled)
   

4. Attempt to exit Quick Commissioning with the standard handshake:

   p3900 = 3          ; Quick commissioning with motor data calculation, RAM+ROM
   

   This sets p0010 to 0 if the parameter set is internally consistent. If it fails, the drive retains p0010 = 1 and writes the offending index into r3996 (parameter consistency result). Read r3996 - it is a 32-bit field of bit flags where each bit corresponds to a parameter group; consult the parameter manual for the V4.7 SP13 mapping.
5. Bisect the parameter set: if the simple set above passes, add the next set of parameters one group at a time, toggling p3900 = 3 after each addition. The point at which p0010 fails to clear identifies the conflict.
6. Commit: once p0010 clears, the drive is operational. Save parameters to non-volatile memory with p0971 = 1 or the equivalent "Copy RAM to ROM" action in TIA.
7. Re-launch the Safety Integrated wizard. With p0010 = 0 the wizard will now accept the safety configuration request.

6. Parameter Reference

7. Safety Commissioning Considerations

The Safety Integrated commissioning of a SINAMICS G120 (F-variants) requires the drive to be in p0010 = 0 and the SMM (Safety Message Mode) state machine to be in a known-good initial state. The relevant safety-specific parameters are summarized below.

8. Verification Procedure

After the recovery sequence, validate the following before declaring the drive service-ready:

1. Read p0010 online: must be 0. If it is not 0, repeat the bisection step.
2. Save parameters: execute p0971 = 1 or use the TIA "Save to non-volatile" action. Wait for the CU to complete the save cycle (typically 5-10 s for G120).
3. Power-cycle the CU: remove the 24 V control voltage from the CU, wait 10 s, restore. After reboot, verify p0010 is still 0 from the saved image.
4. Run a stationary motor ID with p1900 = 2. The drive will energize the motor for several seconds and compute the equivalent circuit. Verify p1910 (motor equivalent resistance) and p1920 (leakage reactance) are non-zero after completion.
5. Issue a speed setpoint from the configured source (fieldbus, terminal, or panel). Verify r0021 (actual speed) tracks r0020 (speed setpoint).
6. Run the Safety Integrated acceptance test per the manual: verify STO activation, deactivation, and safe state indication on the F-DI or PROFIsafe channel.
7. Check the fault buffer: r0947 should be empty. Any F-code warrants investigation before release.

9. Preventive Measures

• Use the Consistency check function in TIA Portal (right-click drive > Object properties > Parameter consistency) before each download. TIA will surface at least some of the same conflicts the drive sees at runtime, and the offending indices can be cross-referenced against r3996.
• Avoid using Restore factory settings with a project that has not been re-validated against the target firmware. Always do a "Download to drive and compare" cycle so that any firmware-default divergence is reported as a parameter difference, not absorbed silently.
• For drives upgraded across major firmware versions (e.g., V4.4 → V4.7), follow the SINAMICS firmware upgrade / downgrade checklist. Some parameters have been re-indexed; a naive project upload from a V4.4 image into a V4.7 image can leave dangling references that the V4.7 firmware considers inconsistent.
• Always run the SINAMICS Startdrive Commissioning Tool's offline commissioning simulation when a drive has to be commissioned remotely and there is no on-site person to validate I/O wiring. The simulator can be wired to a virtual PLC and run through the same wizard sequence that would be executed live, allowing the parameter set to be debugged before any hardware is touched.
• When using a third-party motor or a non-Siemens catalog motor, pre-populate p0301..p0335 from the motor manufacturer's data sheet and verify that p0307 matches the rating plate, that the rated current p0305 does not exceed the PM module's r0201 continuous rating, and that the line voltage rating p0301 is consistent with the available supply at the cabinet (400 V vs 480 V in IEC/NEMA mixed installations).

10. Troubleshooting Matrix

11. Field-Engineering Notes

In the original incident the recovery path was determined manually because the TIA wizard did not surface a fault. The following field-tested heuristics shorten the bisection cycle:

• Always begin the bisection with motor-data block (p0300..p0335) and command/setpoint source (p0700, p1000, p1500). These two blocks are responsible for the majority of silent commissioning failures on the G120.
• If the motor data block is suspect, change p0300 to 1 (induction) and re-enter a single p0335 (cooling type). This typically isolates the issue to one of the other 12 motor parameters within 4-5 iterations.
• For PROFINET / PROFIBUS variants, confirm that the installed fieldbus option is electrically present. A macro that assumes a PROFINET interface on a CU without PROFINET will produce exactly this stuck-p0010 condition with no fault.
• For F-variants, the safety commissioning license is tied to the Control Unit serial number. A replacement CU on an existing F-system may not have the safety license transferred. Check r9780 for the license status before chasing parameter conflicts.
• For drives running Startdrive V17 or later, enable Detailed parameter monitoring under Options > Settings > Online. The additional logging will surface r3996 changes in real time and reduce the bisection cycle.

For deeper commissioning patterns, the official reference is the SINAMICS G120 Operating Instructions and the G120 Parameter Manual. TIA Portal V15.1 help content is published under SIMATIC TIA Portal V15.1 documentation.