Simulating SINAMICS G130 with STARTER: Hardware & Alternatives

Overview: Why SINAMICS Simulation Differs from PLC Simulation

Engineers familiar with the SIMATIC S7-1500 or S7-1200 ecosystem expect a built-in software simulator on every commissioning PC. PLCSIM, the TIA Portal option, runs the S7 CPU code natively on the engineering station. SINAMICS drives work differently: the motor control algorithms, encoder evaluation, closed-loop regulators, and safety functions all execute on the SINAMICS Control Unit (CU) firmware. The commissioning tool — STARTER or Startdrive — is a parameter editor, a tracing tool, and a control panel, not a model of the drive itself. A physical Control Unit is the only place where the SINAMICS firmware runs.

This article explains what the G130 needs to come up in STARTER, what you can do when you do not have a Control Unit on the bench, and which Siemens virtual commissioning tools (Startdrive with S7-PLCSIM, SIMIT) can simulate the drive-and-PLC interaction when actual hardware is unavailable.

SINAMICS G130 Hardware Architecture

The G130 is a chassis-style (built-in) single-axis drive for cabinet integration. Unlike the modular S120 or the distributed G120, the G130 separates the following functional blocks:

• Power Module (PM) — line-side rectifier, DC link, and inverter in one chassis unit. Catalog prefix 6SL3310-1G… (air-cooled) or 6SL3310-1P… (liquid-cooled).
• Control Unit (CU) — runs the firmware. The G130 accepts a CU320-2 DP (PROFIBUS, 6SL3040-1MA00-0AA1) or CU320-2 PN (PROFINET, 6SL3040-1MA01-0AA1). Some G130 variants use the CU310-2 PN/DP for single-axis applications.
• Terminal Module TM31 (6SL3055-0AA00-3AA1) — adds eight digital inputs, four digital outputs, two analog inputs, one analog output, and a temperature-sensor input. Mounted externally and connected via DRIVE-CLiQ.
• Sensor Module SMC30 (6SL3055-0AA00-5CA2) — interfaces to HTL/TTL encoders when the motor does not have a DRIVE-CLiQ-capable encoder.
• Line filter, line reactor, braking unit, motor reactor — selected per motor rating and cable length.

All sub-components communicate over DRIVE-CLiQ, a proprietary serial bus that carries power-stage telemetry, encoder data, and parameterization. The CU320-2 has six DRIVE-CLiQ ports (X100–X105) on its front face. The STARTER project topology is built around this DRIVE-CLiQ chain.

STARTER vs Startdrive: Commissioning Tools

Siemens provides two tool families for parameterizing SINAMICS drives:

STARTER is still the most widely deployed for brownfield G130 projects. New projects tied to TIA Portal PLCs increasingly use Startdrive. Neither tool contains a model of the motor or the power stage. They only present parameters, BICO interconnections, trace buffers, and the control panel. The firmware that interprets those parameters lives on the CU.

Why STARTER Alone Cannot Simulate a SINAMICS Drive

The PLCSIM-style architecture is not implemented for SINAMICS. The reasons are technical, not commercial:

1. Real-time scheduling. The current controller runs at the inverter pulse frequency (typically 4 kHz; 8 kHz on smaller blocks). It interacts with the DRIVE-CLiQ cycle and the fieldbus cycle. A Windows-hosted software model cannot meet these timing requirements.
2. Motor model. The control algorithm needs an equivalent circuit of the connected motor. Loading the motor data into a PC-hosted simulation requires exporting all the parameter set, then building a numerical model, then synchronizing the trace — none of which STARTER does.
3. Safety integration. G130 drives with Safety Integrated (STO, SS1, SLS, SDI) require a separate SIL/PL calculation context. The safety firmware is verified only on the real CU.
4. DRIVE-CLiQ topology. The CU320-2 boots, identifies connected components in the DRIVE-CLiQ chain, and configures its object dictionary. Without the physical chain, the CU firmware does not leave the bootloader.

STARTER in offline mode can open a saved project, display parameters, edit BICO wiring, and prepare a download. The Download to Target Device button is greyed out or returns fault F08070 (DRIVE-CLiQ component not identified) when no real CU is reachable.

What You CAN Do with STARTER and No Hardware

Even without a CU, STARTER is a productive engineering environment:

• Build the offline project topology. Insert the Power Module, CU320-2 PN, TM31, and SMC30 into the project tree. Configure PROFIBUS/PROFINET nodes and IP addresses.
• Parametrize the closed-loop control. Enter motor data (p0304, p0305, p0307, p0310, p0311), set current and speed limits (p0640, p1080, p1082), select control mode (p1300), and configure ramp times (p1120, p1121).
• Build BICO interconnections. Wire command sources (p0700), setpoint sources (p1000), and status feedback using the BICO editor. Save the wiring to the offline project for later download.
• Document the configuration. Generate parameter printouts (PDF) for the customer, build a function-block diagram, and document fieldbus mapping for the PLC programmer.
• Run offline scripts and DCC charts. STARTER supports VBA-based scripting and Drive Control Chart (DCC) editing. Both run on the PC and do not require a CU.

Hardware-in-the-Loop: Commissioning with a Physical CU320-2

The reference way to test a G130 is with the real Control Unit. STARTER can talk to a CU320-2 over:

Procedure to bring the CU online in STARTER:

1. Connect a crossover or patch cable between the PC and the service port X127.
2. Set the PC Ethernet adapter to DHCP or to a static address in the 169.254.x.x range. Wait for link-up.
3. Open STARTER and select Online > Select Target Device. Choose the discovered CU320-2.
4. Press Online. STARTER uploads the actual parameter set from the drive.
5. Use the Control Panel (Tools > Control Panel) to issue ON/OFF commands. Configure the bit-of-control source temporarily to a manual key-bit set for safe bench testing.
6. Use the Trace (Tools > Trace) to record speed, current, and torque at 1–4 ms intervals. Compare with the configured ramp times.
7. Use the Function Generator (Tools > Function Generator) to drive the setpoint with a step, sine, or square wave without spinning the motor (open-loop test mode).

TIA Portal + S7-PLCSIM + Startdrive: The Modern Approach

If the G130 is integrated with a SIMATIC S7-1500 or ET 200SP CPU, the modern Siemens virtual commissioning chain is:

1. Project in TIA Portal V17 or V18. Insert the SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU and the SINAMICS G130 from the hardware catalog. Use Startdrive to build the drive object.
2. Start S7-PLCSIM. From the project tree, right-click the PLC and choose Start Simulation. PLCSIM instances a virtual CPU that runs the project firmware.
3. Startdrive with PLCSIM. When PLCSIM is active, Startdrive routes the fieldbus (PROFINET or PROFIBUS) to the virtual CPU. You can configure telegram layout (Standard Telegram 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 110, 111) and download it into the drive object even though no real drive is present.
4. Limitations. The actual motor does not turn. PLCSIM does not model the SINAMICS power stage, encoder, or current loop. You can verify that the PLC writes the control word and setpoint correctly, and that the drive object accepts the values. You cannot verify motor-side response.

Code example — writing control word 1 and speed setpoint to a G130 with Telegram 2 in TIA Portal SCL:

// S7-1500 SCL — driving SINAMICS G130 via PROFINET Telegram 2
#ControlWord1    := "G130_DRV".IW0;   // bit 0 = ON/OFF1, bit 3 = enable, bit 7 = fault ack
#SpeedSetpointRaw := REAL_TO_INT("Drive_Permit_Speed_rpm" * 100.0 / 3000.0); // normalised
"G130_DRV".QW0  := #ControlWord1;
"G130_DRV".QW2  := INT_TO_WORD(#SpeedSetpointRaw);

// Status readback
#StatusWord1 := WORD_TO_INT("G130_DRV".IW0);
#ActualSpeed  := WORD_TO_INT("G130_DRV".IW2) * 3000.0 / 100.0;

SIMIT Virtual Commissioning: Co-Simulation with PLCSIM

When the project must verify motion behavior — ramp times, braking distance, load dynamics — Siemens offers SIMIT (Simulation Platform). SIMIT can host a virtual SINAMICS model and couple it to PLCSIM via PROFINET simulation. The chain looks like:

Notes on SIMIT deployment:

• SIMIT requires a license per simulated drive. Pricing is per instance, not per project.
• The SINAMICS model in SIMIT is a behavioural model — it does not match a G130 firmware build exactly, but it does match the fieldbus interface and major ramp/limit behavior.
• For SIL/PL safety work, only the real CU counts. SIMIT is not a substitute for the safety acceptance test.

Recommended Project Workflow for a SINAMICS G130

Given the constraints above, the recommended pre-project preparation is:

1. Order a CU320-2 demo kit. Siemens distributors sell a CU320-2 + TM31 + SMC30 demo bundle without the power module. This lets you commission, trace, and develop on a desktop.
2. Keep STARTER for legacy sites and quick offline edits. Use Startdrive for new TIA Portal work.
3. Reserve S7-PLCSIM for PLC integration tests. Use it to verify telegram layout, control-word sequencing, and setpoint scaling.
4. Use SIMIT only when motion behavior matters. Skip SIMIT for pure I/O or parameter-only projects.
5. Plan a FAT (Factory Acceptance Test). Where the customer accepts the drive configuration before shipment, the FAT is the right place to test the integrated system — drive, PLC, HMI, motor — on the real G130 hardware.

Tools and support can be sourced from the Siemens Industry Online Support portal. For software licensing and product selection, see Siemens Software Support Services. For local contacts and project assistance, see the Siemens contact directory.

Frequently Asked Questions