Troubleshooting SINAMICS G150 STARTER Connection Drive Not Active

SINAMICS G150 Drive Not Active in STARTER: Problem Definition

The SINAMICS G150 is a Siemens cabinet-style low-voltage drive (frame sizes A through H, 75 kW to 2,700 kW) used for pumps, fans, compressors, extruders, and mills. It is built around the CU320-2 control unit, which exists in two hardware variants: CU320-2 DP (PROFIBUS) and CU320-2 PN (PROFINET). When you open the project in STARTER and expand the Accessible nodes tree, you can read the CU320-2 firmware and drive firmware on the right-hand panel — for example, SINAMICS G150 / CU320-2 PN / V4.5 / V4.50.30.01. If the drive object shows the red status "Drive not active", STARTER cannot establish a routing relationship with the control unit and the drive remains unreachable on both Ethernet and PROFIBUS.

The error is almost always caused by a missing or mismatched SINAMICS Support Package (SSP) for the firmware version installed on the drive, or by a STARTER release that is too old to know the drive object. STARTER V4.4 SP1, for example, predates the G150 V4.5 firmware branch and will not list the device unless the matching SSP is installed manually.

Hardware Identification: CU320-2 Control Unit Variants

Before installing any software, confirm the control unit hardware because the SSP branch is keyed to it. The two variants are physically labelled and produce different LED patterns at power-up.

The X127 service interface is the most reliable commissioning path because its IP address is hard-coded and does not depend on PROFINET name assignment. Use X127 whenever PROFINET is misconfigured or unknown.

Root Cause Analysis: Why "Drive Not Active" Appears

STARTER carries a built-in library of device descriptions (the installed devices list under Help → Installed devices). The list covers SIMOTION, SINAMICS S, and SINAMICS G120 baseline firmware. SINAMICS G150 firmware is delivered as a separately installable SSP (file type .zip or .exe, e.g. SSP_Sinamics_G150_V04_50_30_01_14_00_00_00.exe). If the SSP version present in STARTER does not match the firmware version reported by the CU320-2, the drive object is shown as inactive and cannot be opened, downloaded to, or routed through.

Three typical root causes:

1. SSP not installed. STARTER V4.4 SP1 was released before G150 V4.5. The G150 device is missing from Help → Installed devices entirely.
2. SSP version mismatch. Drive carries V4.50.30.01, but only SSP V4.40.30.01 is installed. STARTER will display the device with a yellow warning icon and refuse to go online.
3. Starter release too old. The STARTER executable itself is older than the minimum that supports the SSP release. For example, SSP V4.5 requires STARTER V4.5 (or later SP). V4.4 SP1 cannot consume the V4.5 SSP even after manual install.

STARTER and SSP Version Compatibility Matrix

Prerequisites for Commissioning the G150 from STARTER

• STARTER V4.5 or later installed on Windows 10 / 11 (32 or 64 bit). Confirmed working with V4.4 SP1 only on firmware V4.4 branches.
• SSP installation file matching the drive's firmware. The file naming convention is SSP_Sinamics_G150_V<FW>_xx_xx_xx_xx.exe or .zip.
• PC Ethernet port or USB-to-Ethernet adapter with admin rights to set a static IP in the 169.254.x.x range.
• CAT5e or better crossover / straight cable for X127 (the service port auto-MDIX handles both).
• PROFIBUS DP cable with termination enabled on the drive and disabled on intermediate nodes, for PROFIBUS-only sites.
• Control unit firmware in a known state. If the firmware is corrupted, the Accessible nodes entry will display as CU320-2 DP/PN with ??? in the firmware fields, which indicates a card-level failure, not an SSP problem.

Solution: Installing the Correct SINAMICS G150 SSP

Follow the procedure below to bring the device description into STARTER. This resolves the "Drive not active" flag in roughly 90 % of field cases.

1. Read the firmware version reported on the operator panel (AOP30) of the G150 under Menu → Commissioning → Device identification, or note the version from the Accessible nodes panel when STARTER partially lists the device.
2. Open Siemens Industry Online Support and search for SSP SINAMICS G150 Vx.x. Filter by firmware version. Download the matching SSP. Example: SSP-Sinamics-G150-V04_50_30_01_14_00_00_00.zip.
3. Close all running instances of STARTER, SCOUT, and TIA Portal before installing the SSP. The installer registers the device description into the STARTER installation directory (default C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\STARTER\DeviceDescriptions).
4. Run the SSP installer with administrator rights. Accept the license note for the SINAMICS G150 family.
5. Re-open STARTER. Navigate to Help → Installed devices. Confirm the G150 with the matching firmware version appears in the list. If V4.4 SP1 is in use, the V4.5 entry will not be present and a STARTER upgrade is mandatory.

Configuring the PROFINET (Ethernet) Connection

For the CU320-2 PN, the engineering path is PROFINET. The two routable interfaces are the PN ports X150 P1 / X150 P2 and the service port X127.

Service port X127 commissioning (recommended for first contact)

1. Set the PC Ethernet adapter to a static address in the 169.254.0.0/16 segment, e.g. 169.254.11.21 with mask 255.255.0.0. Do not use a DHCP server — the X127 interface is fixed.
2. Connect the PC to X127 on the CU320-2. The X127 LED on the control unit should change to LINK within 5 s.
3. In STARTER, click Project → Accessible nodes (or the binoculars icon). The G150 should now appear with the firmware string readable. If it still shows "Drive not active", the installed SSP is wrong and the procedure above must be repeated.

PROFINET X150 commissioning

1. Assign a PROFINET device name to the drive using PRONETA or via the AOP30 at Menu → Commissioning → PROFINET → Device name. Without a name, the IO controller cannot address the drive.
2. Configure the IP address in parameter p8920 (PN IP), p8921 (subnet), p8922 (gateway), and p8925 (PN interface configuration). Activate with p8925 = 2 (set & activate) and power-cycle the CU320-2.
3. In the STARTER project tree, right-click the drive object → Properties → Ethernet interface. Set the IP and PROFINET name to match the AOP30 values.
4. Re-run Accessible nodes. The device now resolves as Drive active and a green check appears.

Configuring the PROFIBUS Connection (CU320-2 DP or DP-V1)

For cabinet variants built on the CU320-2 DP, PROFIBUS is the primary bus. The connector is X126.

1. Set the PROFIBUS slave address on the DIP switch block S1 of the CU320-2. Valid range 1 to 126, factory default 3. The address is read on the next power-up.
2. Verify PROFIBUS termination. The G150 cabinet must have termination enabled at the end of the segment; intermediate nodes must be unterminated.
3. Connect the CP5611 / CP5613 / CP5711 / NETLink adapter to X126.
4. Install SIMATIC NET PC software so that STARTER can talk to the PROFIBUS card.
5. In STARTER, choose Project → Accessible nodes → PROFIBUS. The CU320-2 DP appears as node 3 (or whatever DIP address was set). The firmware string should be readable.

Key drive-side parameters for PROFIBUS:

Online Routing Through STARTER

After the drive is reachable, route through the S7 controller to the drive if you are using a SIMATIC PLC (S7-300/400 with GSD file SIEM8115.GSD, or S7-1500 with GSDML GSDML-Vx.x-Siemens-Sinamics_01PNxxxx.xml):

1. In STARTER, insert a SIMATIC station (S7-300 / S7-400) into the same project.
2. Configure the S7 interface card (CP343-1 for Ethernet, CP342-5 for PROFIBUS) to point to the same network the drive lives on.
3. Right-click the S7 station → Online → Accessible nodes. Verify the CPU is reached.
4. Right-click the drive under the S7 station's I/O → Online → Connect to target system. STARTER now tunnels through the S7 to the drive. The Accessible notes flag now reads Drive active.

Verification Procedure

1. Right-click the drive → Online → Connect to target system. The status LED in STARTER turns green and the online state reads Online / RUN.
2. Open the Control panel (right-click drive → Control panel) and issue a Take over control priority. Drive enables the speed setpoint on the toolbar.
3. From the trace tool, capture a 1 s motor speed ramp from 0 to 50 % of p1082 (maximum speed). Confirm actual speed tracks setpoint without Follow-up fault F07900 (motor speed too high) or F08501 (PROFIdrive PZD failure).
4. Execute RAM to ROM (Copy RAM to ROM icon) to persist the online change, then power-cycle the CU320-2 to confirm the change survives.

Field-Commissioning Checklist

Troubleshooting Matrix

Common Drive-Side Fault Codes Encountered During Commissioning

Notes on Firmware Branch Selection

The G150 line is in long-term maintenance on the V4.5 branch. Newer features and security patches live in the V5.x branch, but V5.x requires a CF card swap on the CU320-2 and a full parameter reset. For most retrofit jobs (pumps, fans, extruders up to 800 kW), staying on V4.5 with the matching SSP V04.50.30.01_14.00.00.00 remains the supported path and the one that this article targets.

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