B&R; ACOPOS Drive Test & Training Cube | Automation Republic

B&R; ACOPOS Motion Control, Diagnostics & Training Cube

A portable test bench and training platform, engineered from the ground up in-house

When our team set out to build a better way to test, diagnose and demonstrate B&R; ACOPOS servo

drives, we didn’t start from a catalogue — we started with a blank sheet. The result is the Automation

Republic Motion Control, Diagnostics & Training Cube: a fully self-contained, transportable test rig that

turns a workshop bench, a training room or a customer site into a complete B&R; motion-control laboratory

in minutes.

Every element of this build was designed and manufactured by our own engineering team — the

ruggedised flight-case enclosure, the custom-machined mounting plates and control-panel layout, the full

electrical design, and, most importantly, the control software and HMI application, written entirely from

scratch to exercise and diagnose B&R; ACOPOS drives.

Open Cube showing the operator fascia: HMI, safety pushbuttons, live DC and phase metering, protection and drive bay.

Purpose-built for B&R; ACOPOS drive testing and diagnostics

The Cube powers up, commissions, runs and interrogates B&R; ACOPOS servo drives — including the

ACOPOS 1090 and ACOPOS 1180 platforms shown here — under real, controlled conditions. It serves

equally well as:

• A drive test bench for verifying, burning-in and fault-finding ACOPOS drives before deployment or

after repair.

• A diagnostics station for reproducing faults, reading error codes and confirming drive health.

• A hands-on training platform for engineers learning B&R; motion control, safe commissioning and

structured fault-finding.

Because the whole system is packed into a wheeled, handle-topped hard case, it travels to where the work

is — no fixed lab required.

In-house enclosure, plates and control-panel design

The housing is a heavy-duty transport case fitted with a custom control fascia. The operator panel and all

mounting plates were designed and built in-house, giving a clean, logical layout: HMI, safety controls

and live metering sit up top where the operator works, while power supplies, protection and the drive live

behind in a serviceable, clearly-labelled bay.

The front panel carries everything an operator needs at a glance:

• PLC Power, Drive Enable and 48 VDC Power indicators

• Start, Stop and a guarded Emergency-Stop

• Live 24 VDC and 48 VDC digital readouts

• Live L1/L2, L2/L3 and L3/L1 phase-voltage meters for instant confirmation of the incoming three-phase

supply

• Clearly labelled mains isolators, drive breaker and supply connectors

Software and HMI written from scratch

At the heart of the Cube is a B&R; APC2100 industrial PC driving a C70 HMI, running a bespoke

visualisation and control application developed entirely by our team. Rather than a generic front-end, the

interface was purpose-designed around the workflow of testing a drive:

• Guided configuration — the system prompts the operator to confirm the drive setup and node

number before running, preventing tests against the wrong configuration.

• One-touch operations — Power Drive, Start Test, Motion Check, Home, Stop, Reset and Reboot, all

from the panel.

• Live feedback — Ready / Run / Error status, live error codes, speed (RPM), torque and CPU

temperature on screen.

• Built-in diagnostics and drive-setup screens for structured fault-finding.

This from-scratch approach means the platform can be extended, re-templated and adapted as new drives,

motors and test routines are added.

Dual power input: three-phase or single-phase, with built-in safety

A defining feature of the Cube is its flexibility of supply. It runs from a three-phase 380 VAC source or a

single-phase 230 VAC source, so the same unit works in a fully-equipped workshop or from an ordinary

wall outlet on site. Different operating modes tailor the drive test to the available supply.

Because switching supplies has real electrical consequences, safety is engineered into both the wiring and

the operator instructions:

• The unit is wired and labelled so that three-phase and single-phase inputs are never applied at the

same time.

• A clear panel warning instructs the operator to remove the DC 48 V connector from the drive when

three-phase power is applied to the drive, protecting the equipment across mode changes.

Protection and power conditioning use industrial-grade components throughout — PULS Dimension 24 V

and 48 V power supplies, Hager circuit protection and isolators, and Finder control relays — all

wired to a standard our engineers are happy to put their name on.

Engineered, built and tested by our team

This project showcases what our engineering team does every day: taking a real-world need — safely

testing and demonstrating B&R; ACOPOS drives anywhere — and delivering a complete, integrated

solution. From mechanical design and panel fabrication, through electrical design and wiring, to PLC

and HMI software development and full functional testing, every stage was carried out in-house.

If you need custom motion-control test equipment, B&R; ACOPOS drive diagnostics, or bespoke

automation training systems built to the same standard, talk to our team.

Frequently asked questions

What is the B&R; Training Cube used for?

A portable test, diagnostics and training system for B&R; ACOPOS servo drives — used to commission,

run, fault-find and demonstrate drives such as the ACOPOS 1090 and 1180.

Can it run from a normal wall socket?

Yes. It runs from either three-phase 380 VAC or single-phase 230 VAC, so it works in a full workshop or

from a standard outlet on site.

Was the software off-the-shelf?

No. The HMI and control application were written from scratch in-house for a B&R; APC2100 / C70 HMI,

purpose-built around the drive-testing workflow.

Who designed and built it?

The enclosure, mounting plates, electrical design and software were all designed and built in-house by the

Automation Republic engineering team.