VFD Replacement Guide: Successors to Discontinued Drives

Yaskawa V1000 and A1000 replacement

Yaskawa Europe announced on February 24, 2023 that the A1000, V1000 and J1000 would be phased out from March 1, 2023 and become discontinued on March 1, 2024, with GA700 and GA500 as the replacements. It also warns that during the phase-out it cannot guarantee full product support because of component availability.

In the Americas, Yaskawa publishes a V1000-to-GA500 transition guide (PL.GA500.01). It gives a model-by-model cross-reference, states that the V1000 and GA500 have the same mounting dimensions so no mounting kit is needed, and notes that the V1000 uses crimp ring lugs while the GA500 accepts bare wire. Yaskawa recommends DriveWizard Industrial to transfer parameters; DriveWizard Mobile cannot transfer V1000 parameters, but you can also read changed parameters from the V1000 verify menu and enter them by hand.

For an A1000 in the Americas, Yaskawa America’s general-purpose line is the GA800, but we did not find a Yaskawa America notice naming it as the A1000 successor; confirm with Yaskawa before ordering.

PowerFlex 700 and PowerFlex 70 replacement

Rockwell lists the PowerFlex 700 as discontinued and no longer available for sale as of November 30, 2023, and recommends the PowerFlex 750 family. Its PowerFlex Drive Conversion Tool supports migrating PowerFlex 700 drives with vector control to PowerFlex 755TS drives. The PowerFlex 70 followed on September 30, 2026 for its IP20/NEMA Type 1, IP54/Type 12 and flange versions; the NEMA 4X versions stay in Active Mature status. Use Rockwell’s Product Lifecycle Status search with the catalog number on the nameplate to check any unit.

Migration checklist for any drive replacement

1. Footprint and mounting: compare dimensions and heat-sink depth. Some pairs match (V1000 to GA500; Mitsubishi states FR-E800 installation size matches FR-E700), others do not (Schneider warns the ATV630 can be significantly larger than the same-horsepower ATV61, which may affect the UL listing of the assembly).
2. Power wiring: check terminal type and layout, wire size, branch-circuit protection and input fuses in the new manual. Label every wire before removal.
3. Control wiring and safety: map each digital and analog I/O. Safety inputs may change, for example ATV61 PWR to ATV600 STOA/STOB. Wire STO exactly as the new manual and your risk assessment require; never jumper it out to get running.
4. Parameters: use the maker’s transfer tool where one exists (Yaskawa DriveWizard Industrial, PowerFlex Drive Conversion Tool) or the published parameter mapping (Siemens FAQ 64913783). Never copy values blindly; scaling and defaults differ.
5. Motor data and tuning: enter nameplate data and run the auto-tune again on the new drive.
6. Fieldbus: confirm the protocol and option card exist for the new drive, then update the PLC configuration, I/O assemblies and comm-loss action. Schneider notes the ATV630 may not support every ATV61 network option.
7. Braking: check that a braking chopper or resistor connection exists. Schneider notes ATV600 drives have no provision for a dynamic braking resistor or DC bus connection.
8. Harmonics and filters: re-check line reactors, filters and the harmonic study if the new drive has a different front end or DC choke.
9. Carrier frequency and derating: Yaskawa notes raising GA500 carrier frequency above default may require derating.
10. Save a full parameter backup and the new manual next to the drive before handing it back to production.

Drives we could not confirm

We left out pairings we could not verify from a maker’s own lifecycle page on the read date: a Danfoss successor statement for older VLT FC 300-generation drives, an Altivar 31 replacement notice in English, and an official Siemens MICROMASTER 4 discontinuation date. If you have one of these, ask the maker’s sales or service office for the lifecycle letter for your exact part number.