Finding the Right Kinetix 5500 Servo Drive

What the Kinetix 5500 Is, and Where It Fits in the Kinetix Family

The Kinetix 5500 is one of three current Allen-Bradley servo drive lines, each designed for a different scale and complexity of motion application:

• Kinetix 5500 (Bulletin 2198) is the compact, single-axis drive covered in this guide. Continuous power up to 14.6 kW (roughly 20 HP equivalent for typical servo applications). Integrated Motion over EtherNet/IP. Best for machine-level motion: single-axis or small multi-axis applications on conveyors, indexing tables, packaging machines, and similar equipment.
• Kinetix 5700 (Bulletin 2198 power supplies and inverters) is the larger, modular drive system for coordinated multi-axis motion. Separate power supplies, single-axis inverters, dual-axis inverters, and regenerative bus supply options that share a common DC bus. Continuous power scales much higher than the 5500. Best for larger machines, coordinated motion across many axes, and applications that benefit from shared DC bus efficiency or regenerative power.
• Kinetix 6500 (Bulletin 2094) is the predecessor generation, now legacy but still in service across many plants. Common DC bus architecture similar to the 5700 but on the older 2094-series hardware. If you’re maintaining a Kinetix 6500 system, replacement drives are obtainable, but new builds typically move to the 5700.

If your application is single-axis or small multi-axis at machine level, with motor sizes up to roughly 14.6 kW, the Kinetix 5500 is the right line. If you need coordinated motion across many axes, regenerative power, or larger motors, you’re looking at the 5700. If you have a 6500 system already, you’re maintaining it or plan-ning the eventual transition to the 5700.

Where the Kinetix 5500 fits in the Allen-Bradley control architecture

The Kinetix 5500 is built specifically for integrated motion within the Allen-Bradley Logix architecture. A few practical pieces of that architecture are worth knowing about before diving into the catalog:

• Logix controller required. The drive is configured, tuned, and programmed entirely through Studio 5000 Logix Designer, working with a ControlLogix (1756-L7x or 1756-L8x) or CompactLogix (5370 or 5380) controller. There is no standalone configuration software for the 5500; the controller is part of the system.
• EtherNet/IP only. The 5500 uses Integrated Motion over EtherNet/IP as its sole motion network. Motion commands, configuration, and (on the ERS2) the safety STO command all travel over the same Ethernet network. There’s no DeviceNet, no SERCOS, no proprietary motion bus.
• Motor family matters. The drive only works with specific Allen-Bradley motor families. MPL, MPM, MPF, MPS, and MPAR rotary motors and MPAS, MPAR, MPAI linear actuators are the most common. The motor and drive must be matched not just on size but on feedback type (Hiperface DSL on newer motors, with the 2198-H2DCK converter kit available for older Hiperface motors).
• Safe Torque Off is standard, with two flavors. Every 5500 has STO built in, and the question is whether you want hardwired STO (the ERS) or integrated safety over EtherNet/IP (the ERS2). We dig into that decision in section 4.

This system context is the part of the 5500 selection that catches first-time buyers off guard. The drive itself is one line item, but the working installation also needs the right motor, the right cables, the right controller, and the right software environment. The article walks through each of these, but the short version is – when you’re sourcing a Kinetix 5500, plan for the system, not just the drive.

The Kinetix 5500 Catalog: Ratings, Voltage, and Frame Size

The Kinetix 5500 lineup is twelve drives total: six current ratings (003, 008, 015, 025, 040, 070) across two generations (ERS for hardwired safety, ERS2 for integrated safety over EtherNet/IP). The ratings track each other one-for-one across generations: a 2198-H025-ERS and a 2198-H025-ERS2 have identical power output and physical size; what differs is how Safe Torque Off is implemented. Section 4 covers that decision in detail.

The Kinetix 5500 supports three input voltage classes (240V single-phase, 240V three-phase, and 480V three-phase), but not every drive supports every class. The smaller drives accept single-phase input; the larger drives require three-phase. Second, continuous power output depends on input voltage: the largest drive (H070) delivers 14.6 kW at 480V three-phase but only 7.0 kW at 240V three-phase. Match the rating to your actual line voltage.

The Kinetix 5500 lineup

Reading the columns

• Continuous output current (rms) is the steady-state current the drive can deliver to the motor over the long run. This is the most useful number when matching a drive to a motor: pair the drive with a motor whose continuous current draw is at or below this rating.
• Peak output current (not shown above for table clarity) is roughly 2.5× the continuous current and is available for short bursts up to one second. For applications with high acceleration or momentary high-torque demands, the peak rating matters as much as the continuous.
• Continuous power is shown at both common voltage classes because the drive’s output power scales with input voltage. The same drive delivers roughly twice the kW at 480V as at 240V. If your line is 480V, you have more headroom; if it’s 240V, size up accordingly.
• Input voltage lists every supported class for each drive. The 003 and 008 are the only drives that accept single-phase input, which is useful for smaller machines on light circuits. From the 015 up, three-phase is required.
• Frame size drives the physical envelope: Frame 1 (smallest, H003 and H008) is roughly 50 mm wide; Frame 2 (H015, H025, H040) is roughly 70 mm wide; Frame 3 (H070) is roughly 100 mm wide. All three frames share the same depth and similar height profiles, which makes mixing frames in one panel straightforward.

If you have your motor specs (continuous current and voltage class), the catalog number falls out of the table directly. If you’re working backward from an existing drive’s catalog number, the table identifies what you have and what to source as a replacement. If you’re not sure which row matches, send us the motor nameplate or the application requirements and we’ll spec it.

Shop our AB Kinetix products here.

ERS vs. ERS2: Which Generation Do You Need?

This is the single most important selection decision in the Kinetix 5500 family, and it’s the question that catches buyers off guard most often. The two generations look identical, have identical power output, and share the same frame sizes and motor compatibility. What differs is how Safe Torque Off works, and that difference cascades into your wiring, your controller, and your safety architecture.

The short answer

• Choose ERS if you’re using hardwired safety circuits: a safety relay, a safety contactor, or a discrete safety PLC sending an STO signal to the drive over physical wires. The ERS has STO inputs on its connector that accept a 24V signal from your safety circuit. This is the simpler architecture, the one that’s been standard in industrial machine design for decades, and it’s still the right answer for many applications.
• Choose ERS2 if you’re using a GuardLogix safety controller and want the STO command to travel over the EtherNet/IP network rather than over hardwired safety wiring. The ERS2 supports CIP Safety over EtherNet/IP, which means the same network that carries motion commands also carries the safety command. This is the modern integrated-safety architecture that Rockwell is positioning as the path forward for Logix-based systems.

Both generations are in active production. Both remain widely deployed. The choice isn’t between old and new; it’s between two valid safety architectures.

The longer answer

The architectural differences matter in three practical ways.

• Wiring. The ERS uses two dedicated STO input terminals (Safety 1 and Safety 2) plus a Safety Common, wired to your safety circuit with discrete wires. The ERS2 has no dedicated STO inputs because the safety command arrives over the EtherNet/IP cable that’s already connected for motion. For new builds where you’re routing fewer wires, the ERS2 simplifies the panel; for retrofits into existing safety wiring, the ERS drops in more cleanly.
• Controller requirements. The ERS works with any Logix controller (standard ControlLogix 1756-L7x/L8x or CompactLogix 5370/5380). The ERS2 requires a GuardLogix safety-rated controller to issue the STO command over the network. If you don’t have a GuardLogix and aren’t planning to add one, the ERS2’s networked safety feature can’t be used.
• Safety rating. The ERS is rated up to Performance Level d (PL d) and Safety Integrity Level CL2 (SIL CL2) under ISO 13849 and IEC 61508. The ERS2 is rated up to Performance Level e (PL e) and SIL CL3. For applications where the higher safety rating is required by the risk assessment, the ERS2 is the answer. For applications where PL d / SIL CL2 is sufficient, either works.

A practical decision framework

For most buyers, the decision tree is short:

1. Are you using a GuardLogix controller, or planning to? If no, the ERS is your drive. If yes, continue to step 2.
2. Does your safety risk assessment require PL e / SIL CL3? If yes, the ERS2 is required. If no, either works.
3. Are you building a new system or retrofitting an existing one? New builds with GuardLogix typically benefit from the ERS2’s simpler wiring and unified network. Retrofits often stay with the ERS to match the existing safety architecture.

Important: ERS and ERS2 are not field-interchangeable

If you have an existing ERS drive that fails, you replace it with another ERS, not with an ERS2. The two drives are wired differently and connected to different safety systems; swapping one for the other isn’t a drop-in. Likewise, if you have an ERS2 drive that fails, you replace it with another ERS2.

This is one of the practical reasons ERS drives remain in demand even though the ERS2 is newer: every plant running ERS drives needs ERS replacements when one fails, and that demand isn’t going away. The ERS isn’t a “legacy” drive that’s being phased out; it’s a current product serving a different architecture than the ERS2. If your existing drive’s catalog number ends in -ERS, source another -ERS. If it ends in -ERS2, source another -ERS2. We carry both.

How to Read a 2198 Catalog Number

Kinetix 5500 catalog numbers follow a simple, consistent pattern that tells you everything important about the drive in a single line. Once you know the structure, you can read any 2198-H drive on sight.

Each position has a specific meaning. The format is: 2198 – H xxx – ERS[2]

The current rating code is the part that varies most across the catalog. It corresponds (loosely) to the drive’s peak current capability in tenths of an amp, though in practice you read the code as a tier: 003 is the smallest, 070 is the largest, and the gaps between them follow the standard frame-size jumps. The exact continuous and peak current ratings are in the table in section 3.

A few worked examples:

• 2198-H008-ERS → Kinetix 5500, single-axis, 008 rating (2.5 A continuous, Frame 1), hardwired safety
• 2198-H025-ERS2 → Kinetix 5500, single-axis, 025 rating (8.0 A continuous, Frame 2), integrated safety over EtherNet/IP
• 2198-H070-ERS → Kinetix 5500, single-axis, 070 rating (23.0 A continuous, Frame 3, the largest), hardwired safety

Two related catalog numbers worth knowing because they’re often mistaken for drive part numbers:

• 2198-CAPMOD-1300 is the Kinetix 5500 capacitor module (1360 µF), used in shared-bus configurations with two or more drives. Not a drive itself, but commonly ordered alongside them.
• 2198-H2DCK is the Hiperface-to-DSL feedback converter kit, used when pairing a Kinetix 5500 with older MP-series motors that use the Hiperface feedback protocol rather than DSL.

If your existing drive’s label doesn’t match the patterns above, double-check: 2198-D-series and 2198-P-series catalog numbers belong to the Kinetix 5700 family, not the 5500. The 5700 uses a similar 2198 bulletin but covers a different (larger, multi-axis) product line, as covered in section 2.

The Kinetix 5500 System: Motors, Controllers, and Accessories

Unlike a VFD that connects to almost any AC motor, the Kinetix 5500 only works with a specific set of Allen-Bradley motor families and requires a specific software and controller environment. Ordering a drive without the rest of the system, or with the wrong combination of parts, is one of the most common mistakes first-time Kinetix buyers make. Here’s what you actually need.

Compatible motors

The Kinetix 5500 is designed to work with the Allen-Bradley MP-series and VP-series motor families, plus their linear-actuator equivalents:

Motors with newer Hiperface DSL feedback connect to the drive directly with a single cable. Older motors with traditional Hiperface feedback can still be used, but require the 2198-H2DCK feedback converter kit to interface with the drive. Newer VPL and VPS motors with absolute high-resolution encoders are supported on ERS2 drives running firmware revision 2.001 or later.

Source Your Kinetix 5500 From TCI Supply

Whether you’re speccing a complete new Kinetix 5500 motion system, replacing a failed 2198 drive in a running machine, or evaluating an upgrade from ERS to ERS2, you need to know exactly what you have and what’s actually available.

Plants running ERS drives need ERS replacements; plants on integrated-safety architectures need ERS2. Beyond the drives themselves, the surrounding system (motors, cables, capacitor modules, shunts) is where most ordering mistakes happen, and where a sourcing partner that knows the Kinetix family saves you time and rework.

Send us your drive’s catalog number, your motor part number, or just the application requirements, and we’ll confirm what’s available, identify the right matched components, and get you a quote. Whether you need a 2198-H025-ERS to keep a hardwired-safety machine running, a 2198-H040-ERS2 for a new GuardLogix-based build, or help speccing the complete system from drive to motor to cables, contact TCI Supply or call us at 1-800-755-2883.

TCI Supply is not an authorized Allen-Bradley distributor.

Companion Hardware Sourcing Guides

Building or modifying a manufacturing line requires coordination across your variable frequency drives, backbone enclosures, controller capabilities, and physical terminations. Review our companion hardware guides to map your complete hardware profile:

• Processor Sizing: Read our 1756 ControlLogix Processor Replacement Guide to evaluate memory capacities and CPU generations across backplanes.
• Chassis Networking Bridges: Visit our 1756 ControlLogix Communication Module Guide to coordinate EtherNet/IP distributed routing architectures and ControlNet loops.
• Field Wiring & Signal Cards: Visit our 1756 ControlLogix I/O Module Guide to total up power bus current constraints across discrete and analog signal racks.
• Backplane Power & Chassis Enclosures: Visit our 1756 ControlLogix Chassis and Power Supply Sourcing Guide to size backbone enclosures and backplane power constraints.
• Variable Frequency Drives: Visit our Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 753 and 755 Sourcing Guide to spec mid-tier and high-power industrial induction control.

Frequently Asked Questions