Schneider Altivar Fault Codes: What They Mean and How to Fix Them

When a Schneider Altivar drive trips, it shows a three-letter code such as OCF or OLF and stops the motor. This guide covers the Altivar fault codes a maintenance team meets most often, what each one means, the usual cause, and how to clear it, so you can get from a stopped line to a root cause in minutes. The codes below are consistent across the common Altivar ranges (ATV12, ATV32, ATV320, ATV340, ATV610, ATV630 and ATV930).

Key takeaways

• Altivar codes are mnemonic: OCF is overcurrent, OLF is motor overload, OHF is drive overheat, USF is undervoltage. Read the letters and you are halfway to the cause.
• Most trips point away from the drive: the supply, the load, the motor cable, or the cooling. OBF and OCF in particular are almost always a deceleration or ramp problem, not a failed drive.
• A code that returns the moment you restart means the condition is still there. Clearing it without fixing the cause just stops the line again.

How an Altivar fault works

The Altivar protects itself and the motor by tripping the instant a measured value leaves its safe window: output current, DC bus voltage, heatsink temperature, or a lost signal. The keypad shows the three-letter code, the drive coasts the motor to a stop, and most faults latch until you reset them. The code is a pointer, not a verdict. OBF DC bus overvoltage does not mean the drive is broken; it means a high-inertia load was decelerated faster than the drive could bleed off the energy the motor pushed back.

Schneider Altivar fault code reference

The faults most common on the shop floor, with the code as it appears on the keypad, the meaning, and the usual cause. The complete list for your exact model is in its programming manual.

Fixing the faults you will actually see

OCF Overcurrent. The output current spiked past the limit. Look at the mechanics and the ramp first: a jam, a seized bearing, or a load that grew, then an acceleration ramp that is too short for the inertia. Rule out a motor cable fault and confirm the drive is sized for the motor before you suspect the hardware.

OBF DC bus overvoltage. On a real line this is almost always a deceleration problem: a loaded conveyor or a high-inertia fan is stopped faster than the drive can absorb the energy the motor returns. Extend the deceleration time, or fit a dynamic braking resistor sized for the load. This is the same physics behind a VFD overvoltage fault on any brand.

OSF and USF, supply voltage. OSF means the incoming line is too high; USF means it sagged too low. Both are upstream of the drive. Measure the actual supply under load, check for a loose incoming terminal, and look for a large motor or welder on the same feed that pulls the line down on start.

OLF Motor overload. The motor pulled more current than its thermal model allows. Check the mechanical load, then confirm the motor thermal current parameter matches the motor nameplate. A recurring OLF on the same machine is a load or a motor problem, not a nuisance to be raised away.

OHF Drive overheat. The heatsink ran too hot. Clean the heatsink, check the cooling fan and the enclosure ventilation, and confirm the ambient temperature. A drive in a sealed panel next to a heat source will trip on a hot afternoon even when nothing electrical is wrong.

SCF short circuit and OPF phase loss. SCF is a genuine electrical fault: megger the motor and the motor cable and inspect the terminations before running again. OPF1 or OPF2 means a motor phase is missing: check the drive-to-motor wiring, the terminals, and any output contactor.

How to clear an Altivar fault

Do not clear a fault until you know why it tripped. Once the cause is fixed, most Altivar faults reset by cycling input power, by a configured digital-input fault reset, or over the fieldbus. Some, such as SCF short circuit, require the DC bus to fully discharge before they will clear. If the code returns the instant you run, the condition is still present. Repeatedly clearing an OCF or an SCF just to keep production moving is how a small problem becomes a burned motor or a damaged drive.

Turn recurring faults into a maintenance signal

One overload trip is an event. The same Altivar tripping on OLF every shift, or on OHF every summer afternoon, is a pattern that predicts a failure. Teams that stay ahead of drive faults do not just reset them, they log them: which code, which asset, which shift, how often. That record is where a stopped machine becomes a scheduled fix instead of a surprise.

This is what a CMMS and predictive maintenance software are for: capturing every trip against the asset, surfacing the drives that fault most, and raising a work order before the next one stops the line. If drive faults are turning into unplanned downtime, book a demo and we will show you how the recurring ones get caught early.

Related reading: VFD overcurrent fault troubleshooting, mvtor overload relay tripping, and fault-code guides for other drives: ABB, Siemens Sinamics and Yaskawa.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common Altivar fault? On most lines it is OCF overcurrent or OLF motor overload, both usually a load or ramp problem, followed by OHF drive overheat in hot weather and OBF DC bus overvoltage on hard-stopping machines.

How do I reset an Altivar fault? Fix the cause first, then reset by cycling input power, by a configured fault-reset input, or over the fieldbus. A latched fault such as SCF needs the DC bus to discharge before it clears.

What does OBF mean on an Altivar? OBF is a DC bus overvoltage, almost always from decelerating a high-inertia load too fast. Extend the decel time or fit a braking resistor rated for the load.

Does a fault code mean the Altivar is broken? Usually not. Most Altivar codes point to the supply, the load, the motor cable, or the cooling. A true internal drive fault such as InF is the exception, not the rule.

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