Variable frequency drive repair in Zambia
Schneider Altivar, WEG CFW, ABB, Danfoss and Siemens drives diagnosed to component level on our bench in Lusaka — not swapped, not shipped abroad.
What we repair
Variable frequency drives (VFDs, variable speed drives, inverters) from 0.75 kW to several hundred kW: IGBT and thyristor power stages, gate driver boards, control cards, DC bus capacitors, precharge circuits, cooling fans and keypads. We work on Schneider Altivar and Altistart, WEG CFW, ABB ACS, Danfoss VLT, Siemens Sinamics and Micromaster, Motortronics, Yaskawa and Mitsubishi units, and on unbranded OEM drives inside machinery.
Typical faults we resolve
Overcurrent and earth-fault trips, blown IGBT modules, failed gate drivers, bulging or dried DC bus capacitors, burnt precharge resistors, dead control supplies, corrupted parameter sets, keypad and communication faults, and drives that trip only under load or only when hot.
How the job runs
Bring the drive to Plot 34, Nyumbayanga, or we collect in Lusaka. We photograph and log the unit on intake, diagnose with oscilloscopes, thermal imaging and a load bank, and quote a fixed price before any repair work starts. Repaired drives are run at load and returned with a report of what failed and why.
When the board is discontinued
If the OEM no longer supplies the control or firing card, we reverse-engineer it and design a replacement — the same capability that put an HCS-designed board into a Lusaka Water pump station in February 2026, running since with zero failures.
Questions we are asked
Can you repair a VFD if the manufacturer says the part is discontinued?
Yes. We reverse-engineer the failed card, redesign it with components available today and build the replacement in Lusaka. That is the core of what Travis Labs does.
How long does a VFD repair take?
Diagnosis normally starts the day the unit arrives. Turnaround depends on parts; we quote both the price and the time before starting.
Do you repair on site or in the workshop?
Both. We carry diagnostic equipment to site for fault-finding and commissioning, and bring the unit to the workshop when board-level repair is needed.
Which brands do you work on?
Schneider, WEG, ABB, Danfoss, Siemens, Motortronics, Yaskawa, Mitsubishi and unbranded OEM drives built into machinery.
Related
Tell us what failed.
A photo of the unit and its nameplate on WhatsApp is enough to start.