LOL, This is funny to me because the ONLY supplier of FCMA starters has had people post phony questions in forums "asking" if anyone knew about them, then responded later with enough information to discern that they actually were employed by them and trying to get free exposure. In most of those posts they continually claim the the FCMA method is something "new", when in fact it is a very old technology that was abandoned by all other manufacturers years ago in favor of SCR based soft starters. Now you come along and say that you want something "new", which counters the exact thing they have tried to say for years! So if you are indeed posting a legitimate question (and not just the same marketing person from that manufacturer in India with a clever approach to getting your message out), then here is the best route for you. There are many suppliers of Medium Voltage solid state soft starters on the market. You will find them available now from all of the major suppliers such as Siemens, ABB, Schneider, GE, and Toshiba, as well as several smaller companies. In reality there are only a handful of people who actually manufacture them. Motortronics makes the basic soft starter for all of the brands mentioned above, although they do not have a world-wide support organization, so I suggest buying it through one of them. Rockwell / Allen Bradley makes a product that is OK, as does Benshaw. Another brand that has several brand-label agreements in Solcon out of Israel. A smaller company named Aucom from New Zealand has recently entered the market but as of yet I don't think they have any installed, their pricing is apparently too high right now. There are several other smaller suppliers, but they all brand label either the Motortronics or the Solcon, maybe one or two use Benshaw (but usually Benshaw is too protective of their profits to share with another partner). What you want to look at for reliability is for the supplier to use as much fiber-optic control and signal isolation as possible. MV soft starters are highly susceptible to EMI and those who don't use fiber optics are doomed to have long-term problems. Some manufacturers (i.e. Allen Bradley and Benshaw) only use fiber optics on the gate circuit. Motortronics and Solcon use it on the feedback signals as well, so they are much more immune to problems. This is why other companies use them for brand-labeling. When your profit margin is reduced (by not being the original manufacturer), you cannot afford problems in the field. This works to the end user's benefit as well.

Hi,

who is selling Solcon in India ?

OJ

Emco Kimo Electronics is a supplier of Solcon Soft Starters in India.

Emco Kimo has installed several soft starters in MV and LT for Solcon all over India.

Soft starters rated up to 11kv and 8000kw have been installed and sold in India. For further information send e mail to sales@emcoinfo.com

FCMA is an inductor based system. Inductors control current to 50% at full voltage. At end of ramp up the by pass contactor closes and full voltage and current passes to the motor. Use large amp inductors to copy FCMA.

Chirayush gandhi

FCMA Facts

Know the truth,

What is FCMA ?

FCMA is a given name for a series Reactor type soft starter. There is no IS/IEC/Textbook reference for the name FCMA.



FCMA Construction



The FCMA uses Reactance coils wound on a normal Iron Core. The use of Iron Core reduces cost of copper, Introduces harmonics and produces heavy humming sound during starting.



Who uses FCMA



A FCMA user is a non technical, non electrical person who is not aware about motor starting techniques. He gets carried away with FCMA bla-bla. The IS 3914 gives clear guidelines for various starting methods of Induction motors. The FCMA user does not refers to any IS/IEC standard.



Does it Save Money ?



No, since the buyer is not aware about the correct technical features of FCMA he pays very high cost due to the monopoly created by FCMA name.



Consult a Expert



Be wise. Take advise from a independent knowledgeable, Experienced authority in motor starting methods before buying a FCMA. Remember that there are correct, better and economical options available.







CEO / New Delhi

Chartered Engineers Organization.

Dear Sir,

i wud like to knw abt FCMA technology....i saw FCMA soft starter in TATA steel(largest steel producer in india) ..rating is 1800KW, 11KV...... this FCMA softstarter working since from 8 years..still working fine...... as per u..this is old tech. bt is there any harm...disadvantage by using FCMA SS........

& why FCMA tech. not in IS standard?????

Dear Sir

I saw FCMA soft starter in maruti suzuki (a renowned automobile company in India) rating is 700KW/ 11KV Working fine for more than 20 years...... maintenance free.... more over.... users are very much satisfied with FCMA technology....

I have talked to many users they are satisfied with FCMA technology as it requires nearly no maintenance.....

I can not any demerits of FCMA Technology......

I talked with manufacturers and think FCMA technology is very useful....

FCMA Facts

Know the truth,

What is FCMA ?

FCMA is a given name for a series Reactor type soft starter. There is no IS/IEC/Textbook reference for the name FCMA.



FCMA Construction



The FCMA uses Reactance coils wound on a normal Iron Core. The use of Iron Core reduces cost of copper, Introduces harmonics and produces heavy humming sound during starting.



Who uses FCMA



A FCMA user is a non technical, non electrical person who is not aware about motor starting techniques. He gets carried away with FCMA bla-bla. The IS 3914 gives clear guidelines for various starting methods of Induction motors. The FCMA user does not refers to any IS/IEC standard.



Does it Save Money ?



No, since the buyer is not aware about the correct technical features of FCMA he pays very high cost due to the monopoly created by FCMA name.



Consult a Expert



Be wise. Take advise from a independent knowledgeable, Experienced authority in motor starting methods before buying a FCMA. Remember that there are correct, better and economical options available.







CEO / New Delhi

Chartered Engineers Organization.

I checked up on the IS 3914 for motor starting, but it is withdrawn. Are there any alternative standards for the same?

What according to you is the harm in using FCMA starters for the motors?

can u tell me..1. what is disadvantages of FCMA tech????

2. why FCMA tech. not in IS/IEC standards??

3. any economical option for FCMA tech.?

can anybody explain the principle of FCMA starter?

Do a search on the term "saturable core reactor". That is the basic principal behind the technology, they have just tweaked it a bit. GE and Westinghouse used to sell them up until the 1970s for motor starting, but as I said some time ago now, they abandoned the concept. GE's was called an Amplidyne I think, Westinghouse called theirs something else, maybe a Mag-Amp? The technology is still used a lot in various industries, but only that one Indian manufacturer has resurrected it for use as a motor starter.

Hello,

For moredetails, please see www.emcoinfo.com, or www.solcon.com. These are some of the best soft starters world wide. We have installed in India 185 controllers for ONGC in Mehsana, and another 12 pcs of 11KV, 8.8MW on Mumbai South Platform, for off shore. Additional orders from ONGC will be for 15 to 20 more controllers in 2007.

If you want more details, please visit the web site and send us an official inquiry. I must tell you that the FCMA, so called Inductive Reactance, or Saturated Core Reactance Soft Starters were made obsolete 20 years ago, however, FCMA has done well in marketing, and specifications, at 70% lower price of Digital Soft Starters, they have generated a large market share in India.

The only reason they survive, is becuase of the L-1 tender policy for government projects, and continual reductions in prices, which cannot be a long lasting sales and marketing policy, which is devised to protect an, old and obsolete, technology called FCMA. General Electric USA, removed this technology, becuase it does not allow a client to adjust an optimal ramp setting for the motor at the touch of a button, if a client does not like the motor start up, he is stuck, with his FCMA for life!

But as they say, in India, price counts, and FCMA will pull of its pants, if it sees other global suppliers on the way. I am sure a smart Chinese manufacturer will break this market very soon. There is 1 FCMA maker in China, but he is not marketing correctly, specially in India.

For us, we want to be at the advent of new technology as a company policy, and therefore we will not go into a 20 year old technology.

The prices for inverters will fall, and then digital soft starters will fall, and then it is the end of FCMA, as time passes by. The new inverters on the market, if you see in 2007, are now all Power Regenerative, without Active Front End's, and offer 10x times more power, and relaibility over older Inverters, at the existing price levels. They offer internal filters, which lead to zero harmonics. The new electrical engineers will understand this more, and then catch FCMA, on its only USP, which states FCMA is without harmonics, as it changes the amplitude of the sine wave.

So how will FCMA, go into 2010, is a question for the future..!

Director Sales

Emco-Kimo

India.

As many has mentioned in the forum, FCMA is a name given to misguide non technical people, the technical name of the product is 'series reactor ' which has an IS/IEC standard [ 5553[part3]/IEC 289 ] which may be FCMA manufacurer will refuse to accept as it will wash out its monopoly. so let us consider its a non standard product as no standard base is ever provided by the manufracturer, the basic function of soft starter is to reduce starting current, restrict the maximum demand, but in case of iron core, the core itself gets heated, and consumes energy to generate heat, eddy currents,vibration.noice, and apperiantly user expiriance reduction in motor current, but the maximum demand meter always shows the truth!

these all problems can be eliminated by using air core reactors,

there are some genuine manufacurers in india who mnufacture air core based soft starters by following all the IS/IEC standards to deliver a standard product,

so remove the mental mud form your brains that FCMA is a technology, and look at the product with wide open technical eyes,

there are manufacturers who are dealing with this type of soft starter [ series reactor ] over 30 years now,

Dear Sir

I saw FCMA soft starter in maruti suzuki (a renowned automobile company in India) Working fine for more than 20 years...... maintenance free.... more over.... users are very much satisfied with FCMA technology....

I have talked to many users they are satisfied with FCMA technology as it requires nearly no maintenance.....

I can not any demerits of FCMA Technology......

I talked with manufacturers and think FCMA technology is very useful....