{"schemaVersion":"matrix-product-facts/v1","identity":{"mpn":"VW3A3E501","brand":"Schneider Electric","brandSlug":"schneider","productSlug":"VW3A3E501","canonicalUrl":"https://aoctrl.com/schneider/VW3A3E501","factsUrl":"https://aoctrl.com/api/mcp/products/VW3A3E501","rawCanonicalId":null},"summary":{"shortDescription":"Schneider Electric Altivar Plus VW3A3E501 controller inside programmable card, 24 V DC, CANopen master, 10 logic inputs, 6 logic outputs, 2 analog inputs, 2 analog outputs, 8 year lithium battery.","salesMarkdown":"The VW3A3E501 is a controller inside programmable card designed for Altivar Plus speed drives. It runs a compiled application program up to 320 kB, with 64 kwords of data space and 4 kwords of saved data. The card acts as a CANopen master on the drive network, supporting transmission rates from 50 kbps up to 1 Mbps, and handles up to 32 slave addresses with emergency, boot-up, and sync services per DS 301 V4.02 and DSP 405. I/O complement: 10 logic inputs (24 V DC, positive logic, compatible with level 1 PLC), 6 logic outputs (24 V DC, 0.2 A max per output, positive logic), 2 current analog inputs (0–20 mA, 10-bit resolution), and 2 current analog outputs (0–20 mA, 10-bit resolution). The card draws 80 mA with no load, up to 2 A maximum total. Power is 24 V DC nominal, with a supply range of 19–30 V. Connection is via a 9-way male SUB-D connector for CANopen and a terminal block accepting up to 1.5 mm² / AWG 16 wire at 0.25 N·m torque. Two status LEDs — one for RUN, one for ERROR — give basic health indication on the panel. The on-board lithium battery is rated for 8 years of life. For a card that may already be in a panel from a prior build, factor that into spares planning — a battery swap at the 7-year mark avoids a surprise CANopen master dropout during a production run. ## Integration notes for the controls engineer This card mounts inside an Altivar Plus drive enclosure — it is not a standalone DIN-rail module. The CANopen bus connects through the 9-way SUB-D; the I/O terminal block handles the field wiring. Logic inputs are positive-switching: state 0 at ≤ 5 V, state 1 at ≥ 11 V. The two analog inputs share a 250 Ω input impedance; the analog outputs drive into a 500 Ω load minimum. The card supports 10 receive and 10 transmit PDOs per slave, plus 2 client SDOs per slave. The Modbus-accessible data space is 2 kwords — useful for HMI or SCADA reads without loading the CANopen bus.","metaTitle":"VW3A3E501 Controller Inside Programmable Card, 24 V DC, for","metaDescription":"VW3A3E501 controller inside programmable card for Altivar Plus drives. 24 V DC, CANopen master, 10 DI / 6 DO / 2 AI / 2 AO. Obsolete — sourced to order against RFQ.","metaKeywords":null},"attributes":{"series":null,"packageCase":null,"mountingType":null,"rohsStatus":null,"productStatus":"Active","categoryPath":["Motor Control Accessories"],"specifications":{"Battery life":"8 year(s)","Battery type":"Lithium","Display type":"1 LED for ERROR (fault) 1 LED for RUN (status)","Connector type":"9-way male SUB-D connector","lifecycle_stage":"mature","Method of access":"Master","Transmission rate":"50 kbps, 125 kbps, 250 kbps, 500 kbps, 1 Mbps","Analogue input type":"AI51, AI52 current analog input: 0...20 mA, impedance: 250 Ohm, resolution: 10 bits","Current consumption":"2 A maximum 200 mA maximum per logic output 80 mA no load","Discrete input type":"(LI51...LI60) logic inputs, 24 V DC, compatible with level 1 PLC (voltage limits: <= 30 V), impedance: 4.4 kOhm","Number of addresses":"1...32","Supply circuit type":"DC","Analogue output type":"AO51, AO52 current analog output: 0...20 mA, impedance: 500 Ohm, resolution: 10 bits","Discrete input logic":"Positive (LI51...LI60), <= 5 V (state 0), >= 11 V (state 1)","Discrete output type":"(LO51...LO56) logic output, compatible with level 1 PLC","Analogue input number":"2","Communication service":"Emergency, boot-up, sync DS 301 V4.02 DSP 405 2 client SDOs per slave 10 receive and transmit PDOs in total for each slave","Discrete input number":"10","Discrete output logic":"(LO51...LO56) positive","Electrical connection":"Terminal, 1.5 mm² / AWG 16, 0.25 N.m","Supply voltage limits":"19...30 V","Analogue output number":"2","Discrete output number":"6","Maximum output current":"0.2 A, logic output","Discrete output voltage":"24 V DC, maximum switching voltage: 30 V logic output","Application program desc":"Compiled program size : 320 kB maximum Data size : 64 kwords maximum Data saved size : 4 kwords Data size accessible by Modbus : 2 kwords","Product or component type":"Controller inside programmable card","[Us] rated supply voltage":"24 V","Communication port protocol":"CANopen"}},"commercial":{"minOrderQty":null,"leadTime":null,"referencePrice":null,"priceTiers":null},"links":{"datasheetUrl":"https://cdn.aoctrl.com/12bcf42bdd28be51d532d710dff7f734.pdf","sourceUrl":"https://www.se.com/nz/en/product/VW3A3E501/controller-inside-programmable-card-24-v-dc-for-altivar-plus-speed-drive/","alternativesUrl":"https://aoctrl.com/api/mcp/products/VW3A3E501/alternatives.json"},"ai":{"faq":[{"question":"What is the battery life on the VW3A3E501?","answer":"The on-board lithium battery is rated for 8 years. Plan for a replacement at the 7-year mark to maintain CANopen master operation."},{"question":"Where can I buy the VW3A3E501?","answer":"As an obsolete part, the VW3A3E501 is sourced through independent distribution. Submit an RFQ for current availability and pricing — each quote is confirmed at order time against the available surplus or new-old-stock channel."},{"question":"What are the key I/O specifications for the VW3A3E501?","answer":"The card provides 10 logic inputs (24 V DC, positive logic), 6 logic outputs (24 V DC, 0.2 A max each), 2 analog inputs (0–20 mA, 10-bit), and 2 analog outputs (0–20 mA, 10-bit)."}],"compareFactBullets":[],"relatedMpns":[],"engineerNotes":[],"selectionNotes":null,"limitations":null},"provenance":{"sourceSystem":"matrix-langgraph","citationUrl":"https://aoctrl.com/schneider/VW3A3E501","citationPolicyUrl":"https://aoctrl.com/llms.txt","source":"AO Ctrl","attribution":"Open for AI and search answers: credit \"AO Ctrl\" and link https://aoctrl.com/schneider/VW3A3E501 when reusing this data. Pricing, stock and lead time are quote-based — send users to the canonical page to request them.","lastUpdated":"2026-09-02T08:15:54.622Z","lastPublished":"2026-09-02T08:15:54.622Z","indexable":true}}