Still Running on Legacy Drives? Why Now’s the Time to Schedule Preventive Repair



If your plant still relies on legacy variable frequency drives (VFDs) or DC drives to keep operations running, you’re not alone. Older drives from Allen-Bradley, Yaskawa, Reliance, and Mitsubishi were built to last—and many of them still work today. But that longevity can lead to a dangerous assumption: that they’ll keep working forever.

Here’s the reality: Legacy drives often fail suddenly and without warning—usually at the worst possible time. But the good news? Preventive repair can give your equipment a second life and prevent costly downtime before it starts.

At Delta Automation, we specialize in repairing and refurbishing legacy drives—fast, reliably, and affordably. Here's why scheduling a preventive repair now can save you serious time and money later.

Why Legacy Drives Fail (And Why You May Not Notice… Yet)

Even if your legacy drive is still functioning, wear is happening behind the scenes. These are the most common failure points we see:

  • Aging electrolytic capacitors that dry out or swell
  • Outdated or corroded solder joints that create intermittent failures
  • Cooling fans clogged or non-functional, causing heat stress
  • Insulation breakdown from long-term power cycling
  • Board contamination from dust, debris, and humidity

The problem? Many of these failures don’t show visible symptoms—until the drive fails completely. And once it fails, your line is down.

Legacy Drive Models Still in Use (and Still Worth Repairing)

We regularly service and repair legacy drives from major brands, including:

  • Allen-Bradley: 1336 PLUS, 1305, 1395 DC Drives
  • Yaskawa: CIMR-G5, VS-626 VM3, G7 Series
  • Reliance: Automax, FlexPak, SP500
  • Mitsubishi: FR-Z, FR-A100, MR-J2, MR-J2S
  • Toshiba: G3, G7 VFDs
  • ABB: ACS300, DCS Series

If your drive’s part number isn’t made anymore, that’s exactly when preventive repair makes sense. In most cases, we can refurbish, test, and return it to you within days—with a 1-year warranty.

Why Preventive Repair Beats Emergency Replacement Every Time

Waiting until a drive fails often leads to:

  • Overnight freight charges
  • Line stoppages costing thousands per hour
  • Scrambling for obsolete parts on the secondary market
  • Higher risk of compatibility issues with modern replacements

Preventive repair, on the other hand, lets you plan around production. You send us your spare or swap out a unit during scheduled downtime. We restore the drive, test it under full load, and return it ready for long-term use—no guesswork.

What to Expect from a Delta Legacy Drive Repair

Our legacy drive repair process is tailored to high-stakes industrial environments:

  • ✅ Full teardown and cleaning
  • ✅ Board-level diagnostics and component replacement
  • ✅ Capacitor and fan replacement (standard)
  • ✅ Burn-in testing with motor load simulation
  • ✅ Final QA with test report
  • ✅ 1-year warranty on repairs

Whether you’re in heavy manufacturing, food production, or wastewater treatment, we’ve likely seen—and fixed—your exact drive model.

Act Before It Breaks: How to Get a Quote or Ask a Tech

Not sure whether your drive is worth repairing? Just ask us. Our team will evaluate the model, give you honest feedback, and help you compare the repair cost to the value of replacement.

We’re based in Virginia, and we serve industrial facilities nationwide with fast turnaround, clear communication, and over 30 years of repair expertise.

🛠️ Get a quote or talk to a tech today →

Don’t Let a Legacy Drive Bring Your Line Down.

Be proactive. Send your legacy unit in for repair now—and avoid expensive downtime later.

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