Sinumerik 828D Alarms & Diagnostics
How 828D Alarm Numbers Are Organized
The first thing an alarm number tells you is which subsystem is complaining — NC kernel, cycles, HMI, SINAMICS drive, I/O, or PLC. Learn the ranges and you can triage an alarm before you ever look it up.
| Range | Subsystem | What lives here |
|---|---|---|
| NC alarms / messages | ||
| 000000–009999 | NCK | General alarms (e.g. 3000 Emergency stop) |
| 010000–019999 | NCK | Channel alarms (program syntax, block prep, NC start) |
| 020000–029999 | NCK | Axis / spindle alarms; 027xxx = Safety Integrated |
| 060000–064999 | Cycles | Siemens cycle alarms (drilling, milling, turning, measuring cycles) |
| 065000–069999 | Cycles | User cycle alarms |
| 070000–079999 | Cycles | Compile cycle alarms (manufacturer / OEM) |
| 100000–129999 | HMI | Operator-panel / display system alarms |
| 130000–139000 | HMI | OEM HMI alarms |
| Drive and PLC | ||
| 200000–299999 | SINAMICS | Drive faults/alarms: 201xxx–203xxx Control Unit, 205xxx power unit, 206xxx infeed, 207xxx drive, 230xxx–233xxx DRIVE-CLiQ components |
| 300000–399999 | Drive / I/O | Drive and I/O interface alarms (e.g. 380500 PROFIBUS/PROFINET fault on drive) |
| 400000–400999 | PLC | General PLC alarms |
| 700000–700247 | User / OEM | Machine-builder alarms and messages — text and meaning come from your machine builder, not Siemens |
System errors: alarms 1000–1019 and 1160 are internal system errors — there is nothing to fix at the machine. Collect the alarm number/text and log files and contact Siemens support.
SINAMICS cross-reference trick: a 2xxxxx alarm is really a SINAMICS fault (F) or alarm (A) with a "2" bolted on the front. Replace the leading 2 with F or A to look it up in the SINAMICS S120/S150 List Manual:
828D alarm 207016 → SINAMICS fault F07016
828D alarm 201330 → SINAMICS alarm A01330How to Read and Clear an Alarm
Every alarm entry has four parts: Explanation (what happened), Reaction (what the control did about it), Remedy (what you do), and Program continuation (what it takes to clear it). The reaction tells you how bad it is; the continuation tells you how much work it is to get cutting again.
| Reaction (severity, worst first) | What the control does |
|---|---|
| NC / mode group / channel not ready | Fast braking (max braking current) and controller enable removed for the drives of that scope; "NC not ready" also drops the NC-ready relay |
| NC stop on alarm | All channels stop with a ramp stop (or at end of block for the "at block end" variant) |
| NC start disable | You cannot press Cycle Start in this channel until cleared |
| Re-reference axes | Position reference is lost — axes in the channel must be referenced again |
| Interpreter stop | Program cancels after the blocks already prepared (IPO buffer) finish |
| Correction block | Block prep found a program error you can fix at the control; edit and continue (with reorganization) |
| Alarm display only | Informational — shown on the screen, nothing stopped |
Clear conditions, from cheapest to most expensive:
| Clear condition | What it takes |
|---|---|
| Self-clearing | Alarm disappears on its own once the cause is gone — no operator action |
| Cancel / Clear key | Press ALARM CANCEL in any channel (Cycle Start or Reset also clears it) |
| NC start | Press CYCLE START in the affected channel and the program continues |
| RESET | Press RESET in the affected channel, then restart the part program |
| RESET in all channels | For mode-group alarms: Reset every affected channel, then restart |
| POWER ON | Switch the control off and back on — typical for encoder hardware faults and system errors |
SINAMICS Drive Faults vs. Alarms
The 2xxxxx drive messages come in two flavors: a fault triggers a fault reaction and must be acknowledged after the cause is fixed (IMMEDIATELY, PULSE INHIBIT, or POWER ON); an alarm resets itself once the cause is removed.
| Fault reaction | What the drive does |
|---|---|
OFF1 | Brake to zero along the ramp-function generator ramp, then pulse disable (controlled stop) |
OFF2 | Immediate pulse suppression — the drive coasts down; holding brake closes immediately |
OFF3 | Brake to zero along the faster OFF3 down ramp, then pulse disable (quick stop) |
STOP2 | Brake along the OFF3 ramp but stay in closed-loop speed control at zero speed |
NONE | No reaction — message only |
Drive faults you are most likely to meet:
| Alarm | Text | Cause → remedy |
|---|---|---|
| 201000 | Internal software error | Control Unit firmware fault → POWER ON all components, check memory card, update firmware, call support |
| 207011 | Motor overtemperature | Motor temp sensor over fault threshold (p0605) → reduce load/duty, check cooling and sensor wiring |
| 207900 | Motor blocked / speed controller at limit | Motor at torque limit below the speed threshold longer than p2177 — crash, jam, or oscillating speed loop → free the axis, check tuning |
| 230021 | Power unit: ground fault | Ground fault in the power cables or motor → megger the cables and motor |
Common Alarms Quick Reference
The alarms below are the ones that actually show up on the shop floor — one line of cause and cure each. Parameters like %1/%2 in the official text are filled in with channel, axis, and block on the control.
| Alarm | Text | Cause → remedy |
|---|---|---|
| Control / PLC health | ||
| 2000 | PLC sign-of-life monitoring | PLC stopped updating its life-sign counter (MD10100 timeout) — PLC is in Stop or stuck in a loop → find the PLC stop cause; clears with power OFF–ON |
| 2001 | PLC has not started up | No PLC sign of life within MD10120 after power up → check timeout vs. first OB1 cycle, find PLC loop/stop; power OFF–ON |
| 3000 | Emergency stop | E-stop request on NC/PLC interface DB2600 DBX0.1 → remove the cause, acknowledge via DB2600 DBX0.2, RESET |
| 400003 | System error, connection error to MCP | PLC lost the machine control panel → check the MCP connection |
| Operation / NC start | ||
| 10203 | NC start without reference point | Cycle Start in MDI/AUTO with an unreferenced axis → reference the axes (behavior set per channel in MD20700) |
| 10208 | Continue program with NC start | Not a fault — block search with calculation is done and the control is waiting → press Cycle Start |
| 10620 | Axis at software limit switch | Motion would cross the soft limit — usually a work offset, transform, or handwheel overlay pushed it over → check the active frame/offsets |
| 10621 | Axis rests on software limit switch | Axis is parked on the limit → jog off it; limits live in MD36100/MD36110 |
| Program errors | ||
| 12080 | Syntax error in text | Bad grammar in the block at the position shown → fix the block (missing condition, missing operator, etc.) |
| 12550 | Name not known or not defined | Undefined identifier — typo, or a macro/GUD/program used before it exists → correct the name or load the definition |
| 14011 | Program not existing or will be edited | Called subprogram missing, not in the search path, not released, or open in the editor → check the name, release it |
| 16410 | Axis is not a geometry axis | Programmed a geometry axis the current transformation can't map → activate the transformation (TRAORI/TRANSMIT) or fix the axis word |
| 17020 | Illegal array index 1 | Array/variable access outside its defined size → fix the index (valid indices are within the DEF and 0–32766) |
| Tooling | ||
| 22069 | Tool management: no tool available in tool group | Every sister tool in the group is disabled (usually by tool life monitoring) → enable or load a usable tool |
| Axis / servo / drive | ||
| 21610 | Encoder frequency exceeded | Encoder ran past MD36300 — position reference may be lost → RESET, re-reference; check MD36300 and encoder signals |
| 25000 | Hardware fault of active encoder | Encoder signals missing, out of phase, or shorted → check measuring-circuit connectors and encoder; POWER ON to clear |
| 25050 | Contour monitoring | Actual position strayed from the model by more than MD36400 — sluggish or fighting axis → check servo tuning, mechanics, load |
| 25201 | Drive fault | Drive reports a serious fault → read the underlying drive alarms (380500/380501 or the 2xxxxx alarms) for the real cause |
| 25202 | Waiting for drive | Drive not communicating — normal briefly at power-up; if persistent (unplugged bus connector) it becomes 25201; self-clearing |
| 26102 | Drive sign of life missing | Drive stopped updating its sign-of-life over the bus → check bus/cycle-time settings; comm or hardware issue |
| 380500 | PROFIBUS/PROFINET: fault on drive | Shows the drive's own fault code/value → look it up in the SINAMICS list manual |
Cycle Alarms (60000–64999)
Alarms in the 61xxx/62xxx band come from Siemens' canned cycles (drilling, milling, turning, measuring/probing), almost always because a cycle parameter is missing or contradictory. The fix is in your cycle call, not the machine — correct the parameter and clear with RESET. 65000–69999 is the same idea for user-written cycles.
| Alarm | Text | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| 61000 | No tool offset active | Program a D offset before the cycle call |
| 61001 | Thread pitch incorrectly defined | Thread size and pitch parameters contradict each other — fix one |
| 61002 | Type of machining incorrectly defined | Fix the VARI parameter |
| 61101 | Reference point defined incorrectly | With incremental depth, reference plane and retract plane can't be equal — separate them or program absolute depth |
| 61102 | No spindle direction programmed | Program SDIR (SDR in CYCLE840) |
| 61110 | Finishing allowance > depth infeed | Reduce the floor finishing allowance or increase the depth of cut |
| Probing / measuring cycles | ||
| 61301 | Probe not switching | Full measuring distance traveled with no trigger → check the measuring input, approach distance, or a dead probe |
| 61303 | Safety margin exceeded | Measured result far from nominal → check the setpoint and the TSA parameter |
| 61304 / 61305 | Oversize / dimension too small | Measured deviation outside the TUL/TLL tolerance band → part or tolerance parameters |
| 62321 | Calibration ball diameter tolerance exceeded | Kinematics measurement out of tolerance → recalibrate the 3D probe, check the calibration ball mounting |
Diagnostics on the Control
Two habits worth building when an alarm has you stumped:
The alarm log. The HMI keeps an alarm log of everything that has come and gone — useful for intermittent faults that clear before you reach the screen. It can be configured to persist across power cycles; entry 150204 marks each restart of logging, and 150207 warns when the log is full and recording stops. HMI alarm 120200 ("Image preparation suppressed") just means the control is too busy to refresh the display — it clears itself.
Log files for support. Before calling Siemens, capture the diagnostic logs with the key combo below and note the alarm number + text and what the machine was doing when it fired — that's what support will ask for:
<Ctrl> + <Alt> + <D> → generates log files on the controlRemember the split in responsibility: 700xxx alarms belong to your machine builder (their text, their ladder, their manual), and 2xxxxx alarms are drive-side — look them up as F/A numbers in the SINAMICS list manual.
References
- Siemens, SINUMERIK 828D Alarms — Diagnostics Manual, 08/2018, 6FC5398-8BP40-6BA1.
- Siemens, SINAMICS S120/S150 List Manual (F/A fault and alarm details).
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