Betech is an official Sprint Electric distributor, supplying Sprint DC drives and industrial motor control across the UK from stock. If your drive has failed, send us a photograph of the rating label and we’ll identify what’s fitted and confirm the replacement.
Sprint Electric has designed and built DC drives in the UK since 1987 – from 0.25kW single-phase units on a DIN rail up to fully digital 1MW drives at 2250A. Very few manufacturers still cover that range. Fewer still build to order and hold stock, which is why most obsolete DC drive enquiries end up here.
We supply the whole range: DIN rail and enclosed drives for small permanent magnet and shunt wound motors, open chassis drives for OEM panels, analogue and fully digital regenerative drives up to 1MW, and the DC motors they run.
5kW to 1MW – fully digital, 2 quadrant and 4 quadrant
Sprint’s flagship digital DC drive, in five compact chassis sizes from 12A to 2250A output. 12V to 500VAC supply as standard, with 600V and 690VAC options. The 4 quadrant models are fully regenerative, returning braking energy to the supply instead of burning it off in a resistor. A 40-character backlit display and a full set of software function blocks make it configurable for the most demanding winding, extrusion and hoisting duties.
5kW to 145kW – analogue, 2 quadrant and 4 quadrant
Eleven models delivering up to 330A, for applications that want analogue control loops rather than a digital parameter set. Fully isolated control electronics, a built-in field weakener for extended speed range, switched current ranges for straightforward motor matching, and 50% extra peak torque for shock loads. The zero reference interlock makes it a common choice on extrusion lines.
Up to 11kW – seven sizes, 2 quadrant and 4 quadrant
Low-cost open chassis drives built to be designed into an OEM panel. Seven sizes, 2 quadrant non-regenerative or 4 quadrant regenerative, with Sprint’s micro analogue processor fitted to every model above the 370 for fine adjustment to the application.
0.25kW to 1.8kW – the 340/680/1220 Series
Compact DIN rail drives for small brushed and permanent magnet DC motors, rated 3.4A, 6.8A and 12.2A. Isolated and non-isolated versions, 2 quadrant and 4 quadrant, 110 to 240VAC as standard with 30 to 60VAC options giving output down to 24VDC. Plug-on screw terminals and accessible adjustments. At 0.25kW / 0.35HP this is the smallest drive in the range, and the usual answer when a small DC drive has been discontinued.
Up to 1.8kW – ready to wire
Four sizes in an IP40 enclosure with a mains on/off switch, dual voltage supply and a set-speed potentiometer already fitted. E models run forward only; ER models reverse. The quickest way to replace a small DC drive without building a panel around it.
Regenerative AC motor control
The AC drive in the Sprint Electric line-up. Generis uses a patented switching technology with no DC link, giving four quadrant control as standard, unity power factor and very low input current harmonics – so it regenerates into the supply and draws a clean current while it does it.
A replacement only saves time if it drops in. Armature current and voltage, field current, supply voltage and phase, enclosure and mounting all have to line up – and so does whether the drive needs to regenerate. That’s why we start from the rating label.
Send us the rating label. A clear photograph of the label on the existing drive is the best starting point. Add a photograph of the drive in the panel, and the motor nameplate if you can reach it. Email sales@betech.co.uk or use Quick Quote.
We identify what you have. Make, model, armature and field ratings, supply voltage and phase, and whether it’s 2 quadrant or 4 quadrant – including ranges that left production years ago.
We match it to a Sprint drive. Where the rating maps onto a current Sprint model, we quote that model. Where it doesn’t, we identify the nearest one and tell you what differs – providing datasheets and technical detail to check sitability – before you order.
We confirm stock. We hold Sprint Electric drives in stock. Where we don’t hold the model you need, we get it quickly and confirm the date on the quote.
Typical applications
Paper machines need wide speed and torque control with fast response across the whole range, which is why so many drive sections are still DC. Sprint drives handle the tension, winding and unwinding duties where the motor has to hold torque at very low speed.
Extruders run at constant torque for long periods and punish anything marginal. Sprint DC drives are used on extrusion lines up to 600kW, with the SL/X zero reference interlock and the PL/X software function set both built for the duty.
DC is long established in lifting, because on the way down the load drives the motor. 4 quadrant regenerative drives put that energy back into the supply instead of dissipating it, and hold torque at zero speed while the brake sets.
Very few manufacturers still build DC drives, and the small analogue end of the market has all but disappeared. Control Techniques stopped building analogue DC drives some years ago and the Mentor II has long been discontinued. Parker SSD – formerly Eurotherm Drives – has discontinued its small 506, 507 and 508 controllers. Sprint Electric still builds the full range in the UK, still builds to order, and still holds stock.
The Sprint DIN rail range maps onto those discontinued small drives almost exactly, because the model numbers are the armature current rating:
| Discontinued drive | Rating | Nearest Sprint Electric model |
|---|---|---|
| Parker SSD / Eurotherm 506 | 3A, 1 phase, 110–240VAC | 340 Series - 3.4A |
| Parker SSD / Eurotherm 507 | 6A, 1 phase, 110–240VAC | 680 Series - 6.8A |
| Parker SSD / Eurotherm 508 | 12A, 1 phase, 110–240VAC | 1220 Series - 12.2A |
| Control Techniques Mentor II | Digital, 2Q and 4Q | PL/X Series - 12A to 2250A |
Isolated and non-isolated versions are available across the DIN rail range, in 2 quadrant and 4 quadrant. Every swap still needs checking against the label – armature and field ratings, supply voltage and phase, and whether the drive has to regenerate – so send us a photograph and we’ll confirm it before you order.
An official Sprint Electric distributor. Betech is listed in Sprint Electric’s own UK distributor network, approved for single phase, three phase, digital and slip-ring drives.
Stock – and speed when it isn’t stocked. We hold Sprint Electric drives in stock. Where we don’t hold the model you need, we get it quickly and tell you when on the quote.
0.25kW to 1MW. DIN rail, enclosed, open chassis, analogue and fully digital regenerative – one supplier across the whole range.
Replacements for discontinued drives. Send the rating label and we’ll identify the Sprint equivalent, including for ranges that left production years ago.
The rest of the drive train. Drives rarely fail in isolation. We also supply the DC motors, gearboxes and AC drives that sit alongside them.
Breakdown cover. If a line is down, call 01924 411921. We quote in minutes, not days.
ISO 9001 certified. Betech 100pt Ltd is UKAS-accredited and ISO 9001 registered.
Frequently asked questions
Betech 100pt Ltd, based in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, is an official Sprint Electric distributor and is listed in Sprint Electric’s own UK distributor network. Call 01924 411921 or email sales@betech.co.uk.
Yes. Send us a photograph of the rating label, ideally with a photograph of the drive in the panel and the motor nameplate. The armature and field ratings, the supply voltage and whether the drive is 2 quadrant or 4 quadrant are usually enough to identify a match.
Several DC drive ranges are no longer manufactured, particularly at the small analogue end. Sprint Electric still builds across the full range from 0.25kW upwards. Send us the rating label and we’ll identify the nearest current Sprint model and tell you what differs before you order.
Yes. We hold Sprint Electric drives in stock, and where we don’t hold the model you need we can get it quickly. We’ll confirm availability and the date when we quote.
Yes, but by far fewer manufacturers than twenty years ago, and the small analogue drives have been hit hardest. Sprint Electric has designed and built DC drives in the UK since 1987 and still covers the full range, from 0.25kW DIN rail units to fully digital 1MW drives.
0.25kW / 0.35HP / 3.4A – the 340 Series, DIN rail mounted, from a 110 to 240VAC single phase supply. Options down to a 30 to 60VAC supply are available where the output needs to be as low as 24VDC.
A 2 quadrant drive drives the motor in one direction and coasts or brakes mechanically. A 4 quadrant drive motors and brakes in both directions, and is regenerative – braking energy goes back into the supply rather than into a resistor. 4 quadrant is what you need for reversing duties, overhauling loads such as hoists and lifts, and fast controlled stopping.
An analogue drive is set up with physical adjustments and control loops – quick to commission and easy to fault-find with a meter. A digital drive holds its settings as parameters, can be configured in software, and offers serial or fieldbus communication and data logging. Sprint’s SL/X range is analogue; the PL/X range is fully digital.
Yes. Betech supplies DC motors in both IEC and NEMA frames, including permanent magnet and shunt wound machines, alongside AC motors, gearboxes and AC drives.
The PL/X product manual and the single phase and three phase catalogues are in the downloads section on this page. For anything not listed, call 01924 411921 or email sales@betech.co.uk and we’ll send it over.
Downloads
Contact
Betech 100pt Ltd
Four Square Buildings, Thomas Street
Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, WF16 0LS
Telephone: 01924 411921
Email: sales@betech.co.uk
Opening hours: 8:00 to 17:00
