Compressor control cabinets: what is inside, and where the base build stops
Two ways people get here. Either a screw compressor runs already, mains pressure keeps swinging and start-stop cycles eat its life. Or it arrived without a drive and needs a panel. We list 25 builds, 0.75 to 315 kW, 3×380 V.
One boundary first, the one most often confused. Our cabinet controls the compressor motor: ramps it up, holds the speed, protects it by current. It does not take over the machine's own controller, pressure switch or unloading logic.
Why sizing a compressor drive by kilowatts fails
A compressor is not a fan. A fan starts almost unloaded; here the shaft must break a piston or screw block against receiver back-pressure and static friction in the oil film. Straight off the mains it draws 5 to 7 times rated current, which is why it goes on a drive. The 150 to 180 % breakaway torque does not go away, and the drive has to deliver the matching current inside its own overload curve: 150 % for about 90 s, 180 % for 10 s, 200 % for 3 s. A drive picked by the kilowatt figure misses that curve on a hard start and trips oL2 (Veichi code 15: inverter overload, not motor). The walkthrough with F-codes: sizing a VFD for a compressor by current.
So we size from the motor nameplate current. The base build carries Veichi at its G rating, the constant-torque figure, because that is the load. Breakaway torque in sensorless vector mode is 150 % of rated from 0.25 Hz (AC310) or 0.5 Hz (AC10), short-term overload 200 % for 3 s. AC310 with an encoder gives 200 % from zero speed.
| Power | Drive in base build | Drive rated output current | IP54 enclosure, W×H×D mm | Build | Price, UAH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.75–4 kW | Veichi AC10 | 3–9.5 A | 500×600×300, wall | CH-COMP-0R75-380 | 30,604 – 35,536 |
| 5.5–11 kW | Veichi AC10 | 13–25 A | 600×1000×300, wall | CH-COMP-5R5-380 | 44,311 – 51,964 |
| 15–22 kW | Veichi AC10 | 32–45 A | 800×1000×300, wall | CH-COMP-015-380 | 64,443 – 79,453 |
| 30–45 kW | Veichi AC310 | 60–90 A | 800×1200×400, wall | CH-COMP-030-380 | 106,281 – 137,225 |
| 55–75 kW | Veichi AC310 | 110–150 A | 1000×1200×400, wall | CH-COMP-055-380 | 171,068 – 208,639 |
| 90–110 kW | Veichi AC310 | 180–210 A | 800×1800×600, floor | CH-COMP-090-380 | 253,972 – 281,325 |
| 132–160 kW | Veichi AC310 | 250–310 A | 1000×2000×600, floor | CH-COMP-132-380 | 417,686 – 518,876 |
| 185–220 kW | Veichi AC310 | 340–415 A | 1000×2200×800, floor | CH-COMP-185-380 | 566,154 – 692,177 |
| 250–315 kW | Veichi AC310 | 470–600 A | 1200×2200×800, floor | CH-COMP-250-380 | 815,857 – 862,938 |
Prices include VAT, 4 October 2026. The column shows a range per group: left smallest, right largest. Each link opens the smallest power in its group; every build has its own card.
Headroom depends on the frame. From 4 kW up it runs 2.7 to 11.1 % over a typical nameplate: a 17 A drive against roughly 15.4 A on a four-pole 7.5 kW motor. Below that it changes: 43 % at 0.75 kW, and none at all at 2.2 kW where drive current equals the motor rating. A screw compressor loading up gradually is fine on the base margin. A piston machine with a hard start wants one step up. Cheaper than one service call.
Direct links
Power already known? 7.5 kW, 15 kW, 22 kW, 55 kW. The ladder filters by mounting: wall to 75 kW, floor from 90 kW.
Self-check: six lines before you order
Answer these, save a day of email.
- Nameplate current and winding connection at 380 V written down? We size the frame from those and check the start against the overload curve.
- Screw or piston, and is there a start unloading valve? A piston machine without unloading is the hardest case: one step up.
- What controls pressure today: a pressure switch, the compressor's own controller, or nothing? The cabinet leaves that logic where it is.
- What minimum speed does the compressor maker allow? That comes from the machine documentation, not the drive, and it limits the range.
- How many starts per hour now? If it starts twice a shift and runs fully loaded, a soft starter is cheaper.
- One motor, or several machines with alternation? Base build: one drive per motor. Anything else is a separate project.
What the base build includes
By content and price the compressor base build equals the ventilation one. So why not take the ventilation one? Because its drive is sized and tuned for an easy start. In the compressor preset the same money buys different sizing: one step up for a piston machine, ramp times against 150 to 180 % breakaway torque, a check that the start fits the overload curve. A ventilation cabinet on a piston compressor will trip oL2. Pressure logic stays with the compressor controller. We do not touch it.
Included: the Veichi drive, a matched input breaker, an IP54 steel cabinet (dimensions above), climate parts per the calculation, ducts, DIN rails, glands, power and signal wiring, start/stop pushbuttons with lamps on the door, assembly and basic drive setup.
Input breaker: to 185 kW Schneider Electric, on larger frames a device of the matching frame size, model recorded in the spec sheet.
Not included: PLC, operator panel, bypass, cascade control, pressure sensor. A motor choke, a bypass, a door keypad and an IP65 outdoor package are options agreed with an engineer; none changes the cart price.
The drive inside, and related categories
The drive is Veichi AC10 to 22 kW, AC310 from 30 kW. Want only the drive? See the VFD catalogue or pump drives. Neighbouring presets: pump control cabinets, with a pressure sensor in the base, and the control cabinets section.
When the base build is the wrong answer
Several compressors with alternation, receiver pressure from a sensor, an alarm log, a supervisory link: that is a PLC cabinet with an operator panel and a controller. We run those as engineering projects: custom industrial automation design.
Scope of work, build time, payment
What we do: assembly, circuit marking, drive parameters for your motor, circuit checks and a test start. Your electrician mounts it with 150 mm clear above and below the drive as Veichi requires, runs the shielded motor cable with a solid 360-degree shield ground and ties it into the machine's own controller. We do not travel to site; support is remote. Design and assembly as a service: services. Finished work: solutions.
Made to order: 7 to 10 working days.
The card price is fixed; the Buy button works as on any product. Delivery across Ukraine. Payment by bank transfer or online.
The assembled cabinet carries a 24-month warranty under the shop's general warranty terms.
Write to a manager, nameplate current to hand.
