Yaskawa NSO Card Adds CIP Safety to GA700, GA800, CR700, GA500

What Yaskawa announced

Yaskawa Electric Corporation (head office Kita-Kyushu, Fukuoka, Japan) published a new-product news release for a Network Safety Option Card (NSO), model JOHB-NSC3-MA, that enables CIP Safety communication over EtherNet/IP for its AC drive product lineup, as of August 31, 2026. The notice is dated October 8, 2026 and states that order started on August 31, 2026.

The stated aim is to move functional-safety signals onto the same industrial Ethernet infrastructure used for standard control communication, reducing the dedicated safety wiring and external safety relays that conventional layouts typically require. The release frames this against growing compliance pressure, particularly in the European market, where it says international safety standard compliance is often a prerequisite for market entry.

• Product: Network Safety Option Card (NSO), model JOHB-NSC3-MA
• Protocol: CIP Safety over EtherNet/IP
• Order start: August 31, 2026; news release dated October 8, 2026
• Source: Yaskawa newsroom product release

Which drives are affected

The release lists four drive families as supported: GA700, GA800 (available only in the U.S.), CR700 and GA500. For plants already running these platforms, the significance is that the announced route to networked safety is an option card rather than a drive replacement, and Yaskawa states the card can be retrofitted to compatible AC drives already installed in the field.

Yaskawa also states that the status of safety devices can be monitored over the network, which it presents as enabling faster fault diagnosis and improved maintenance efficiency. Named main applications are conveyors, packaging machinery, machine tools, robotic systems, automated production lines and other industrial equipment requiring safety functions.

• Supported series: GA700, GA800 (U.S. only), CR700, GA500
• Retrofit claim applies to compatible drives already installed in the field
• Named applications: conveyors, packaging machinery, machine tools, robotic systems, automated production lines

Reported technical specifications

Yaskawa's specification table lists CIP Safety as the communication protocol and STO and SS1-t as the safety functions, with the safety functions described as complying with IEC 61800-5-2. SS1-t is described as initiating a controlled motor stop and then automatically transitioning to STO after a predefined period, including a Fast Stop function based on the deceleration time configured through parameter C1-09.

Networking details in the same table include a recommended shielded Cat5e cable, an isolated physical layer Ethernet interface, 10/100 Mbps communication speed with auto-negotiation, half/full duplex with auto-negotiation, and IP address setting from the drive keypad or over the network. Address startup modes listed are static, BOOTP and DHCP. Yaskawa describes safety communication over the network as certified.

• Protocol: CIP Safety; safety functions STO and SS1-t (stated as per IEC 61800-5-2)
• Recommended cable: shielded Cat5e; isolated physical layer Ethernet
• Speed: 10/100 Mbps with auto-negotiation; half/full duplex, auto-negotiation
• IP address: configurable from drive keypad or over network
• Address startup modes: static, BOOTP, DHCP

Practical implications for retrofit and spares planning

The following points are our reading of the notice for maintenance and purchasing teams, not statements from Yaskawa. If the retrofit statement holds for a given unit, the NSO becomes an additional option-card item to track in spares and upgrade planning for installations on the four named series, sitting alongside existing drive spares rather than replacing them.

Because the card is an option, panel and network consequences still need to be worked out per machine: option-slot availability, existing option cards already fitted, the network segment used for standard control communication, and the safety architecture the machine was originally validated against. The release does not state which option slots or firmware revisions apply per drive series, and no pricing, lead time or stock position is given.

Any change to the safety function of installed machinery is an engineering change with validation consequences. Yaskawa's own published documentation for the drive and the option card, plus the applicable functional safety standards and a renewed risk assessment, remain the controlling references.

• Treat the option card as an extra spares/upgrade item to plan, subject to per-drive compatibility confirmation
• Do not assume drop-in fitment: check option-slot availability, existing fitted options and firmware per drive
• No price, lead time, stock or certification detail beyond the release wording is published in this notice
• Any firmware or wiring change should follow the original manufacturer's documented prerequisites and validation steps

Details still to confirm with the OEM

The release does not state price, initial sales volume targets, which option ports are used, minimum firmware revisions per drive family, the safety integrity level achieved in a specific combination, or whether any additional safety-controller features are required. The GA800 series is explicitly limited to the U.S. market in this release.

For buyers, the practical first step is to identify the exact drive series, model and nameplate version on the machine, then confirm against Yaskawa documentation whether that combination accepts the JOHB-NSC3-MA card and under what conditions.

• Confirm per-drive compatibility and required firmware revision with Yaskawa documentation
• Confirm regional availability (GA800 is listed as U.S. only)
• Confirm port/option-slot usage and any additional controller or network requirements
• Confirm achieved safety ratings for the specific drive and card combination