In Siemens terminology, upload moves data from the drive to the PC. In STARTER the command is Target device → Load to PG. You connect the PC to the G120, switch the project online, select the drive object, load to PG, then save the project on disk. The result is an offline project holding the drive's complete parameter set — everything that makes that drive behave the way it does. It does not include firmware, and it does not include anything you changed but never saved to the drive's ROM. Take a backup before you change anything, not after.
- Upload = drive → PC. Download = PC → drive. Siemens names these from the PC's point of view and getting it backwards overwrites a working drive.
- An uploaded project is only as good as what was saved in the drive. Confirm
p0971was run before you rely on it. - Save the STARTER project to disk after uploading — going offline does not save it for you.
- Name backups by machine, drive tag and date. "G120_backup_final2" tells nobody anything in two years.
Upload Means Drive to PC
The single most common confusion for engineers new to STARTER is direction. Siemens names both operations from the perspective of the programming device, not the drive:
| Command in STARTER | Direction | Plain meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Load to PG | Drive → PC | Upload. Reads the drive and fills the offline project. Safe. |
| Download to target device | PC → Drive | Download. Overwrites the drive with the project. Destructive. |
Get these the wrong way round on a working machine and you replace a commissioned drive's settings with whatever happened to be in the project. Before clicking either one, say out loud which direction you intend. It sounds trivial; it prevents a genuinely expensive mistake.
Going Online Before You Can Upload
An upload requires a live connection. Three things must be right first.
| Requirement | Where to set it | Common failure |
|---|---|---|
| Physical connection | USB cable to the control unit, or Ethernet to the PROFINET port | Cable into the power module rather than the control unit |
| PG/PC interface | Options → Set PG/PC interface | Left on a previous project's adapter, so STARTER looks at the wrong network |
| Accessible nodes found | Project → Accessible nodes | PC and drive on different subnets when using Ethernet |
Use Accessible nodes as your test. If the drive appears there with its type and address, the connection is proven and any later problem is a software one. If it does not appear, stop and fix the connection — there is no point troubleshooting an upload over a link that was never up.
Learn STARTER on real drives, not screenshots
Hands-on SINAMICS G120 commissioning, backup and diagnostics — Pune classroom or live online with remote hardware.
The Upload Sequence
With the connection proven, the upload itself is short:
| Step | Action | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Create or open a project and insert the drive as a target device | The control unit type must match the physical drive |
| 2 | Click Connect to target system | The project switches to online mode; the drive object turns green |
| 3 | Select the drive object, then Target device → Load to PG | A progress dialogue; do not disconnect during it |
| 4 | Disconnect from target system | The project returns to offline mode holding the uploaded data |
| 5 | Save the project to disk | This step is separate and easy to forget — nothing is on disk until you do it |
Step 5 catches people out regularly. Going offline does not write the project to disk. An engineer who uploads, disconnects and closes STARTER without saving has a backup that exists nowhere.
What the Backup Contains — and What It Does Not
| Included | Not included |
|---|---|
| Motor nameplate data (p0304 to p0311) | Control unit firmware |
| Macro selection (p0015) and BICO interconnections | Anything changed but never saved with p0971 |
| Ramps, limits, control mode, boost settings | Fault history and operating hours |
| Communication settings — telegram, address, baud rate | The physical power module (recorded, not restorable) |
| Motor identification results | Live process values |
The firmware exclusion matters when you restore. A backup from a drive running one firmware version may not download cleanly to a replacement running another, so record the firmware version alongside the backup file.
The unsaved-parameter exclusion matters more often. If someone tuned a ramp on the keypad and never ran p0971, that change lives in RAM only. Your upload captures ROM, so the backup reflects the older value — and after the next power cycle so will the drive.
Naming and Storing Backups
A backup nobody can identify is close to useless. Adopt a convention and apply it everywhere:
Line2_Conveyor3_G120_CU240E-2PN_FW4.7_2026-09-08
That encodes the machine, the drive tag, the control unit type, the firmware and the date — the four things you need when deciding whether a backup is safe to restore.
Store the project folder somewhere other than the commissioning laptop. A laptop that is stolen, reimaged or simply retired takes every backup with it, and the machines it commissioned are the ones that suffer. Keep a copy with the machine documentation and a copy on a server.
Finally, take a fresh backup after every deliberate change, not once at handover. The value of a backup is how recent it is.
Step-by-Step Lab: Take Your First Backup
Hands-on- STARTER installed, a SINAMICS G120 powered up, and a USB or Ethernet connection to the control unit.
- A drive you are permitted to connect to — a training rig, not a running production machine.
- Estimated time: 20 minutes.
Prove the connection with Accessible nodes
Set the PG/PC interface to the adapter you are actually using, then run Project → Accessible nodes.
Save the drive's settings to ROM first
On the drive keypad set p0971 = 1 so anything held only in RAM is written to non-volatile memory.
Create the project and go online
Create a new project named for the machine, insert the drive, then Connect to target system.
Load to PG
Select the drive object and choose Target device → Load to PG. Wait for the transfer to finish without touching the cable.
Disconnect, then save — two separate actions
Disconnect from target system, then explicitly save the project. Note the folder path.
Prove the backup is real
Close STARTER completely, reopen the saved project offline, and open the expert list. Check that p0304 and p0305 show the motor's nameplate values.
The backup is genuine if you can reopen it offline, with the drive disconnected, and read the motor data out of it. If the parameters look like factory defaults, the upload did not complete or the project was never saved — repeat from step 3. Next step is learning to download it back, which is the operation you will actually need in an emergency.
Frequently asked questions
Does upload mean from the drive or to the drive?
From the drive to the PC. Siemens names both operations from the programming device's point of view, so "Load to PG" reads the drive into your project and is safe, while "Download to target device" overwrites the drive and is destructive.
Why does my uploaded project show old parameter values?
Because the changes were never saved to the drive's non-volatile memory. Run p0971 = 1 on the drive before uploading, or the backup captures the last saved state rather than what is currently running.
Does the backup include the drive firmware?
No. It holds the parameter set only. Record the firmware version alongside the backup, because a parameter set from one firmware version may not download cleanly to a replacement drive running another.
Do I need to save the project separately after uploading?
Yes. Disconnecting from the target system does not write anything to disk. Save the project explicitly, then verify the folder exists before closing STARTER.
How often should I take a backup?
After every deliberate change, not once at handover. A backup's value is entirely in how recent it is, and a two-year-old backup of a drive that has been retuned four times will not restore the machine you actually have.