This brief will help you locate Siemens G120 drives within the DigiKey catalog.
Key Takeaways
- Don’t search for a “G120 drive” as it is a ghost in the catalog. This is natural as
G120is a high-level ecosystem identifier for a family of Siemens modular drive components. - The G120 compact and infrastructure drives may be found by searching G120C and G120X, respectively.
- Use the Siemens Product Configurator to locate assemblies for the modular G120 drive.
This article is part of the DigiKey Field Guide for Industrial Automation
Location: Select It → Motor Drives
Difficulty: 
Engineer — difficulty levels explained
Author: Aaron Dahlen | MSEE | Senior Applications Engineer, DigiKey
Last update: 21 May 2026
G120 Family Members
There are three distinct forms for the G120 drives located in the DigiKey catalog:
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G120: This is a modular system allowing users to select the power, networking, and control components best suited for a particular application.
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G120C: Compact, “generally suitable for applications involving conveyor belts, mixers, extruders, pumps, fans, compressors and basic handling.”
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G120X: This industry-specific drive “optimized for pump and fan applications in the water/wastewater industry and HVAC applications in building automation.”
Tech Tip: The G120X shown in Figure 1 is built for the unglamorous work in the pit. For example, optional 3C2 and 3C3 coatings are available to protect the drive from corrosive environments. The Siemens literature includes practical terms such as “deragging mode” that reflect the utilitarian work.
Figure 1: Image of a Siemens G120X drive.
Getting Started With Siemens G120 Drives
Start with the Siemens catalog!
There are simply too many G120 drive variants to have a meaningful conversation without a reference. As an example, DigiKey offers thousands of Siemens G120 drives and components. The scope is revealed when we drill down to just the 3 kW (4 hp) offerings. There we find about 100 variants inclusive of G120C, G120X, and the modular G120 power modules. It’s difficult to explore these drives without the Siemens catalog to describe the various options.
- V20, G120, and G120C: Catalog D 31.1
- G120X: Catalog D 31.5
As an example, consider the table shown in Figure 2. This presents the part numbers for G120X drives with part number breakout for integrated line filter, environmental class, inclusion of operator panel, expansion module, and communication. We can see that the combinations quickly add up.
Figure 2: Table showing part numbers for the G120X drive.
Component Selection for the Modular G120
The modular G120 requires more attention than the G120C or G120X. It can be built using catalog data. However, it may be easier to use the Siemens Product Configurator as shown in Figure 3.
Representative G120 Drive Configuration
This list contains representative components for a modular 3 kW (4 hp) G120 drive:
- PM240-2 Power Module 6SL3210-1PE18-0UL1
- CU250 Control Unit 6SL3246-0BA22-1FA0
- Wire Shield Kit 6SL3264-1EA00-0LA0
- Safe Brake Relay 6SL3252-0BB01-0AA0
- Line Filter 6SL3202-0AE21-1SA0
- SD Card and license
Figure 3: Configuration for modular G120 drive.
Continue Exploring Industrial Control Systems
If this discussion was helpful, you may also want to explore:
DigiKey Navigation
- Full Catalog: Industrial Control & Automation
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About This Author
Aaron Dahlen, LCDR USCG (Ret.), is a Senior Applications Engineer at DigiKey in Thief River Falls. His background in electronics and industrial automation was shaped by a 27-year military career as both technician and engineer, followed by over a decade of teaching.
Dahlen holds an MSEE from Minnesota State University, Mankato. He has taught in an ABET-accredited electrical engineering program, served as coordinator of an electronic engineering technology program, and instructed military technicians in component-level repair.
Today, he has returned to his home in northern Minnesota, completing a decades-long journey that began with a search for capacitors. Read his story here.