Somfy Sonesse 50 510S2 Wired Motor Fit and Torque Guide

Installers pick the Somfy Sonesse 50 510S2 Standard 4-Wire motor on two figures. Somfy rates the reference at 10 Nm, 88.5 in-lb, and 32 rpm. The motor body measures 1.77 in across and seats in any roller tube with an inside diameter of 1.85 in or wider. Measure the inside of the tube before you order anything else.

Torque first, then the tube

Fabric weight, finished width, drop and the roll-up diameter all feed a torque calculation. At 10 Nm the 510S2 lifts a large interior roller shade without pushing into the top of its rating, and 32 rpm moves the hem at a pace that reads as deliberate rather than slow in an occupied room. Somfy publishes 47.2 dB for this reference, which is the figure that puts a Sonesse in a bedroom or a conference room.

The 1.85 in minimum tube diameter does real work in a quote. Plenty of light residential tubes come in under that, and a motor that will not seat is a return. Check the tube, then check the head. This reference carries a star head, and the head shape fixes which bracket plate you order.

Shade types this motor suits

Somfy lists the 510S2 for roller blinds, Roman blinds, pleated and cellular blinds, Venetian blinds, projection screens and zebra blinds, across residential and commercial interiors. The wired 4-wire control path makes it a natural fit for jobs where a low-voltage relay, a building automation panel or a dry contact already runs the schedule. Specifiers also reach for it on projection screens, where a wall switch beside the projector beats a handheld remote.

Somfy builds the Sonesse platform around acoustic performance, and the 510S2 keeps that character at the 10 Nm torque point. Hotels, offices and media rooms get a motor that holds its own against room noise.

Verified specifications

Figures published by Somfy for reference 1001813.

Crowns, drives and the bracket plate

The 510S2 takes the LT50 crown and drive family. Pick the set that matches your tube profile. A round 2.5 in tube takes the Somfy LT50 2.5" Round Crown and Drive Set (9012231). A 70 mm octagonal tube, common on exterior-grade and heavier interior assemblies, takes the Somfy Octagonal LT50 70mm Crown and Drive Set (9012234). The crown centers the motor in the tube and the drive transmits torque to the tube wall, so a mismatched set either rattles or refuses to seat.

At the head end, order the Somfy LT50 Star Head Motor Bracket (9410651) to match the star head on this reference. Jobs with awkward pocket geometry or an existing mounting pattern often take the Somfy LT50 Universal Motor Bracket (9410665) instead, which gives you more freedom on hole placement. Order the bracket at the same time as the motor. A crown and drive set alone leaves the head end unsupported.

Wiring and control

The 510S2 arrives with a 9.84 ft SJTW pigtail carrying four conductors. Three conductors cover line, neutral and ground, and the fourth gives you the second direction of travel. Any wired control that switches line voltage to one direction at a time runs this motor: a momentary rocker, a maintained wall switch, a low-voltage relay card or a building panel with dry contacts. Never energize both direction conductors at once.

Standby draw sits at 0 W, which matters on a job with forty shades on one panel. Operating draw is 1.67 A at 120V and 200 W, so an installer sizing a circuit should total the motors that will run at the same moment rather than the motors on the wall. Somfy rates thermal protection at 4 minutes of continuous run, ample for a 12 ft drop and a reminder to stagger a large group rather than cycle it back to back.

Radio control is a different reference. Installers who want handheld or app control pick an Altus RTS or a Sonesse RTS motor, where Somfy builds the receiver into the head. Do not pair an RTS remote with this motor.

Setting the mechanical limits

Somfy gives this reference mechanical limit switches with 46 turns of travel. Set them with the limit-setting buttons on the head, with the motor out of the tube or with the tube free to turn. Run the shade toward one end, adjust in small increments, then confirm the hem lands where the fabric sits flat. Mechanical limits hold their setting through a power loss, which is one reason specifiers keep choosing them on wired commercial work.

Leave yourself access to the head. A pocket detail that buries the limit buttons behind a closure panel turns a two-minute adjustment into a demolition job. Installers who plan a service panel at the motor end finish faster on the punch list.

Genuine Somfy references carry the 5-year warranty and the fitment that the rest of the LT50 ecosystem assumes. Add the Sonesse 50 510S2 Standard 4-Wire motor (1001813) to your order with the crown and drive set for your tube profile and the star head bracket. Those three parts, plus your switch or relay, complete the drive end of the shade.

Common questions about the 510S2

What size tube does the Somfy 510S2 need?

Somfy publishes a minimum inner diameter of 1.85 in, or 47 mm, for reference 1001813. The motor body itself measures 1.77 in across. Measure the inside of your roller tube, not the outside. Tubes under 1.85 in inside will not accept this motor, and a smaller Sonesse reference suits those assemblies.

How loud is the Sonesse 50 510S2?

Somfy rates it at 47.2 dB. That figure sits in the range a listener hears as background in an occupied room, which is the reason designers specify the Sonesse platform for bedrooms, hotel suites, offices and conference rooms rather than a louder exterior-duty motor.

Can I control the 510S2 with an RTS remote?

No. This reference takes wired 4-wire control from a switch, a relay or a dry contact, and it carries no radio receiver. Installers who want handheld, timer or app control choose a Somfy RTS reference such as an Altus RTS or a Sonesse RTS motor, which arrive with the receiver built into the head.

Does the 510S2 use mechanical or electronic limits?

Mechanical, with 46 turns of travel. Set the open and closed stops with the buttons on the motor head during installation. Mechanical limits survive a power interruption with their setting intact, and they need no setting tool or commissioning software.

Shade Motors Direct is an authorized source for genuine Somfy motorized window shade, blind, and drapery parts.