Help programming VFD for my Benwil TP-7

[adavis]

So I was able to snag the last TP-7 from my local Chevy dealership when they upgraded to 12k lifts. If got it mounted in my shop and its ready to work, except I can't figure out how to make the VFD work. I purchased a Chinese 2.2kw VFD from ebay and the manual doesn't really make much sense. From what I read/watch online I think I need to program things like RPM, HP, and voltage into the VFD but the manual doesn't show anything about those settings. I've never messed with a VFD so I'm wondering if anyone would be willing to give me some suggestions/recommendations on what settings I need to change? I will post a picture of the motor data plate as well as the VFD tag. The rest of the wiring on the lift is untouched from when it was working in the dealership a month ago.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

So I was able to snag the last TP-7 from my local Chevy dealership when they upgraded to 12k lifts. If got it mounted in my shop and its ready to work, except I can't figure out how to make the VFD work. I purchased a Chinese 2.2kw VFD from ebay and the manual doesn't really make much sense. From what I read/watch online I think I need to program things like RPM, HP, and voltage into the VFD but the manual doesn't show anything about those settings. I've never messed with a VFD so I'm wondering if anyone would be willing to give me some suggestions/recommendations on what settings I need to change? I will post a picture of the motor data plate as well as the VFD tag. The rest of the wiring on the lift is untouched from when it was working in the dealership a month ago.

the problem with cheap chicom VFDs is the lack of directions

 

[Matt Matt]

the problem with cheap chicom VFDs is the lack of directions

I’m glad you put “cheap” in there. But,... there are a couple reputable Chinese dealers/manufactures.

Very first thing you want to veer from anything that starts with “HY” they are 98% **** ****... they will get you by for about a year if you understand the manual. It is a wonder why HY inverters discussion has been banned from practical machinist. I would be happy to discuss that over there with you.lol

 

[BillK]

a,
Are you trying to use the VFD as a phase converter to power the entire lift, including control circuits ? If so I don't think that can be done. Others may chime in but from what I have seen the vfd is meant to only power the motor.

 

[rockwithjason]

you do need to enter that information for the drive to work. read the manual carefully especially for parameters 0-11.

 

[adavis]

I bought the cheapest VFD I could find on ebay because honestly, it seems like sorcery and I wanted to see if it would actually work before I spent 3x more money on a good one. I had never heard of a VFD before I started researching what I needed to do to make the lift work in my shop, and when I came across VFD's and started to research more about them it seemed like the perfect solution. I've read about and talked to a few guys that have used a VFD on the exact model of lift I have (Benwil TP-7) so I'm fairly confident that it will work if I can just get it programmed right. I am going to figure out a way to attach the manual for the VFD so maybe someone can give me some insight as to how I set the parameters.

 

[Falcon67]

As hinted at above, a VFD has to be wired directly to the motor, then any controls have to be wired to the VFD control inputs and those actions programmed. Voltage and frequency for the motor maybe, but my Teco does not care or have programming for HP and RPM, from what I remember. If you are not familiar with industrial controls, a "chinglish" manual will only make things worse.

 

[mm08822]

OP, I couldn't find the manual directly from mfr or part number.
Other sites wanted you to "download". (No Thanks!)

Does this link provide the same manual that you have:
http://www.exoror.com/datasheet/VFD.pdf ?

Also can you post a few pics of overall controls and specifically of what/how you have installed the vfd?

 

[adavis]

mm08822......That is not the exact manual I have but I'm sure it probably is close. I'll try to figure out a way to attach my manual to this thread (its 277kb which is too big).

So here is my understanding of how this whole thing should work (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). My VFD converts single phase 220V to 3-phase. When we removed the working lift from the Chevy dealership we simply cut the wire from the breaker panel and unbolted it from the floor (did not touch any internal wiring or even remove the cover on the lift's control box). Therefore, I should be able to connect this VFD to the 3 wires we cut at the dealership (technically 4....red, white, black, and ground) and if the VFD is programmed correctly it should work just like it did at the dealership.....right?? If I'm replacing the 3-phase power from the dealership's breaker panel with the 3-phase power coming out of the VFD it should just be that simple. I shouldn't need to mess with anything involving the switch or motor on the lift itself.....right?

From what I can tell, the lever on the lift activates a switch that turns the motor on, which in turn drives the hydraulic pump that raises the lift. When you push the lever the other way to lower the lift it opens a hydraulic valve and lowers the lift. The motor doesn't rotate in both directions (its not power up and down). Everything on the lift worked with a 3-phase power source so if I connect it to a 3-phase power source at my shop it should function just like it has for the last 35 years at the dealership. Am I totally missing something???

 

[adavis]

I realize a VFD does all kinds of cool stuff, but all I really need it to do is convert single phase to three phase power......period.....for this application. Probably a waste of everything the VFD can do but it was cheaper than a rotary phase converter and I was told a static converter can't handle this application (its considered a "heavy" load).

 

[manwithtools]

It's not as simple as you would like it to be. Falcon67's post is correct. You need to have the VFD connected to the motor only. VFD"s do not like to have their output switched on/off which is what you are describing. A couple of pictures of the control components or schematic from the lift would tell us more.

 

[BillK]

Therefore, I should be able to connect this VFD to the 3 wires we cut at the dealership

No,
The only way you can do that is with a phase converter which is a totally different item than a VFD

 

[adavis]

Ok, I'll get a bunch of pictures taken tonight when I get home from work. I guess I don't understand how some people can say "this won't work" when other people say "that's how I did mine and it works GREAT". I guess that's why I'm not an electrician....LOL.

 

[Norcal]

How is the lift motor started and stopped? Your going to have to start from the beginning as the existing starter or contactor if any has to go, the new drive will not play well with them.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

No,
The only way you can do that is with a phase converter which is a totally different item than a VFD

However, there ARE VFDs that can take a single phase inout and spit out 3 phase...

 

[OH_Varmntr]

However, there ARE VFDs that can take a single phase inout and spit out 3 phase...

The OP's VFD he ordered is a single phase in/3 phase out, but not in the same sense as a phase converter that supplies constant 3 phase power source.

They aren't interchangeable, they're for 2 completely different purposes.

The VFD he ordered can be used for his lift, but not in the configuration he had intended it to.

 

[BillK]

However, there ARE VFDs that can take a single phase inout and spit out 3 phase...

Correct but .... that will only run the electric motor. That will not supply proper power to the circuits which turn the motor on, they are almost certainly single phase.

 

[Bert_]

The VFD output needs to go directly to the motor, no controls or switches can be connected to the output of the VFD.

You will have to do some rewiring to make this work, but it's really not bad.

You will need to supply single phase to the VFD as well as any control's in the lift that might need power.

The lever you talked about on the lift will need to give the VFD a run command. There is usually an input factory programmed to do that. A bit of a note, do not apply external power to any of the input terminals. The VFD will have it's own power supply that will be used to power the control inputs.

A few pictures of the VFD terminals and manual would be helpful. Maybe even include a couple pics of the controls on the lift.

I drew up a simple diagram to help get an idea how the VFD needs to be wired.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Correct but .... that will only run the electric motor. That will not supply proper power to the circuits which turn the motor on, they are almost certainly single phase.

Thats not a problem.

The control circuit would just connect to the VFD control inputs and get separate power.

 

[matt_i]

Great diagram Bert! I concur with your drawing.

You will have to program a direction for the motor to run (no reversing). If its wrong you can fix it via a parameter instead of swapping up the T1-T3 wiring. Also typically have to program a 2-wire maintained stop/start (vs a 3-wire non-maintained start/stop). The speed reference can be fixed to the control panel at 60Hz.

 

[adavis]

OK so first let me say that mm08822 is AMAZING! I haven't posted on here in a couple months, but he has been continuously helping me with this VFD setup. He never let me give up, even when I was ready to throw the VFD in the garbage and go grab the roto-phase.

As you might have guessed, the lift is now operational. I had all but given up on the Chinese/English tech support, but last night I figured I'd give it one more shot. I have spoken to VFDs.com a few times and was assured that their $300 Mitsubishi VFD would work fine and I was literally less than 12 hours away from ordering it. I went out to the shop last night and defaulted the VFD and tried the basic programming the tech support had given me. I don't know what I did differently, but the motor actually started to turn. It got up to full speed but the lift didn't move, so I flopped the U and V output wires on the motor and BINGO....the lift went up!! I couldn't believe my eyes so I did it a few times and it seems to work perfectly. I ran it all the way to the top and then back down again (it lowers really slow with no weight). Then I ran my old Ford on it and sent her to the rafters. I can't believe I actually have an operational lift in my shop now!!

Anyway, all said and done I can definitely say that it IS possible to run a 3-phase car lift with a cheap Chinese VFD. Granted I don't know how long the VFD will last, but honestly it was $115 to my door. If it craps out I'll by the "nice" one for $300. At any rate, I paid $300 for the lift and $115 for the VFD so I'm feeling like I hit the jackpot.

I won't bore you with the parameters I used on my specific VFD, but if anyone needs them just let me know. I eliminated the starter and transformer on the lift so now its wired 220V into the VFD and the 3 wires out to the motor. I wired the micro switch into the VFD as well so the lift functions exactly like it did when new....with the lever pushed in to raise the lift and pulled back to lower it. I have the ramp up and down times set to 1/2 a second so its pretty much instantaneous.

Thanks again for the input and suggestions, and mainly thanks to Mark (mm08822).