Show us your VFD conversions/installations

[454ragtop]

Thanks, it's fwd/rev

 

[Davefr]

I'm interested in doing this to my Delta Rockwell DP 15-665. I currently have a 1/2hp motor. What would be a good motor to replace it with? I'd like a baldor 1.5hp if that's a good choice. Is there any particular 3ph motor to look for? Does it matter the RPM since you're going VFD?

I'd opt for the 1.5 HP/1750 RPM motor and set the pulleys for highest speed. In addition I'd overclock the motor by around 30-50%. That will give you a huge speed range and the fact that the motor is 1.5 HP, you'll have some much needed torque way down low.

(It's usually pretty safe to overclock 1750 RPM motors but I wouldn't do it with 3450 RPM motors.)

You should be able to get by with a 1 HP VFD especially if you use SLV mode and perform an autotune.

My Delta DP can do 200-3360 RPM with the twist of a dial. I use the Teco L510 and a 1.5 HP motor.

 

[nine4gmc]

That's a 3ph motor Dave?

 

[Davefr]

That's a 3ph motor Dave?

Yes, it's an old Walker Turner 3 phase, 1.5HP, 1750 RPM motor that I rebuilt. It weighs a ton!! The two ends are all cast iron including the mounting base.

It came with the DP but I doubt Delta sourced motor's from WT since they were competitors.

 

[nine4gmc]

Right on Dave, great job on the resto and VFD install!

Here is a Delta I was planning on using a 3/4 hp single phase on but since my BP motor works, I got to use the 2hp 3ph motor I had as a back up plan on the drill press. I mounted the VFD inside the enclosure and mounted the key pad and VFD face plate on the enclosure front cover. That's a fuse holder for the work light, potentiometer and temporary main power switch(waiting on a selector style) to the right of the VFD control panel. There is a small fan sucking air out of a vent hole on top and a work lamp mounted to the bottom of the enclosure. I need to run a remote forward/reverse switch to the head switch location and possibly a emergency stop button. More pics of the build in my projects thread.

I have one question for the guys using this style VFD or anyone that can translate that Chinglish manual I posted a couple pages back to redneck layman's terms.

How do I change the parameters to allow the potentiometer to work? And what terminals do I hook it to on the VFD? It's hooked up but the settings need to be changed to know if it works the way I have it hooked up.

 

[laser3kw]

1:48 AM?
go - to - bed!

 

[nine4gmc]

I still had a few hours in me.

Anyone familiar with these know how to set the parameters to allow the potentiometer to work? This whole VFD thing being new to me, I still do not know enough Chinglish to make it work.

 

[laser3kw]

I would first set the keypad local / remote to "remote". That should switch control to terminal strip instead of keypad..
Did you get the pot wired up? I think there was a discussion on that a few posts (pages) back.
Do you have a digital copy of the manual?

 

[nine4gmc]

Here is the manual











Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[nine4gmc]

The only parameters I knew to change was the #2 start up freq and #12 motor freq. I tried changing #3 source to POT but it did not work so I changed it back.

 

[nine4gmc]

I used a 10k pot and hooked it up to GND, 5V_IN and 5V_OUT but may have the wires wrong at the pot?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[laser3kw]

Nine
check your PM's

 

[nine4gmc]

Thank You Laser!! One quick call and I was up and running in seconds. The potentiometer works from 0-80hz now, Thanks Again!!

 

[454ragtop]

May not matter, and that manual is horrendous, but if I'm reading it right (and I may well might not be), it looks like it calls for a 1-5K pot, not 10K. The drives I'm currently working with call for 5K pots, and as bad as I thought they're manual is, it's crystal clear compared to this.

 

[mike93lx]

I am thinking about a VFD for my old drill press and was wondering how much I could reasonably under and over drive the motor before risking damage. The motor is an 80 year old 3 phase, 1/2 hp Westinghouse that has an internal fan but no vents. I don't use it very heavily and not for extended periods of time.

Is a range of 50-200% reasonable for this motor or should it be kept tighter?

With the current 3-pulley setup, I have 6 speeds, ranging from about 240-3200 rpm, so I should have the full range covered already, but I could get 550-2300 rpm at one of the pulley configurations if 50-200% is kosher.

Also, I'd like to use an external on/off switch (at least an additional off switch that I can put at knee level)...any special considerations to accomplish that?

This is the drive that I have been looking at: https://www.wolfautomation.com/products/ac-drives/ac-drive-1-2-hp-2-5a

 

[Davefr]

I am thinking about a VFD for my old drill press and was wondering how much I could reasonably under and over drive the motor before risking damage. The motor is an 80 year old 3 phase, 1/2 hp Westinghouse that has an internal fan but no vents. I don't use it very heavily and not for extended periods of time.

Is a range of 50-200% reasonable for this motor or should it be kept tighter?

With the current 3-pulley setup, I have 6 speeds, ranging from about 240-3200 rpm, so I should have the full range covered already, but I could get 550-2300 rpm at one of the pulley configurations if 50-200% is kosher.

Also, I'd like to use an external on/off switch (at least an additional off switch that I can put at knee level)...any special considerations to accomplish that?

This is the drive that I have been looking at: https://www.wolfautomation.com/products/ac-drives/ac-drive-1-2-hp-2-5a

What's the RPM of your motor?

If it's 1750 then you can probably overdrive it 200% since the bearings are probably the same as those used in 3400 RPM motors. However just to be on the safe side I'd limit it to 150%.

On the low end I'd dial it down until you no longer have enough torque and after that change the belt configuration. The motor may overheat at the low end but a drill press is usually a low duty cycle tool. I'd avoid sustained use at really low speeds. (use the belts to up the motors RPM if you perform long duration tasks).

Why'd you decide on this VFD. For around the same price you can get a Teco L510 rated at 1 HP. This will give you some wiggle room should you ever upgrade motors in the future.

 

[mike93lx]

What's the RPM of your motor?

If it's 1750 then you can probably overdrive it 200% since the bearings are probably the same as those used in 3400 RPM motors. However just to be on the safe side I'd limit it to 150%.

On the low end I'd dial it down until you no longer have enough torque and after that change the belt configuration. The motor may overheat at the low end but a drill press is usually a low duty cycle tool. I'd avoid sustained use at really low speeds. (use the belts to up the motors RPM if you perform long duration tasks).

Why'd you decide on this VFD. For around the same price you can get a Teco L510 rated at 1 HP. This will give you some wiggle room should you ever upgrade motors in the future.

It is 1750 rpm.

My main desire is less to get speed control and more to eliminate my RPC and current AB switch.

I want 120v input so i can eliminate the current 240v circuit that is in place. There wasn't anything in particular pulling me to that drive, so I'm open to others.

Can i do a 1/2 hp drive or should i go higher?

 

[Davefr]

Can i do a 1/2 hp drive or should i go higher?

I'd go with a 1 HP VFD with 120VAC input. That will give you future flexibilty in the event you upgrade motors. The price difference is pretty small up to 1 HP.

The price jumps up fast after 1 HP.

 

[Bill Vise]

Here is a VFD mounted on the back of a Rockwell mill. I put it back there to keep the chips out of it. If needed, the speed control knob is still easily reached from the front. But I only put it on the machine to run it on single phase.

View media item 70187
View media item 70186

 

[mike93lx]

Here is a VFD mounted on the back of a Rockwell mill. I put it back there to keep the chips out of it. If needed, the speed control knob is still easily reached from the front. But I only put it on the machine to run it on single phase.

that's the model I've been thinking about. mind sharing where you got it?

 

[Bill Vise]

I got this 1 hp VFD at Wolf Automation for $140. This Teco is an easy model to program and I like the pot on the front. My other VFDs are Fuji Frenic and I like them too. Also have pot on the front and almost as easy to program. But for someone new to these, programming might look overwhelming at first. But there are actually very few parameters in the menu that you need to mess with for a simple installation like this.

 

[jetlag]

This is a simple installation on my little Millrite knee mill. It's mounted within easy reach, where the drum switch used to reside.

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/35925208@N06/34158217161/in/dateposted-public/" title="vfd6"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2818/34158217161_dc2421ccfe_z.jpg" width="360" height="640" alt="vfd6"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/35925208@N06/34158217191/in/dateposted-public/" title="vfd3"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4183/34158217191_1fdf7cb9dc_z.jpg" width="360" height="640" alt="vfd3"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[nine4gmc]

That Rockwell mill is...um...

 

[nine4gmc]

New question for you guys. Did I see mention of a link to a wiring diagram for using the Bridgeport f/r switch with the vfd?







I'm mounting the vfd in the BP and wiring the remote switches in now. More info in my projects thread.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[454ragtop]

New question for you guys. Did I see mention of a link to a wiring diagram for using the Bridgeport f/r switch with the vfd?







I'm mounting the vfd in the BP and wiring the remote switches in now. More info in my projects thread.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Piece of cake. Get a meter and check the switch to see which contacts have continuity when in fwd, and which have continuity in rev. Will need to run 3 small gauge wires from the VFD to the switch, 1 will be the common input for both fwd and rev, the other 2 will go to the fwd and rev terminals on the VFD.

 

[nine4gmc]

Cool, I have my meter out but didn't know if I needed to remove the jumpers or just leave them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[454ragtop]

Leave em in or take them out, doesn't matter. That's a 3 pole switch, you only need 2. Might even be able to use one of the jumpers for the input or common wire. Just make sure you only have continuity between common and fwd when the switch is in fwd, and only common and rev when the switch is in rev.

 

[nine4gmc]

Got it, it worked right out when I pulled the jumpers. I'm planning to use about 6' of cat5e cable for the for/rev switch and potentiometer would that be sufficient? Also, I see the cat5e is rated at 300v, could I use 120v on a twisted pair to operate a relay? It would be strictly to operate the coil on a 240v dpdt relay I'm using for the main power to the vfd. The main power switch is upper left on the control box and the relay is in the vfd enclosure. I can run a lamp cord if needed but the cat5e has just enough if it'll work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[nine4gmc]

Freakin sweet! Thank you!! Wiring complete, programming complete and test run complete, awesome! The Emergency Off button is inline with the f/r switch to cut the motot but not power. The switch to the upper left controls a 240v dpdt relay on the main wire in to shut power to the VFD. I wired two 120v outlets constant for the DRO and a work light.











Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tarbellb]

Can anybody confirm or deny if this VFD will work for my application?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010CJBVOC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

The tool is a wood planer- 7.5hp 3750rpm 3ph motor, supply would be 1ph 230v.

Let me know if more info is needed, I would love to get this thing wired up!

 

[aosty]

The item description does not have input specs but nearly all 10HP VFD's are intended for 3-phase input. Most modern 3ph VFD's can run on 1ph input but require "derating" and the general rule of thumb is 50%. It will run but that model is a bit undersized and duty cycle and longevity/durability may be reduced.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=vfd+derate

Shorter answer.... a 15hp model will be more appropriate for running a 7.5hp motor with single-phase input.

Can anybody confirm or deny if this VFD will work for my application?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010CJBVOC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

The tool is a wood planer- 7.5hp 3750rpm 3ph motor, supply would be 1ph 230v.

Let me know if more info is needed, I would love to get this thing wired up!

 

[tarbellb]

^^^

It has this written in the description....

"Technical Parameters

Input voltage:220V±15%(we also stock 110V and 380V+/-15%,please contact us for item stock)
Input Frequency: 48 to 63 Hz
Output Frequency: 0 to 400 Hz
Input Phase: 1 or 3 phase as you like
Output Phase: 3 phase "

is that enough info for understanding if it will be derated?

Thanks!

 

[tarbellb]

double post...erh.

 

[aosty]

I am not really sure.

Hmm, it does clearly state 1 or 3 phase... might be fine? I would contact the seller to confirm.

^^^

It has this written in the description....

"Technical Parameters

Input voltage:220V±15%(we also stock 110V and 380V+/-15%,please contact us for item stock)
Input Frequency: 48 to 63 Hz
Output Frequency: 0 to 400 Hz
Input Phase: 1 or 3 phase as you like
Output Phase: 3 phase "

is that enough info for understanding if it will be derated?

Thanks!

 

[manwithtools]

It's a three phase input drive, almost all units above 3hp are that way. You will need to de-rate. Multiply your motor nameplate by 1.73 and that will be the size drive (in Amps) you need to buy to supply enough three phase current while being feed by single phase.

Practically speaking a 15hp VFD is more what you want for your application. A planner is going to need maximum hp (or more) at times during it's operation.

 

[aosty]

Yep, that's my impression and understanding too.

It's a three phase input drive, almost all units above 3hp are that way. You will need to de-rate. Multiply your motor nameplate by 1.73 and that will be the size drive (in Amps) you need to buy to supply enough three phase current while being feed by single phase.

Practically speaking a 15hp VFD is more what you want for your application. A planner is going to need maximum hp (or more) at times during it's operation.

 

[tab2]

I ended up with a great Craigslist deal on Delta band saw & planer and agreed to buy both before I got there. The high school was remodeling their shop and getting rid of some of their equipment so it ended up as being a “donation” to the school. The band saw is perfect but I didn’t realize until I got home that the planer was 3 phase.

I am in construction management so I am familiar with it, but don’t have the best grasp yet. After reading this thread a few times and talking to some people on site I have the following plan, but still have some questions.

The motor is 3hp with 3450 RPM, 8.6-7.6 amps at 200-230v.

I plan to use the Teco FM50-203-C which has the following specs, page 11 in their user manual.

So far so good, right?

Now here is where my questions will start. The recommended breaker size is 30 amps according to this chart; but this chart also says 12-gauge wire. Is this a special circumstance that allows this? It is my understanding that that 30 amps gets 10 or lower depending on length of run.

Now this is where I might start breaking some NEC rules, which I understand the risks of. I would like to run a new 30-amp receptacle off the panel to the VFD via SOOW and then to the motor. I would think that I should be using 10 gauge for this (panel to VFD) and then 12 gauge from VFD to motor; however the manual states that 12 gauge should feed L1 & L2. This is where I don’t know what to do.

 

[454ragtop]

The motor at 7.6 amps should be just fine with #12 feeding the VFD and #14 feeding the motor itself. I don't see the VFD drawing even 20 amps.

 

[493mike]

Here is the 12 volt VFD that controls my fuel pump, lower module.
Mike

 

[GLTHFJ60]

While not your typical application, summers are hot and sticky in NC, so airflow is welcome. Found these squirrel cage fans on Craigslist for cheap, came out of a Mars AirDoor, you know, the kind that kicks on when you walk into a wal-mart or other big box store.

Teco Westinghouse L510 VFD from Wolfe Automation came in yesterday. Picked up some wiring from Lowes and got it tested last night. Plan is to mount it on the wall in the garage to get air moving through the shop when it's hot.

Check out the video for an explanation and demonstration: