Show us your VFD conversions/installations

[Kpaige]

from the info ^^^, it looks like the motor control board operates like a vfd, but is not like the conventional vfd as seen and used in this thread. The motor control board is being commanded via plug 3 (P3) and is using data tx (transmit) and data rx (receive) as well a a bus request. This means it is using serial communications from the other modules to regulate motor speed and power according to the way the user operates the control console / push buttons. The motor control board also has a "speed sensor" that feeds back through the communications bus for regulation.
On the surface, I'd say you won't be able to use this as you are thinking.

So will hope someone has an idea. But otherwise I could use this motor with a new vfd controler?

 

[u3b3rg33k]

I see... it is similar to my tig unit that will run on 120v or 240v.
Is the vfd a separate unit? Is there a manufacture name and model number for reference? Basically, we have to figure out what the terminal inputs are being used and re-wire for your use.

not quite. your TiG is a giant buck converter, so there's no reason one built for 240V input, 80V output can't run at 120V input, if the software allows it.

VFDs that do 120V in, 240V out are voltage doubler circuits in front of the DC bus, so the magic smoke will pour out if you plug it into 240V.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

I should add that a lot of the old computer power supplies had that red switch: to turn on/off the voltage doubler circuit. generally speaking, modern PFC power supplies aren't built the same way

So will hope someone has an idea. But otherwise I could use this motor with a new vfd controler?

if you've still got the control board/display, you could hide all the electronics in a box, and use the start/stop and speed control from the display to operate it. seems a bit silly but why not?

I don't see a rating on the motor in the picture, what's it rated to do?
How many HP do you want/need in your build?

is it worth "saving money" by using this vs more standard controls/motors/bearings/pulleys?

 

[Kpaige]

I should add that a lot of the old computer power supplies had that red switch: to turn on/off the voltage doubler circuit. generally speaking, modern PFC power supplies aren't built the same way


if you've still got the control board/display, you could hide all the electronics in a box, and use the start/stop and speed control from the display to operate it. seems a bit silly but why not?

I don't see a rating on the motor in the picture, what's it rated to do?
How many HP do you want/need in your build?

is it worth "saving money" by using this vs more standard controls/motors/bearings/pulleys?

All these controls and the counsul are huge. So thats not a reasonable option for me.
I enjoy building and figuring things out so its worth it.
Since the power supply is a seperate unit and somewhat large I believe it is doubling to the 220. I will measure its output tomorrow. If it is 220 than it is more convient for shop location. Either way i have 220 in my shop also. I can get a vfd cheap enough. Just goto figure out what specs.
The motor is 230 volt 6 amps just under 2 hp by calculating amps by voltage. So I am looking at 1.5kw or 2 kw vfd good for upto 240 volt and 7 and 8 amp max draw . Of anyone has a better thought let me know please

 

[u3b3rg33k]

All these controls and the counsul are huge. So thats not a reasonable option for me.
I enjoy building and figuring things out so its worth it.
Since the power supply is a seperate unit and somewhat large I believe it is doubling to the 220. I will measure its output tomorrow. If it is 220 than it is more convient for shop location. Either way i have 220 in my shop also. I can get a vfd cheap enough. Just goto figure out what specs.
The motor is 230 volt 6 amps just under 2 hp by calculating amps by voltage. So I am looking at 1.5kw or 2 kw vfd good for upto 240 volt and 7 and 8 amp max draw . Of anyone has a better thought let me know please

the info you posted says you can wire it up either way (but it is not automatic), so be careful!

if you're going to use a regular VFD, I've not seen anything bigger than 1.5hp or so that takes 120V in, and then you have the GFCI tripping issue, so 220V might be a better choice. I'd suggest checking out ebay, plenty of name brand VFDs that do single phase in if you're patient.

 

[Kpaige]

the info you posted says you can wire it up either way (but it is not automatic), so be careful!

if you're going to use a regular VFD, I've not seen anything bigger than 1.5hp or so that takes 120V in, and then you have the GFCI tripping issue, so 220V might be a better choice. I'd suggest checking out ebay, plenty of name brand VFDs that do single phase in if you're patient.

Yes been checking them out. I measured voltage from the power supply today I was hoping that was the portion that stepped upto 220 but its no so I will get a 220v vfd. Will be easy from there. Good thing is these treadmill parts are expensive so onto ebay they go.

 

[Kpaige]

I ordered a vfd recommended by a knife maker. Once it arrives I will post how it all works.
Thanks for all the help!

 

[Lorydr]

This is a 1,000 amp, 500HP setup that I build once in a while for a plastic extruder. We normally build the 400 HP version, or for honda's robots, and many other customers conveyors and pumps, the lighterweight VFDs...down to a fraction of a HP. I'm fortunate to be employed by a pretty good company.

 

[yaidunno]

This is the VFD setup I put together for my lathe. 5 hp rated, 240V single phase in, 3 phase out. Lighted switches make it easy to see if the machine is on or not.

 

[Matt018888]

Here's a delta 17 with a VFD conversion, 1hp Dayton 3phase motor. And a soon to be finished delta 12/14 VFD conversion with a baldor 5hp motor both are just cheap Chinese VFDs off Amazon. They can be hit or miss but these two worked out well.
Delta 17, custom mobile base, led work light, woodworking table, fixture table with 1/2 13, VFD
Table saw, custom mobile stand, custom out feed table, and VFD for soft start.

 

[laser3kw]

Beware of directly mounting a vfd to the machine. Prolong vibration will cause problems with circuit board connections.

 

[Matt018888]

Beware of directly mounting a vfd to the machine. Prolong vibration will cause problems with circuit board connections.

I'm not to worried about it there pretty cheap. It's more important I have mobility. Also that table saw has very little vibration as it weighs close to 1300lb.

 

[DaveT]

Here's a delta 17 with a VFD conversion, 1hp Dayton 3phase motor. And a soon to be finished delta 12/14 VFD conversion with a baldor 5hp motor both are just cheap Chinese VFDs off Amazon. They can be hit or miss but these two worked out well.
Delta 17, custom mobile base, led work light, woodworking table, fixture table with 1/2 13, VFD
Table saw, custom mobile stand, custom out feed table, and VFD for soft start.

Matt: excellent job. That table saw looks like a beast. I have read where you can use a VFD and slow the speed down for ripping or speed it up for cross cuts vs changing blades. Is that how you use it?

Did you oversize the VFD for the 1HP motor on the drill press? How is the torque at low speed?
I have a 2HP 3Phasmotor I am planning on using on a drill press like you have done.

 

[Matt018888]

Matt: excellent job. That table saw looks like a beast. I have read where you can use a VFD and slow the speed down for ripping or speed it up for cross cuts vs changing blades. Is that how you use it?

Did you oversize the VFD for the 1HP motor on the drill press? How is the torque at low speed?
I have a 2HP 3Phasmotor I am planning on using on a drill press like you have done.

For the table saw I just got it put back together and running yesterday, took some test cuts using a 50 tooth full 1/8th kerf 12"" blade. It seems to have alot of power as I ripped through a treated 2x4. The VFD is 5hp rated and the motor is a baldor 5hp. I used the VFD because I had to run a 3phase motor on single phase power, and instead of swapping the industrial motor I used a vfd because I also wanted soft start. I haven't use variable speed yet but I could see how minor adjustment could be helpful especially when cutting plexiglass. For the drill press I used a 1hp motor with a 1hp rated vfd. I have drilled holes in cast iron with a 7/8 two flute drill bit and a 3" hole through 1/4 plate with a hole saw... Never slipped the belt or stalled the motor. The torque at low rpms is surprising.

 

[DaveT]

For the table saw I just got it put back together and running yesterday, took some test cuts using a 50 tooth full 1/8th kerf 12"" blade. It seems to have alot of power as I ripped through a treated 2x4. The VFD is 5hp rated and the motor is a baldor 5hp. I used the VFD because I had to run a 3phase motor on single phase power, and instead of swapping the industrial motor I used a vfd because I also wanted soft start. I haven't use variable speed yet but I could see how minor adjustment could be helpful especially when cutting plexiglass. For the drill press I used a 1hp motor with a 1hp rated vfd. I have drilled holes in cast iron with a 7/8 two flute drill bit and a 3" hole through 1/4 plate with a hole saw... Never slipped the belt or stalled the motor. The torque at low rpms is surprising.

Matt: That is good to hear that the drill press has good low speed torque.
You might also be able to use some braking on the table saw to stop the blade quicker.

 

[Matt018888]

Matt: That is good to hear that the drill press has good low speed torque.
You might also be able to use some braking on the table saw to stop the blade quicker.

I have thought about braking, I'm just worried it could spin the arbor nut loose. I thought about using a piece of mdf and making a dummy blade out of it to try braking safely. There's a lot of mass spinning real quick in there! Do you know of anyone who has used braking successfully on a TS?

 

[CallumRD1]

I have thought about braking, I'm just worried it could spin the arbor nut loose. I thought about using a piece of mdf and making a dummy blade out of it to try braking safely. There's a lot of mass spinning real quick in there! Do you know of anyone who has used braking successfully on a TS?

I’ll just add that you’ll need to tune the braking speed to something reasonable. If you want it to stop in under a second then yes, I’d imagine you’ll have arbor nuts coming loose but if it’s gentle then you should be fine. I’d love it if my table saw stopped in 3-5 seconds instead of 15.

 

[laser3kw]

If the VFD is decent, you can use the internal brake system to decelerate (maybe ramp to stop) in 1 second then finish with a brake function

 

[DaveT]

I’ll just add that you’ll need to tune the braking speed to something reasonable. If you want it to stop in under a second then yes, I’d imagine you’ll have arbor nuts coming loose but if it’s gentle then you should be fine. I’d love it if my table saw stopped in 3-5 seconds instead of 15.

I have thought about braking, I'm just worried it could spin the arbor nut loose. I thought about using a piece of mdf and making a dummy blade out of it to try braking safely. There's a lot of mass spinning real quick in there! Do you know of anyone who has used braking successfully on a TS?

Matt: I am not aware of anyone doing it on a table saw. There are blade brakes on 12” miter saws, so I would think that as long as the brake time is reasonable it would be okay.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

I’ll just add that you’ll need to tune the braking speed to something reasonable. If you want it to stop in under a second then yes, I’d imagine you’ll have arbor nuts coming loose but if it’s gentle then you should be fine. I’d love it if my table saw stopped in 3-5 seconds instead of 15.

If the VFD is decent, you can use the internal brake system to decelerate (maybe ramp to stop) in 1 second then finish with a brake function

Matt: I am not aware of anyone doing it on a table saw. There are blade brakes on 12” miter saws, so I would think that as long as the brake time is reasonable it would be okay.

not a table saw, but I bet I have more rotating mass. I added a 100Ω 300W resistor and brought my stop time down from 30s+ to about 5s. my limiting factor is belt slip due to the spring tensioner being on the "wrong" side of the belt while braking, and braking "pushing" the belt slack. flywheel is probably 25#.



if you have a more typical motor-base style tensioner, you are probably much better off for fast stopping. I have a tensioner/clutch meant for a gas engine, and I don't feel like trying to redesign it.

 

[laser3kw]

I added a 100Ω 300W resistor and brought my stop time down from 30s+ to about 5s

most vfd have an internal braking network (and small capacity resistor) to handle modest, periodical braking. In applications such as what you refer, the manufacture will specify a particular size resistor (wattage and "ohms"). I had machines where we had reciprocal actions occurring up to 150 time per minute using 15 hp motors. The brake and decel rates where set to augment each other to start / stop at that rate. Granted, the mass was not a 25lb flywheel but certainly way more than a saw blade. That machine would run at that rate all day long year in and year out.
If the saw blade was only required to stop once every 5 minutes, I would think the internal brake network could be set up to stop it in the <1 second range. It would be a fun exercise to play with!

I don't feel like trying to redesign it.

I get it....

 

[u3b3rg33k]

most vfd have an internal braking network (and small capacity resistor) to handle modest, periodical braking. In applications such as what you refer, the manufacture will specify a particular size resistor (wattage and "ohms"). I had machines where we had reciprocal actions occurring up to 150 time per minute using 15 hp motors. The brake and decel rates where set to augment each other to start / stop at that rate. Granted, the mass was not a 25lb flywheel but certainly way more than a saw blade. That machine would run at that rate all day long year in and year out.
If the saw blade was only required to stop once every 5 minutes, I would think the internal brake network could be set up to stop it in the <1 second range. It would be a fun exercise to play with!

I get it....

We have have some older mitsubishi drives at work (with full schematics no less!), and those all have built in resistors. decent sizes, too. the whole unit is fan cooled.

Mostly I use WJ200s or their larger siblings. none of those have it built in, but they have the transistor and terminals. I go overboard on the resistors because why not? for example, I'll put a 200W resistor on a 0.75kW WJ200. that gives me 25% duty cycle, which I will never, ever hit. it also means the resistor stays cool to the touch. everything lives an easy life. this is on an accumulator that builds up a 35# roll of material, and it needs to be able to stop rotation without over-volting the DC bus.

 

[laser3kw]

also means the resistor stays cool to the touch

some of the previous mentioned application's resistors would run "hot". We got a call about a machine with a problem. It seems that the operator set his lunch (burrito) onto the resistor to cook it for lunch. The wrapper melted and wrapper and burrito dripped into the resistor and cause a fire and damage. They wanted the service call covered under "warranty" LOL

 

[Matt018888]

Alright, in the name of science I'll play around with the braking and report back with what I come up with. I'll keep it to a reasonable stop time.

 

[Provincial]

I recently bought a Metal Max 1340LB lathe. It is a rebranded Chinese Jet BDB-1340 and was made in 2004. It had a 2 HP single phase 230V motor, but that burned up on the previous owner. This apparently was a problem with the Jet equipment of that era, and was a result of poor assembly tolerances. He took it to a shop for repair, but once he found out how much it would cost, he walked away, so I have no motor or 2-step drive pulley.

I have decided to change over to a 3-phase motor and VFD. I can use a NEMA 145T frame motor if I modify the motor mount, and probably get by with just one pulley. It uses a B section belt. I'll have three speed options using the secondary drive belt positions, and also have the back gears.

Has anyone here done a similar conversion?

I am looking at VFD's and find that I will want a "vector control" version to keep up the torque at lower frequencies. I am looking at a Huanyang ‎GT-2R2G-2 2.2KW unit, although I have 3-phase power and don't need to oversize it, because it would help resale value to be able to run it on single phase, and I believe in having extra capacity. There are lots of cheaper units available, but they don't seem to have vector control, and have far fewer terminals for external switch connection. This makes me think that they would not have as many optional functions. A Teco L510 looks pretty good, but is a big step up in price.

I have several questions about this unit:

Does it have enough internal capacity for dynamic braking? They say it has only an internal braking resistor, but it looks like there are terminals for adding an external resistor.

Can it be set up with a "jog" function for threading without disengaging the half nuts? Ideally, it would stop the spindle quickly upon release of the jog button, and have a way to easily reverse the spindle at a somewhat higher speed. I have to keep the lead screw engaged to cut metric threads.

Does anyone know of a video tutorial for programming this model? I've seen videos for programming the HY model, but I know that one is much different.

Thanks for any help! I don't want to re-invent the wheel.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

I am looking at VFD's and find that I will want a "vector control" version to keep up the torque at lower frequencies. I am looking at a Huanyang ‎GT-2R2G-2 2.2KW unit, although I have 3-phase power and don't need to oversize it, because it would help resale value to be able to run it on single phase, and I believe in having extra capacity. There are lots of cheaper units available, but they don't seem to have vector control, and have far fewer terminals for external switch connection. This makes me think that they would not have as many optional functions. A Teco L510 looks pretty good, but is a big step up in price.

I have several questions about this unit:

Does it have enough internal capacity for dynamic braking? They say it has only an internal braking resistor, but it looks like there are terminals for adding an external resistor.

Can it be set up with a "jog" function for threading without disengaging the half nuts? Ideally, it would stop the spindle quickly upon release of the jog button, and have a way to easily reverse the spindle at a somewhat higher speed. I have to keep the lead screw engaged to cut metric threads.

Does anyone know of a video tutorial for programming this model? I've seen videos for programming the HY model, but I know that one is much different.

Thanks for any help! I don't want to re-invent the wheel.

try a WJ200-022LF, assuming you have 3ø 200V class power. it's worth the beer money you'll have to save up. I'd take a beat up Hitachi over a new Huanyang, all day, every day.


I attached the manual for your review. if your question is "but can it do x", the manual says "yes" and "how".

 

[laser3kw]

I'd take a beat up Hitachi over a new Huanyang, all day, every day.

A lot of GJ'ers use the Teco brand with great success and there is a lot of working knowledge here to support it.
Some members bought the-most-cheapest (china) vfd and some could not get them to work. The only factory support was in china and could not help them. Be careful waht you buy. Buy good, features and support, not price.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

A lot of GJ'ers use the Teco brand with great success and there is a lot of working knowledge here to support it.
Some members bought the-most-cheapest (china) vfd and some could not get them to work. The only factory support was in china and could not help them. Be careful waht you buy. Buy good, features and support, not price.

On that note I've found the smaller Baldor branded drives to be convenient analogs for the Invertek's I like so much. maybe a bit lighter on options (no SV mode), but the programming menus are the same, and button layouts are nearly identical.

 

[Provincial]

I went looking for the Hitachi WJ200-022LF online, and didn't find many. There seem to be plenty of WJ200-022SF's (and -022HF's, which are the high voltage model), which I assume is a more recent model.

I have a Teco L510 drive on a 2HP machine, and it seems to work well. It had simple programming when I bought the machine, and I haven't seen the need to change anything. I have had that machine for three years now, so there might have been improvements in Teco drives since then.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

I went looking for the Hitachi WJ200-022LF online, and didn't find many. There seem to be plenty of WJ200-022SF's (and -022HF's, which are the high voltage model), which I assume is a more recent model.

I have a Teco L510 drive on a 2HP machine, and it seems to work well. It had simple programming when I bought the machine, and I haven't seen the need to change anything. I have had that machine for three years now, so there might have been improvements in Teco drives since then.

the -xxSF models are single phase input. not newer, just different.

 

[Bennylava]

This is the VFD setup I put together for my lathe. 5 hp rated, 240V single phase in, 3 phase out. Lighted switches make it easy to see if the machine is on or not.

Is all that new? I must know how you keep such a clean work area and lathe.

 

[yaidunno]

Is all that new? I must know how you keep such a clean work area and lathe.

The lathe is from the mid 80s, but i just finished going through it and repainting it. The VFD is probably 3 years old. I used it on my LeBlond lathe previously. I try to make it a point to keep a clean shop though. Makes things easier to find, and helps with working efficiently.

 

[930dreamer]

I was at the shop this morning and kept hearing a whining sound, i walked over to the Clausing drill press and sure enough I stopped the vfd after using it Sunday but didn't power it down.

 

[Firebrick43]

I recently bought a Metal Max 1340LB lathe. It is a rebranded Chinese Jet BDB-1340 and was made in 2004. It had a 2 HP single phase 230V motor, but that burned up on the previous owner. This apparently was a problem with the Jet equipment of that era, and was a result of poor assembly tolerances. He took it to a shop for repair, but once he found out how much it would cost, he walked away, so I have no motor or 2-step drive pulley.

I have decided to change over to a 3-phase motor and VFD. I can use a NEMA 145T frame motor if I modify the motor mount, and probably get by with just one pulley. It uses a B section belt. I'll have three speed options using the secondary drive belt positions, and also have the back gears.

Has anyone here done a similar conversion?

I am looking at VFD's and find that I will want a "vector control" version to keep up the torque at lower frequencies. I am looking at a Huanyang ‎GT-2R2G-2 2.2KW unit, although I have 3-phase power and don't need to oversize it, because it would help resale value to be able to run it on single phase, and I believe in having extra capacity. There are lots of cheaper units available, but they don't seem to have vector control, and have far fewer terminals for external switch connection. This makes me think that they would not have as many optional functions. A Teco L510 looks pretty good, but is a big step up in price.

I have several questions about this unit:

Does it have enough internal capacity for dynamic braking? They say it has only an internal braking resistor, but it looks like there are terminals for adding an external resistor.

Can it be set up with a "jog" function for threading without disengaging the half nuts? Ideally, it would stop the spindle quickly upon release of the jog button, and have a way to easily reverse the spindle at a somewhat higher speed. I have to keep the lead screw engaged to cut metric threads.

I don't work with off brand **** so I don't know about that unit. I put teco on drill presses and such. AC lenze or mitsubishi on lathes and mills.

What mount does the chuck have? If its threaded you do not want to brake to hard or it will come unscrewed and fall off.
However do not configure your lathe to thread like that.

Mount a switch to a moveable block that can be clamped to the front way. Have a jack/plug some where on the lathe so the switch can be unplugged quickly and removed.

When threading you mount the switch, plug it in and drive the carriage to where you want it to stop. Adjust the switch so its activated at this point.

Get the back issue of "Beyond the Basics with a Variable Frequency Drive" written by Dennis Hardin in The Home Shop Machinist magazine Vol.29, Number 3 (July / August 2010)"

It will explain how to set/wire it up.

 

[Provincial]

I've been researching and the Hobby Machinist Forum has lots of information. Mark Jacobs (mksj) there has developed some very nice setups for Precision Matthews lathes. The PM lathes are somewhat similar to mine, except they are gear drive spindles, and mine is a belt drive.

My lathe is essentially identical to a Jet BDB-1340 (not the BDB-1340A, which has a different style of quick change gearbox) the the extent that many of the part numbers in the manual match the Jet numbers of the BDB-1340A! It has a D1-4 chuck mount and a 1-1/2" spindle bore. It was made in 2004, but hardly used before the motor burned up. It is one of many Asian lathes of that period that seem identical except for the name on the headstock!

I ended up buying a Hitachi WJ-200-015LF because of Mark's extensive wiring diagrams. They make it straightforward to do the installation, wiring, and programming. I'm going to use a 2 HP, 1725 RPM, 3 phase motor with a 145T frame size. This should give me a great range of spindle speeds, and I can change the belts if I need to slow it way down, and engage the back gears if I need to. I'm putting a magnetic tachometer on the spindle so I won't have to do calculations.

Here are a couple of photos of the machine after some clean up. It was covered with dirt, oil, and swarf. It looked really ratty when I inspected it, but it turns out that most of the dirt layer was actually the cosmoline from the factory! The face plate and 4-jaw chuck still had paper wrapping, and the mounting pins had never been installed in the 4-jaw. It came with the stand, steady and follower rests, turret tool post, two dead centers, headstock Morse Taper reducer, tool kit, and a keyless drill chuck for the tailstock.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

A motor option you may want to consider is a "purpose built" inverter operation motor, like the blue/blackmax marathon motors. the one I used for my project is 145TC, 1.5kW/2HP @ 1800rpm, and rated for continuous horsepower up to 5400RPM.

I've been researching and the Hobby Machinist Forum has lots of information. Mark Jacobs (mksj) there has developed some very nice setups for Precision Matthews lathes. The PM lathes are somewhat similar to mine, except they are gear drive spindles, and mine is a belt drive.

My lathe is essentially identical to a Jet BDB-1340 (not the BDB-1340A, which has a different style of quick change gearbox) the the extent that many of the part numbers in the manual match the Jet numbers of the BDB-1340A! It has a D1-4 chuck mount and a 1-1/2" spindle bore. It was made in 2004, but hardly used before the motor burned up. It is one of many Asian lathes of that period that seem identical except for the name on the headstock!

I ended up buying a Hitachi WJ-200-015LF because of Mark's extensive wiring diagrams. They make it straightforward to do the installation, wiring, and programming. I'm going to use a 2 HP, 1725 RPM, 3 phase motor with a 145T frame size. This should give me a great range of spindle speeds, and I can change the belts if I need to slow it way down, and engage the back gears if I need to. I'm putting a magnetic tachometer on the spindle so I won't have to do calculations.

Here are a couple of photos of the machine after some clean up. It was covered with dirt, oil, and swarf. It looked really ratty when I inspected it, but it turns out that most of the dirt layer was actually the cosmoline from the factory! The face plate and 4-jaw chuck still had paper wrapping, and the mounting pins had never been installed in the 4-jaw. It came with the stand, steady and follower rests, turret tool post, two dead centers, headstock Morse Taper reducer, tool kit, and a keyless drill chuck for the tailstock.

 

[Provincial]

I'd have to put a jackshaft in the system to take advantage of that much RPM. 150% of 1725 RPM turns the spindle over 1800 RPM as it is, and the original top speed was 1240. I think 1800 is pretty fast for the design. I'd be more interested in a lower speed range without using the back gears. I would get more use from that. An 1140 - 1200 RPM motor on a 184T frame would be a better choice, and there is room for it with the original motor mount. I could use bigger motor pulleys and get more speed multiplication. Those motors are hard to find used around here.

Using just the belts on the 1725 RPM motor, I've come up with a pulley combination that gets me 105 RPM at 40% speed. Using 40-150% motor speed, I can get 1303 to 347 spindle RPM on a single belt setting, which should handle most of my work. I can drop down to 154 RPM with one easy belt change.

 

[slodat]

I was at the shop this morning and kept hearing a whining sound, i walked over to the Clausing drill press and sure enough I stopped the vfd after using it Sunday but didn't power it down.

I had the same thing happen on one of my first VFD installations. Since then I have installed a pilot lamp to indicate when the drive is powered up.

 

[laser3kw]

Since then I have installed a pilot lamp to indicate when the drive is powered up.

I have pulled the " is the fridge light on when the door is closed thing". I have gone out to the garage, at night, when it's cold, to open the door and peek inside - to see is the pilot light is on.
some days.....

 

[u3b3rg33k]

+1 for the pilot light. I have a winder application where the motor will be applying (minimal) torque but no motion at times, the pilot light is on whenever the drive is above 0.0Hz output (producing torque).