VFD or replacement for 3-phase motor for Jointer

[hobbes]

Thanks Woodie for the source link. I look at that and I feel like a kid in Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory...there's like a ton of different variations and you start to get overwhelmed by the variety and choice.

I may go with the switch Rick posted since that definitely narrows down the choice and he's made a decision for me that I didn't have to.  [laughing]
That said, I forgot there's a electronics shop nearby that I will try to visit this weekend that may have these or some variation thereof that I can pick up fairly cheap too. I agree, less complexity and lower cost are great decision points.  ;D

Will post updates when I get at least the switch. Does anyone know if Amazon carry switches and enclosures that would fit the bill...love their two-day shipping.

 

[hobbes]

Well, the electronic store was a bust...they did have some switches but most of them were very small and all were the toggle type so I went with that one that you linked to Rick. How do I hook it up to the VFD from here? There are numbers on the sides of the switch, #1 and #2 on the red side, #3 and #4 on the Green side. Does it go something like #1 and #4 to Common and then #2 to D|3 and #3 to D|1? Or something even simpler than that? Also, do I need to make any other changes to the programming on VFD?

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[Rick Christopherson]

Those were great pictures and very helpful. They show the terminal numbers as well as the type of each switch. The red switch is normally closed. This means the contacts are touching until you press the red button. Then they open. The green switch is normally open. This means the contacts close only when you press the green button.

Connect DI3 from the VFD to both terminal 1 and terminal 4 on the switches.

Connect DI1 from the VFD to terminal 3 on the green switch.

Connect CM from the VFD to terminal 2 on the red switch.

From my earlier post, program the following items:
P3.00 = 1 (external controls. )
P3.01 = 2 (for momentary on/off switches)

For reference, I am repeating the same diagram shown earlier in the thread.

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[hobbes]

Thanks Rick! I knew those swiggles had to mean something.  [laughing]
This all makes sense, I don't think I'll have any problems with this now. Only one thing I'm curious about - Is the power from this switch to the VFD at a lower voltage than the main line? Wondering if I should use the same gauge wire for everything or not.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

No it is low voltage. You can use whatever wire is convenient, including telephone wire. Or you can still use a piece of the left over 3-wire extension cord you used to power the VFD.

 

[hobbes]

Ok, cool. Crazy as it may sound, on the VFD hookup I actually had to go to Home Depot to pick up 3 short 1-foot length wire just to wire the ends from the outlet plug to the VFD because it was too big and bulky from just that washer-type cable. Normally, I see those wires around all the time, but when I'm looking for it I couldn't find any around....that's Murphy's Law at work, I guess.

Now I just have to find a suitable enclosure or maybe I'll just build an open frame wooden box and put the VFD in there, if it's large enough and not closed off do you think that would be a problem (since the heat is not trapped, but I'm not sure how hot the VFD can get that might make wood not a good choice)?

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Well you can see how I have mine mounted on the lathe. It is just bolted to the leg below the motor so it doesn't get banged into. You could mount yours to the sheetmetal below the infeed bed.

 

[hobbes]

Yes, I noticed that on your lathe. I guess I was worried about the saw dust getting into the fan and causing it to overheat. The infeed side was where I was planning to mount it once I got an enclosure, but maybe that's overkill for this unit. I'll post another picture once I have it all wired up with the switch and final placement of everything. This was a great learning experience! Thanks again Rick for your help and everyone who contributed their input. What a great resource you all have been!

 

[Mrjackg]

Hi, I have followed this thread and have found it very helpful.

I am planning on using the suggested GS1 VFD to convert a 3 Phase drill press I have to use on 240v single phase.  I am in Australia and 240v is the standard.  The name plate on the 3 Phase motor (attached) does not state the Horse Power.  From what I have worked out I think it is 1/2 HP.  

I have a couple of questions for Rick or anyone who knows... Will the GS1 suit this? Would the drill press motor need to be wired up in Delta or in Star to utilize the VFD appropriately?

I have also read a bit about making sure the VFD or motor will be big enough to suit drilling steel at say 1 inch diameter hole at a slow rpm.  Can the GS1 be dialed down and still have enough torque to drill steel at slow rpm's?

I appreciated any advice you can provide!  Thanks.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Because that motor is not a dual voltage motor, it requires a 415 volt input. The VFD won't be able to create this from a 240 volt input.

 

[ajones]

Hi Even if the motor were dual voltage the cost of replacing it with a single ph  motor would probably be less than the cost of a vfd as its such a small output motor

if it were dual voltage I may have considered using start/run capacitors instead of a vfd as a cheaper option

 

[Mrjackg]

Because that motor is not a dual voltage motor, it requires a 415 volt input. The VFD won't be able to create this from a 240 volt input.

Hmm okay, thanks for the replies.. I have another machine I am attempting this solution too.  Its a linisher or belt sander, attached is the name plate.  Would the GS1 suit this?  How do you know if its dual voltage or not? Forgive my ignorance..

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

How do you know if its dual voltage or not? Forgive my ignorance..

Because it is listing only a single voltage of 415 on the nameplate. Given the way the AU power system is set up, I doubt you're going to come across very many dual voltage motors for 240 volts at 3-phase.

 

[Mrjackg]

Ok, thanks for the info.. bugger I bought a GS1  [blink].. dont know what to do with it now...  so my only real option is to buy a replacement single phase motor for these machines? 

Once again thanks for your knowledge and help.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

did you buy the GS1 from the U.S. or AU?

 

[Mrjackg]

I bought it from AU, there is an automationdirect.com.au site that supplies to Australia.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Yup, I checked their catalog. They're the same as the US VFDs.

 

[L.J]

Q1: You recommended setting it to 240V for P0.00 but wouldn't that overload my 220v circuit? I know that there is some variation in voltage for the circuits but I didn't think the variance would be that wide.

Unfortunately, common lexicon uses the terms "110" and "220" so much that it sticks and people don't realize that the nominal voltages are actually 120 and 240. I am not entirely sure how this came about, but I suspect it might have to do with the nameplate ratings on motors. For a motor that is intended to operate on a 240 volt circuit, it will have a nameplate rating of 220 or 230. These numbers signify that the motor can withstand operating at that "under-voltage" condition. So people see that nameplate, and the number sticks in their head.

Your motor is actually rated to operate at either 208 volt 3-phase or 240 volt 3-phase. These are two different electrical systems in the U.S. So your motor is designed to be able to operate on either of these common 3-phase systems. Therefore, you could set the VFD output voltage to anything between 208 and 240. (It is not uncommon for a 3-phase motor to be rated only for 208 volts, but yours isn't one of them.)

As for overloading your circuit, no, this is not an issue. First off, your circuit is 240 volts. Secondly, the internal DC voltage inside the VFD is much higher than 240 volts. It's complicated to explain, but the internal voltage of the VFD is over 300 volts DC.

Q2: I was thinking for the 4-wire cord from the VFD to the motor, I can probably use the existing cord (you'll notice that it is a 4-prong plug in that jointer picture). Would that work or you suggest a new one?

I hadn't noticed that cord previously, but was privately hoping that is exactly what you would have had. Yes, you can reuse that cord for the connection between the VFD and the motor.

All motors are required to operate within a certain percentage of their stated ratings and the voltage numbers vary by the transformers in the street or on the pole.

 

[Mrjackg]

Hi again,

Now that I have the GS1, would I be better off buying a ... lets say, 1HP dual voltage 3 phase motor for say, the drill press so that I can control the speed without changing the belts and for the power efficiency of 3 phase?  Or do you still think that a single phase motor would be my best option?

 

[Mrjackg]

I took off the cover on the linisher motor and it has the diagram showing how to hook up in delta.  Does this mean that this motor is dual voltage?  Would the GS1 work on this?