KBAC stopped working

J

JMJones

Joined
Jul 14, 2010
Messages
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I have had the kbac 3hp ac drive for several years that has worked great without issues. I use it to run a grinder and some machine tools. Yesterday while on the lathe, it started hesitating, starting and stopping and finally stopped the motor. I plugged it into the grinder and it did the exact same thing. I checked the plug connections and the connections of the cords to the board and everything seemed normal. Has anyone had a similar experience or advice on where to start to repair the drive? I have an email into KBAC customer service but figured I would check here as well.

Thanks
John
 
They are the ones to go to... sounds like one of the chips or a mosfet decided that life isn't worth living anymore...
 
JMJones said:
I have had the kbac 3hp ac drive for several years that has worked great without issues. I use it to run a grinder and some machine tools. Yesterday while on the lathe, it started hesitating, starting and stopping and finally stopped the motor. I plugged it into the grinder and it did the exact same thing. I checked the plug connections and the connections of the cords to the board and everything seemed normal. Has anyone had a similar experience or advice on where to start to repair the drive? I have an email into KBAC customer service but figured I would check here as well.

Thanks
John
Click to expand...
Try calling them this week during normal business hours 800-221-6570. They might be able to fix the one you got, or know of someone to take it to locally.

 
Just an update and perhaps a warning for makers running kbac's.

I received a call back from customer service. The technician told me that since the drive was more than 18 months old that KB electronics would not fix the drive because they have recently switched to warranty only repair.

They said Galco was the authorized repair center now. I contacted Galco and the flat fee to fix a that drive is $369, takes 20 to 30 days, plus the cost of shipping.

I asked if a local electrician would be able to do the repair and the tech said that they would not be able to fix it without the proper schematic and those are not available.

So it appears, at least according to KB Electronics, that if your drive has issues after the 18 month mark, it is cheaper to just buy a new one.
 
That’s very disappointing to hear.

I would still try a local guy. I’m sure there’s people out there smart enough to figure that stuff out.
 
Well that stinks.

I'm close to pulling the trigger on purchasing a Torus grinder, motor, and vfd. I've been avoiding the Chinese VFD's because KBAC seems to be the standard. The KBAC cost is at least 3 times as much though and (together with the other items) will pretty much drain the account for my LLC.

This makes me wonder though. If I have to buy a new one every few years I might as well go with whatever is cheapest for a VFD.

Am I overreacting?
 
My decision has been to use the Chinese VFD since they tend to give good service and last 3 to 5 yrs. Then spend another $75 yo $100 for a new VFD. I've got 4 of them running in the shop and have been pleased with them. I install a filter over the air inlets, then drop an old towel over the drive when not in use to protect against dust. Seems to work just fine at a much less cost.
 
I have been debating not replacing it and using another cheap import vfd. I have one already but I have issues with it switching off on the lathe.
My cheap vfd is only rated for 2hp and the lathe motor is 2hp. If I leave the lathe on and power up the vfd to turn it on and off, it works fine. However if I use the switch on the lathe to turn on or off the power, the vfd stops and shows an error message. I am not sure if it is a programming issue or the startup draw is too much for its rating? Anyone have any input or thoughts? Any other quality vfd's on the market in the same price range as kbac but supported and fixable?

Thanks
John
 
Ken H> said:
My decision has been to use the Chinese VFD since they tend to give good service and last 3 to 5 yrs. Then spend another $75 yo $100 for a new VFD. I've got 4 of them running in the shop and have been pleased with them. I install a filter over the air inlets, then drop an old towel over the drive when not in use to protect against dust. Seems to work just fine at a much less cost.
Click to expand...
Is there a model you like best?
 
I don't really now anything about this vendor but the VFD seems to be the same as I've got. search for item #134762225168 (3 hp) on ebay and it should turn up for $80 shipped from USA. Or perhaps this item #125595251210 which is a 2hp unit for $65 shipped from USA. I do tend to prefer a 3 hp for a 2 hp motor. I've used the 2hp, but they're best for 1hp motors.

Here's VFD listed on Amazon item #B09H7J4M96
 
Ken H> said:
I don't really now anything about this vendor but the VFD seems to be the same as I've got. search for item #134762225168 (3 hp) on ebay and it should turn up for $80 shipped from USA. Or perhaps this item #125595251210 which is a 2hp unit for $65 shipped from USA. I do tend to prefer a 3 hp for a 2 hp motor. I've used the 2hp, but they're best for 1hp motors.

Here's VFD listed on Amazon item #B09H7J4M96
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info!
 
dwaterfield said:
Well that stinks.

I'm close to pulling the trigger on purchasing a Torus grinder, motor, and vfd. I've been avoiding the Chinese VFD's because KBAC seems to be the standard. The KBAC cost is at least 3 times as much though and (together with the other items) will pretty much drain the account for my LLC.

This makes me wonder though. If I have to buy a new one every few years I might as well go with whatever is cheapest for a VFD.

Am I overreacting?
Click to expand...
Depending on whcich chinese VFD you gt, you may have to program parameters to run it and use the aweful chinglish manuals to do it.

KB are very dependable so far.
 
I don't know anything about the VFD listed on Amazon, but the ebay VFDs I listed have very good English manuals and are very easy to setup. If needed it's easy for me to send parameter settings. With that said, I'm "assuming" those are the same as the VFDs I have - they sure look the same. No guarantee.
 
JMJones said:
Just an update and perhaps a warning for makers running kbac's.

I received a call back from customer service. The technician told me that since the drive was more than 18 months old that KB electronics would not fix the drive because they have recently switched to warranty only repair.

They said Galco was the authorized repair center now. I contacted Galco and the flat fee to fix a that drive is $369, takes 20 to 30 days, plus the cost of shipping.

I asked if a local electrician would be able to do the repair and the tech said that they would not be able to fix it without the proper schematic and those are not available.

So it appears, at least according to KB Electronics, that if your drive has issues after the 18 month mark, it is cheaper to just buy a new one.
Click to expand...

I'd search for a local electronics supply shop and see if they offer a repair service. Chances are it'll be just a simple component replacement, and any electronics diagnostician worth their salt should be able to narrow it down pretty easily, with or without the schematic. It may still end up costing a couple hundred bucks, but you may get another few years out of it.
 
dwaterfield said:
Well that stinks.

I'm close to pulling the trigger on purchasing a Torus grinder, motor, and vfd. I've been avoiding the Chinese VFD's because KBAC seems to be the standard. The KBAC cost is at least 3 times as much though and (together with the other items) will pretty much drain the account for my LLC.

This makes me wonder though. If I have to buy a new one every few years I might as well go with whatever is cheapest for a VFD.

Am I overreacting?
Click to expand...
Go to Brian House's website (housemade dot us) and look at Project Resources link, then Revolution Grinder Project link. There you will find some good info on alternative VFDs.

But this is sad news. I knew they were bought out, but obviously they don't plan to stand behind their product like they used to it seems. I have 3 of them.
 
Unfortunate but the it seems to be the wave of the future. How much do you think an electrical engineer (or skill equivalent) wants to make per hour to troubleshoot an electrical drive when McD's is paying $20 per hour? Now, how many of those hours can you justify on a drive that's $400ish new....we are in the landfill age.
 
JV Knives said:
Now, how many of those hours can you justify on a drive that's $400ish new....we are in the landfill age.
Click to expand...
That's why I like the Chinese VFDs - they're cheap and tend to last at least 4 or 5 yrs. If (when) they break, toss them and order another
 
Ken H> said:
That's why I like the Chinese VFDs - they're cheap and tend to last at least 4 or 5 yrs. If (when) they break, toss them and order another
Click to expand...
Yea I get the allure of the cheap. I just can’t support Chinese manufacturers if I have a choice (rare these days). I’ll buy made here whenever feasible even if it costs more.
 
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