VFD recommendation?

B

Bobbybirds

Joined
Aug 17, 2012
Messages
180
Hey guys... I have a 3hp 3phz motor locked down, and I had a free slightly used VFD lined up but it turns out it was a 3phz to 3phz and I need a single to 3 phz. Now I am in the market for a new VFD. Looking on E-Bay seems to bring up the best deals, especially being in Canada. I was wondering what the experiences are from the community with the various options and cost/value?

Thoughts?
 
I have this on my grinder and have had ZERO issues.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/261939812616

Now I am a hobby knife maker and I can only speak to that amount of use but in the 112 degree AZ weather and in a garage at that! I have made a filter to go over the vents as its not dust proof. But it has been a great unit.

Not in any way saying it's better than the expensive VFDs but this thing takes my motor from stupid slow to smoking fast with no problems at all!
 
Fochops said:
I have this on my grinder and have had ZERO issues.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/261939812616

Now I am a hobby knife maker and I can only speak to that amount of use but in the 112 degree AZ weather and in a garage at that! I have made a filter to go over the vents as its not dust proof. But it has been a great unit.

Not in any way saying it's better than the expensive VFDs but this thing takes my motor from stupid slow to smoking fast with no problems at all!
Click to expand...

How was it to wire?
 
I have the teco fm50 2HP
Built an enclosure based on designs I found on here.
Wired a potentiometer and a forward reverse switch.
Runs great, but I am also a hobbyist and am not putting in the time that would probably demand a KBAC vfd with nema 4 protection.
 
your main issue in Canada is getting something shipped up there plus you may have to pay customs duty. If you have not paid for the 3 hp motor, i would look instead for a 1 or 1.5 hp. for 3 hp you are going to need 30 amp 240vac just to run the VFD. shop eBay and look for Allen Bradley, Teco, or Leeson. If you want to stay with 3 hp, such a deal http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ac-drive-Te...524652?hash=item27f031deac:g:OQIAAOSwrx5UXNrJ the seller is in Canada which will help shipping 250$US aint a bad deal.
scott
 
scott.livesey said:
If you have not paid for the 3 hp motor, i would look instead for a 1 or 1.5 hp. for 3 hp you are going to need 30 amp 240vac just to run the VFD. shop eBay and look for Allen Bradley, Teco, or Leeson.
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If the motor was free then you are money ahead


But as mentioned, 3 HP will cost you in wires to the VFD and the larger VFD too



I like KB Electronics
KBAC27D
2 HP

They have 3hp too
KBAC-29 (1P) Gray 3.0 HP, 9.0A, 230 VAC 3ø Output 10001

http://www.kbelectronics.com/Variable_Speed_AC_Drives_Inverters/AC_Drives_NEMA_4X.html
http://www.kbelectronics.com/data_sheets/kbac.pdf
http://www.kbelectronics.com/manuals/kbac_manual.pdf

If you go to 2 HP try Kbac27D

Use the find the dealer locator
http://www.kbelectronics.com/s_list.php?db=df&name=&area_both=alberta&line=0&stock=1&x=0&y=0
 
The KBAC is the better drive and is sealed from the factory.

If you need it sealed, do your sums very carefully indeed. I have built several 2.2 kW HuanYang drives into IP66 enclosures (NEMA 4 equivalent) with remote control boxes for start, stop, fwd/rev and speed control and found the cost to be almost as high as buying IP66 drives.

I have had 7 of the HuanYang drives and have set a couple more up for other people: call it direct experience of 9 drives. One failed within 4 hours, albeit running on a small gasoline-fuelled generator rated at only 3.5 kVA. Another ran perhaps 10-12 hours over a period of several months and failed. This one was on mains power. The others have been trouble-free.

The main reason I use the HuanYang drives is because they play nicely with generators and I've simply not found a big-name drive that does so.

Setup is easy enough and the manual is better than some of the big-name drives, though I seem to recall the descriptions of the maximum speed and minimum speed parameters being the wrong way round.

Whatever you buy, download and read the manual before making your final decision. If you cannot download the manual, buy a different drive. If you cannot understand the manual, buy a different drive.

The easiest drive I have ever set up was an Automation Direct GS2. I have not used a KBAC, which I understand to be set up using jumpers and pots, rather than the menu used on most other drives.
 
timgunn1962 said:
The KBAC is the better drive and is sealed from the factory.

If you need it sealed, do your sums very carefully indeed. I have built several 2.2 kW HuanYang drives into IP66 enclosures (NEMA 4 equivalent) with remote control boxes for start, stop, fwd/rev and speed control and found the cost to be almost as high as buying IP66 drives.

I have had 7 of the HuanYang drives and have set a couple more up for other people: call it direct experience of 9 drives. One failed within 4 hours, albeit running on a small gasoline-fuelled generator rated at only 3.5 kVA. Another ran perhaps 10-12 hours over a period of several months and failed. This one was on mains power. The others have been trouble-free.

The main reason I use the HuanYang drives is because they play nicely with generators and I've simply not found a big-name drive that does so.

Setup is easy enough and the manual is better than some of the big-name drives, though I seem to recall the descriptions of the maximum speed and minimum speed parameters being the wrong way round.

Whatever you buy, download and read the manual before making your final decision. If you cannot download the manual, buy a different drive. If you cannot understand the manual, buy a different drive.

The easiest drive I have ever set up was an Automation Direct GS2. I have not used a KBAC, which I understand to be set up using jumpers and pots, rather than the menu used on most other drives.
Click to expand...

Absolutely

If you buy some ccc off ebay with no manual and come begging for help to set it up; we have no experience with it - you're on your own.

If you go KB, you get USA based tech support, dealer network, warranty and a large supportive user base.
Simple, visual jumpers and no menus to diddle through.


In Tim's example he had two of nine drives fail. That's 22% failure rate.
The drives may be cheaper, but I'd hate to pay for that failure.
 
not knocking KB, but TECO, Allen Bradley, Leeson, Siemens are major international players in industrial electronics and have offer tech support online and by phone. The TECO and Leeson drives come with default programs that will allow wire up and go. The parameters I had to change were acceleration rate(slowed it down) and one that allowed remote start/stop.
None of my drives are NEMA 4, but they are not mounted on the grinder. the one in use now is mounted above and left of the belt grinder/right of the disc grinder. the only time i have dust issues is when doing wood. which ever VFD you choose, buy a 3 phase receptacle and plugs. makes it easier to move and also allows you to run several machines one at a time. remote on/off is a switch and two wires, remote speed is a pot and 3 wires.
good luck
scott
 
Hey thanks for all the info! Going to try and research this down some more. It is a bit itimidating to say the least all this not being an electrical guy but there is still some room for learning in this old brain..
 
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