A little vfd help please

[Skip Spaulding]

I have a Nova 1624 and am thinking about converting to VFD. I have found a Leeson 3ph., 2hp., inverter duty motor for $240.00 and a couple of VFDs for about the same price. One is an ABB ACS 150-01U-07A5-2, the other is a Teco 7300CV 2HP CV-2002-H1. Both VFDs appear to have built in start, stop, fwd, revs and a potentiometer.
My question is, can I use these built in features or do I need to add remote switches? Also, what frequencys should I have for say 0-1200 rpm and 1200-3000 or so. My lathe has 8 step pulleys so I should be able to pick a good mid range. My concern is not burning up the motor and having the torque I need.
Any input will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Skip

[Dennis Ford]

I have not used the specific VFDs you mentioned, I have set up some lathes with VFDs.
You can use the built in features but will probably be happier with a seperate switch for forward / reverse, some use a three position switch to handle forward, off & reverse. I prefer the start/stop switch seperate from the fwd/rev.

If the 2 hp motor has the same speed at 60 hz as the motor you are replacing, you will have plenty of power and torque to turn anything the lathe will handle. You will still have to change the belt/ pulley setup occasionally but I think that you will find a setting that does most jobs without moving the belt.

About the only way to burn up the motor would be to use the high speed belt settings with a low frequency vfd setting. This would put a heavy load on the motor and the low motor speed would result in poor cooling.

[Jeff Nicol]

Skip, Is the motor you bought a single phase 220V motor? I used a 3 phase motor and stepped up the single phase with the VFD. VFD's have lots of features that allow you to do many things, such as slow start, ramp down speed, you can over clock it to about 90hz for more speed (3 phase) all the controls are on the VFD but are a pain to use as the buttons are tiny, so a remote box with all the switches and potentiometer is a must. I bought a brand new 1hp 3ph motor from Surplus Center for under $50.00 and the teco drive I used was under $130. The bigger the motor though the drive price goes up. The switches and box were cheap so that is not a problem. The VFD will have instructions to tell you what and how to hook up a remote box.

Have fun,

Jeff

[Skip Spaulding]

Dennis and Jeff, thanks for the input. Guess I better check out Surplus Center. Thanks

[Dick Strauss]

Skip,
Inverter duty means it is 3 phase so that would be okay for the motor.

Check the ratings for your VFD choices to make sure that they are rated for and capable of 1ph input (this is the power coming into the VFD from your electrical service, not the motor). Some VFDs that allow for both 3ph/1ph inputs have to be derated by 50% for the 1ph input. So a unit might be good to power a 2hp motor using a 3ph VFD input, but might only be strong enough to power a 1hp motor with a 1ph VFD input.