David DeCristoforo
10-18-2013, 2:49 PM
I thought it might be helpful to anyone contemplating setting up a VFD to post this diagram and some tips I picked up along the way. There are several things I did not understand about how this unit works. Much of this is perfectly clear if one looks at the manual. However, as I learned the hard way, neither the manual or the unit itself is intended to be placed in the hands of the untrained. This was pointed out with various levels of distain by several people including the "screener" at FactoryMation where I purchased my VFD. "It's in the manual." "Didn't you read the manual?"
So, yes… I did look in the manual and now that I understand more, some things in the manual make sense whereas before, they were meaningless. Much enlightenment was provided by Dave Muller and Ken Fitzgerald, Richard Bell and Josh Bowman even to the extent of providing me with documentation of how they set theirs up. But I still missed some important points that made it much more difficult to set up than it needed to be.
The main problem is that the diagrams in the manual are based on electronic symbols that are clear only if you understand electronic symbols. This applies to the instructions as well. Once again, I am reminded of the late great blues player, Johnny Shines who was fond of saying "It's easy…if you know how". So, now that i "know how", here is my "for dummies" version of the setup instructions.
273244
Something that might seem obvious but was not to me, is why it's called a "Variable Frequency Drive". In an "Oh duh…" moment, I got that one. The speed of a 3phase motor can be varied by varying the frequency of the AC current applied to it. At 60 hz, the motor runs at it's full rated speed. If the frequency is reduced to 30 hz, the motor runs at half it's rated speed. (Remember, this is the "For Dummies" version) So the VFD does two things. It converts single phase power to three phase and it provides a way to vary the frequency of the 3 phase output.
It should be noted that this applied to the FM50 specifically and my not translate to other units.
1) The device does not come with an enclosure. This was quite a surprise to me because I expected a tidy box with "EMT" fittings. But the terminals are just "hanging out there" and the unit itself is nowhere near "dust proof". So your planning should include an enclosure of some sort. After I bought mine, I saw that these units are now being offered in an "NEMA" enclosure with all of the controls one would need mounted on the front of the box. I would strongly recommend this although there was no indication of what it would add to the cost.
2) "Remote controls" are almost essential. The unit can be operated using the buttons on the front panel but this will be difficult if it is in an enclosure. Furthermore, the speed control is cumbersome, requiring repeated pressing of the "up" and "down" buttons to adjust the speed. Also, there is no control for "reverse" on the front panel.
3) The controls are something you can spend a good deal of extra cash on but you don't need anything fancy here. The control circuits are all low voltage and can be handled using a few very inexpensive Radio Shack items.
Here is what I used:
Potentiometer: 10K-Ohm Linear-Taper Potentiometer Model: 271-1715 Catalog #: 271-1715
Push Button On/Off Switch: SPST Push On-Push Off Switch Model: 275-011 Catalog #: 275-011
Forward/Reverse Switch: SPST High-Current Mini Toggle Switch Model: 275-324 Catalog #: 275-324
Indicator Lamp: 12-Volt, Jumbo Red Lamp Assembly Model: 272-336 Catalog #: 272-336
4) The thing that tripped me up the most is the wiring of the 12V on/off and forward/reverse circuits. I had wired it so that the 12V wire went to the on/off switch and then to the forward reverse switch. I had an on/off/on switch that had three terminals. My assumption was that the forward/reverse switch would actually switch between forward and reverse. It doesn't work that way! As Dave Muller explained to me, the reverse is a separate function. Reversing occurs when 12V is applied to the "Rev" terminal of the VFD. It's not an "either/or" thing. The way I had it wired worked but it is not the recommended method and requires different "F code" programming settings. All that is needed is a simple on/off switch wired to provide 12V to the reverse terminal. I also put a cover over the F/R switch to minimize the possibility of the reverse function being accidentally activated during operation. This, I am told, could have a most undesirable effect and I'm willing to accept this without any further question.
5) There is often some confusion caused by the reference to the connection points on the VFD. At times, they are referred to as "terminals" and at other times as "pins". When they are called "pins" they are referred to by number, Pin 1, Pin 2, etc. But the terminals do not have any numbers on them so if you want to use "Pins" instead of "terminals", you have to count. My diagram indicates how the "pin numbers" relate to the terminal designations.
6) You really need a switch between the incoming power and the VFD. If you wire the VFD directly without a switch, there will be no way to turn it off because the unit does not have a main on/off switch. You could always flip off the breaker for the circuit but that could be cumbersome. NOTE: The main power switch should NOT be used to start and stop the motor! That should be done with either the "Run/Stop" button on the unit or the "On/Off" remote switch. The VFD could be damaged if main power is cut while the motor is running.
7) I really wanted a "power on" indicator. I had purchased a small 12V lamp for this but questions arose as to whether or not this would overload the 12V power supply. I finally called the tech support people back and I was told that this would, in no way, compromise the unit and was, in fact, fairly common. So if you want to incorporate one, it wires in between the output side of the on/off switch and the "0V" terminal as shown in the diagram.
8) It is important to follow a specific sequence of events. The FM50 is set up to work "out of the box" using the front panel controls with no programming needed. So before you connect the remote control wires, you can verify that everything is done correctly up to that point. You should be able to turn the motor on and off using the "run/stop" button and ramp the motor up and down using the "up" and "down" arrow buttons. There will be no reverse function available at this point. If the motor is not running in the right direction, simply reversing any two of the three output wires (i.e. swap "T1" and "T2") will reverse the direction of rotation.
9) Once you have verified that everything is working, turn the unit off and connect the remote control wires. Then turn it back on and go into programming mode (simply done by touching the "Display/function" button. The readout will display "F-00" (or "F-whatever function number you last accessed). Use the up and down arrows to move to the desired F code and press "Data/Ent". Use the up and down arrow buttons to toggle the display to the value you want. Then hit the "Data/Ent" again. The readout should display "END" to indicate that the programming change was accepted. Repeat this for all of the other settings you want to change. Here are the settings as provided by Dave Muller:
1. F_03 =1 This sets up the connections to VFD pin 3 so it is Run/Stop and pin 4 so it is FWD/REV
2. F_06 = 60 (default) if you want the rated motor RPM (1725 or 3450) or 90 if you want 1.5X the rated motor RPM. This is the maximum motor RPM when the pot is at maximum and assumes a 1:1 pulley ratio between the motor and headstock.
3. F_07 = 2 This is the minimum motor RPM and produces the lowest RPM when the pot is at minimum. It will be equal to 60 RPM for a 1725 RPM rated motor and 120RPM for a 3600 RPM rated motor.
4. F_10 = 1 enables Start/Stop from the switch box.
5. F_11 = 1 enables 0 – 10 volt speed control from the switch box.
6. F_23 = 1 auto restart after power failure is disabled.
7. F_28 = 1 Direct start is disabled so that if Start/Stop switch is on and power fails, it will not start when power returns. You must turn the Start/Stop switch off and then back on before the motor will start.
8. If the FWD/REV switch is labeled backwards, change F_04 = 1.
Do not change any other settings unless you know what you are doing!!!
After you have made these changes, the remote controls should be working. If you get an error, don't panic! If you have made a mistake in the wiring you might see "Er1, Er2 or SP2 on the display. If any of these occur, turn the unit off (See? I told you you were going to need that switch!) and disconnect the 12V and 10V leads. When you turn it on again, it should be back to normal and you can recheck the wiring and program settings.
I should conclude by thanking, once again, everyone who generously offered assistance. This is all really just an amalgam of the information I was provided.
So, yes… I did look in the manual and now that I understand more, some things in the manual make sense whereas before, they were meaningless. Much enlightenment was provided by Dave Muller and Ken Fitzgerald, Richard Bell and Josh Bowman even to the extent of providing me with documentation of how they set theirs up. But I still missed some important points that made it much more difficult to set up than it needed to be.
The main problem is that the diagrams in the manual are based on electronic symbols that are clear only if you understand electronic symbols. This applies to the instructions as well. Once again, I am reminded of the late great blues player, Johnny Shines who was fond of saying "It's easy…if you know how". So, now that i "know how", here is my "for dummies" version of the setup instructions.
273244
Something that might seem obvious but was not to me, is why it's called a "Variable Frequency Drive". In an "Oh duh…" moment, I got that one. The speed of a 3phase motor can be varied by varying the frequency of the AC current applied to it. At 60 hz, the motor runs at it's full rated speed. If the frequency is reduced to 30 hz, the motor runs at half it's rated speed. (Remember, this is the "For Dummies" version) So the VFD does two things. It converts single phase power to three phase and it provides a way to vary the frequency of the 3 phase output.
It should be noted that this applied to the FM50 specifically and my not translate to other units.
1) The device does not come with an enclosure. This was quite a surprise to me because I expected a tidy box with "EMT" fittings. But the terminals are just "hanging out there" and the unit itself is nowhere near "dust proof". So your planning should include an enclosure of some sort. After I bought mine, I saw that these units are now being offered in an "NEMA" enclosure with all of the controls one would need mounted on the front of the box. I would strongly recommend this although there was no indication of what it would add to the cost.
2) "Remote controls" are almost essential. The unit can be operated using the buttons on the front panel but this will be difficult if it is in an enclosure. Furthermore, the speed control is cumbersome, requiring repeated pressing of the "up" and "down" buttons to adjust the speed. Also, there is no control for "reverse" on the front panel.
3) The controls are something you can spend a good deal of extra cash on but you don't need anything fancy here. The control circuits are all low voltage and can be handled using a few very inexpensive Radio Shack items.
Here is what I used:
Potentiometer: 10K-Ohm Linear-Taper Potentiometer Model: 271-1715 Catalog #: 271-1715
Push Button On/Off Switch: SPST Push On-Push Off Switch Model: 275-011 Catalog #: 275-011
Forward/Reverse Switch: SPST High-Current Mini Toggle Switch Model: 275-324 Catalog #: 275-324
Indicator Lamp: 12-Volt, Jumbo Red Lamp Assembly Model: 272-336 Catalog #: 272-336
4) The thing that tripped me up the most is the wiring of the 12V on/off and forward/reverse circuits. I had wired it so that the 12V wire went to the on/off switch and then to the forward reverse switch. I had an on/off/on switch that had three terminals. My assumption was that the forward/reverse switch would actually switch between forward and reverse. It doesn't work that way! As Dave Muller explained to me, the reverse is a separate function. Reversing occurs when 12V is applied to the "Rev" terminal of the VFD. It's not an "either/or" thing. The way I had it wired worked but it is not the recommended method and requires different "F code" programming settings. All that is needed is a simple on/off switch wired to provide 12V to the reverse terminal. I also put a cover over the F/R switch to minimize the possibility of the reverse function being accidentally activated during operation. This, I am told, could have a most undesirable effect and I'm willing to accept this without any further question.
5) There is often some confusion caused by the reference to the connection points on the VFD. At times, they are referred to as "terminals" and at other times as "pins". When they are called "pins" they are referred to by number, Pin 1, Pin 2, etc. But the terminals do not have any numbers on them so if you want to use "Pins" instead of "terminals", you have to count. My diagram indicates how the "pin numbers" relate to the terminal designations.
6) You really need a switch between the incoming power and the VFD. If you wire the VFD directly without a switch, there will be no way to turn it off because the unit does not have a main on/off switch. You could always flip off the breaker for the circuit but that could be cumbersome. NOTE: The main power switch should NOT be used to start and stop the motor! That should be done with either the "Run/Stop" button on the unit or the "On/Off" remote switch. The VFD could be damaged if main power is cut while the motor is running.
7) I really wanted a "power on" indicator. I had purchased a small 12V lamp for this but questions arose as to whether or not this would overload the 12V power supply. I finally called the tech support people back and I was told that this would, in no way, compromise the unit and was, in fact, fairly common. So if you want to incorporate one, it wires in between the output side of the on/off switch and the "0V" terminal as shown in the diagram.
8) It is important to follow a specific sequence of events. The FM50 is set up to work "out of the box" using the front panel controls with no programming needed. So before you connect the remote control wires, you can verify that everything is done correctly up to that point. You should be able to turn the motor on and off using the "run/stop" button and ramp the motor up and down using the "up" and "down" arrow buttons. There will be no reverse function available at this point. If the motor is not running in the right direction, simply reversing any two of the three output wires (i.e. swap "T1" and "T2") will reverse the direction of rotation.
9) Once you have verified that everything is working, turn the unit off and connect the remote control wires. Then turn it back on and go into programming mode (simply done by touching the "Display/function" button. The readout will display "F-00" (or "F-whatever function number you last accessed). Use the up and down arrows to move to the desired F code and press "Data/Ent". Use the up and down arrow buttons to toggle the display to the value you want. Then hit the "Data/Ent" again. The readout should display "END" to indicate that the programming change was accepted. Repeat this for all of the other settings you want to change. Here are the settings as provided by Dave Muller:
1. F_03 =1 This sets up the connections to VFD pin 3 so it is Run/Stop and pin 4 so it is FWD/REV
2. F_06 = 60 (default) if you want the rated motor RPM (1725 or 3450) or 90 if you want 1.5X the rated motor RPM. This is the maximum motor RPM when the pot is at maximum and assumes a 1:1 pulley ratio between the motor and headstock.
3. F_07 = 2 This is the minimum motor RPM and produces the lowest RPM when the pot is at minimum. It will be equal to 60 RPM for a 1725 RPM rated motor and 120RPM for a 3600 RPM rated motor.
4. F_10 = 1 enables Start/Stop from the switch box.
5. F_11 = 1 enables 0 – 10 volt speed control from the switch box.
6. F_23 = 1 auto restart after power failure is disabled.
7. F_28 = 1 Direct start is disabled so that if Start/Stop switch is on and power fails, it will not start when power returns. You must turn the Start/Stop switch off and then back on before the motor will start.
8. If the FWD/REV switch is labeled backwards, change F_04 = 1.
Do not change any other settings unless you know what you are doing!!!
After you have made these changes, the remote controls should be working. If you get an error, don't panic! If you have made a mistake in the wiring you might see "Er1, Er2 or SP2 on the display. If any of these occur, turn the unit off (See? I told you you were going to need that switch!) and disconnect the 12V and 10V leads. When you turn it on again, it should be back to normal and you can recheck the wiring and program settings.
I should conclude by thanking, once again, everyone who generously offered assistance. This is all really just an amalgam of the information I was provided.