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stevew
20th April 2011, 04:56 PM
Hello All,
I have a Variable Frequency Drive fitted to my Vicmarc 200 it is a
Bonfiglioli Vectron Model S220 05 AF
Single Phase 240 in with Three phase 240out.
Has been working like a dream for the past 6 months.
Today it seems to be varying its speed on its own,If I set the speed to say 30,it will hunt up and down ,then settle in speed for a while ,then start hunting along again.
I thought it make have been some type of power useage problem as I had the lathe ,fan,and lathe light running off the one power board,I then unplugged everything and ran the lathe on its own ,plugged directly into the wall socket.,it performed exactly the same with the speed varying itself.
Has anyone experienced the same problems,any comments or advice greatly appreciated.
Cheers.
Steve

RETIRED
20th April 2011, 05:09 PM
If it is the factory fitted VSD, I would ring Vicmarc.

bobsreturn2003
20th April 2011, 05:24 PM
they can be tricky, I once had 267volts due to power co and mine played up .got hem to reset line voltage ,and worked fine , sometimes they need resetting , would ring vicmarc or there website has detailed info , or get someone who knows them if you dont its a bit of a learning curve .and the 240v bites hard good luck Bob

stevew
20th April 2011, 07:52 PM
My Vicmarc VL 200 is a 1990 Model.
I replaced the single phase 240 with a brand new 240v Three Phase in Novemeber 2010..Then added the appropriate Variable Frequency drive .also in Nov 2010.
It does not vary the RPM a huge amount when operating,but it is disconcerting as you can hear the change in RPM and it has not been happening before.
Do I need a power conditioner to keep the incoming power in check.

Steve

Paul39
23rd April 2011, 01:03 PM
Steve,

Have a look here:

Transformers, Phase Converters and VFD - Practical Machinist - Largest Manufacturing Technology Forum on the Web (http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/transformers-phase-converters-vfd/)

If you have access to a voltmeter, you could plug that into your outlet to see if the mains voltage is going up and down. Try both with and without the lathe running. Do you have another heavy load going on and off in the shed or in the house? Electric oven, heater, water heater, well pump, clothes dryer?

RETIRED
2nd May 2011, 06:37 PM
Is it fixed yet?

stevew
2nd May 2011, 07:14 PM
Configured it back to be used as keyboard use and it works fine now,looks like the dial knob on the POT mechanism is the problem at the moment.
Happy that it was not a power based problem.
Cheers.
Steve

Paul39
11th May 2011, 05:25 AM
Replacement pots are not too expensive. You want a linear potentiometer as opposed to an audio taper potentiometer.

Take the old one with you when you go looking, or get all the numbers of the old one if you order.

thompy
11th May 2011, 08:58 AM
Not exactly sure how these variable bits work but after 6 months could it be your belt has stretched and settled into place and the sensors picking the belt up in a different position and the computer trying to constantly readjust the speed to suit? just a thought.

Neal.

bobsreturn2003
13th May 2011, 07:55 PM
they work buy changing the single phase 220v household powerto 3 phase. then adjusting the cycles usually 50. wich equates to 1440 rpm on 4 pole motor .usually they go from around 8 to 75 cycles giving you full power/torque through the range , sure beats changing belts

thompy
14th May 2011, 10:10 PM
Cheers bobs, absolutly beats changing belts, and thanks for the clarification i didn't know that it changed speeds via frequencies, i assumed it was variable pulley diametres.

The VL 200 though i think is still belt driven though so the belt itself still undergoes a settle in and should be readjusted perhaps? same as an auto type belt wether it be a series or multi rib job?

Neal.