Thread: VFD Suppliers

A lot of guys here have these one's below and I am just about to buy a couple.
VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVE INVERTER VFD NEW 2HP 1.5KW g | eBay

Dave

Heh - Drives Direct still not replying to emails despite being in their new factory - they must do themselves out of so many sales....

Originally Posted by Dave J

A lot of guys here have these one's below and I am just about to buy a couple.
VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVE INVERTER VFD NEW 2HP 1.5KW g | eBay

Dave

I've been running the 3hp version of that on my Bridgeport clone, no issue with it so far. Well, okay, maybe one - the fact that they're now HALF THE PRICE they were when I bought mine.

Seriously, $140 delivered for a 3hp VFD is ridiculously cheap, mine cost about $230 not even 12 months ago!

You do need a motor that can be wired 240v delta though...

The 2 I am getting are going to be the 3hp one's as Brian is sending me up a 3hp motor next week.
The other drive can sit there until I get a couple of motors for the mill and use the one between the 2 motors on it. I may as well get it while it's cheap.

I looked 12 months ago and was going to buy one in case they went up, lucky I didn't because as you said they have come down in price a lot.

Dave

J&H.

You ask if the motor has to configurable as delta. The answer is yes, unless.....more later.

Ordinarily, a VSD can only output the same voltage as the input. For example, if you have 240V single phase in the shed, then the normal VFD can only output 240V 3-phase. If your supply is 415V, the VSD will output 415V.

If your motor is hard wired as 415V delta, running it from a 240V output VFD, will run but at reduced power/speed etc. Not recommended.

The exception to this a VFD supplied by Drives Direct. They have a standard Teco unit modified to run on 240V 1-phase input with a 415V 3-phase output. This VFD is not available from Teco, and I don't think Teco sanction the mods, or warranty the mods. However it is available.

I have a 1HP unit from Drives Direct, and Stustoys has a 3HP unit. I haven't hooked mine up yet, ST has.

As far as I know, no-one else has a similar unit, and I had to pay around $500 for mine including a remote hand held pendant. The pendant has FWD, STOP, REV and SPEED.

PS. I managed to negotiate a price from Drives Direct, less the 20% VAT. Took some doing, but perseverance paid off.

Ken

Hi All,

I've recently been playing with those Huanyang drives, and i've no complaints, but, don't take that as an unreserved recommendation however, I'm still a little cautious, simply because they are so cheap..

They have a good range of input/output for different types of control, I would say they are much more configurable than the Teco.

They aren't as good as the Danfoss or any other drive that does vector control, by that I mean the more advanced drives that sense the motor feedback and adjust the output to maintain the set frequency. The net result of this is that you get near to full torque at low frequency (low rpm's) The sceptics will still quote HP=torque*rpm/5252, and that's true unless there is an overriding control system like vector control.

Here's a tip for buying from that ebay seller, select sort items by "price+postage" then go to the store and enter the search for the hp you want, what you will find is that the price AND postage varies all over the place, often there is a big difference between the exact same items .. I just checked, and for a 2hp drive, the dearest price was 124+95=219, and the cheapest was 87+34=121.... that's a little more than half the price of the dearest listing.

eBay Australia: Buy new & used fashion, electronics & home d

Regards
Ray

PS Gotta love that name "love-happyshopping"

Originally Posted by RayG

PS Gotta love that name "love-happyshopping"

Yeah I had a laugh at that as well.
I've been looking his VSD prices and thinking what a waste of time my box to switch the VSD between machines is lol. I'll in interested in how you get on with them.

Call me a sceptic but I am willing to be converted lol. Are you saying a 1440rpm motor can make 400% torque at 350rpm? A simply yes or no will do as I doubt I will fully understand the long version of the answer.

The only thing to watch on ebay when you get prices like that is that paypal take a nice little cut for currency conversions...... although its nothing like 80% lol

Stuart

Hi Stuart,

I don't think there is a short answer, but V/F drives are just that, you have a voltage versus frequency curve (usually a straight line) offset from zero by some amount (sometiomes called torque boost). So as you go slower, the voltage and frequency both decrease, and with lower voltage you get lower current and hence lower magnetic flux, torque depends on the magnetic flux. so the torque drops away at low speeds.. Not a problem for machines that run mostly at full speed. But could be a problem for lathes and mills, if you are expecting the same torque you would get from a gearbox reduction of the same amount. You also get a reduction in torque when you go higher than the rated Hz..

Vector drives, are totally different, they sense the motor rpm, with more complicated algorithms and circuitry, and boost the voltage as needed (even at zero rpm) to maintain the current and hence flux to get higher torque at low speeds than you get with V/F drives.

These Huanyang drives are V/F drives. What that means in practice, is you have to still select appropriate gearing for the job, or at least somewhere near it. I guess depending on how hard you are driving it ( the mill or the lathe)

Vector drives are more expensive, but, sometimes you get what you pay for.

That said, I now have 7 of these Huanyang drives, linisher, grinder, pumps and so on, but I have a Danfoss (Vector drive) on the lathe.

Regards
Ray

PS... The short answer was "maybe"
PPS...

Originally Posted by Stuart

Are you saying a 1440rpm motor can make 400% torque at 350rpm?

Ok, another answer is yes, of course,..... (pause for effect)... if you have a 4:1 reduction gear box.

Paypal charge 2% for currency exchange. It's hits when you start getting up to $500 or more just to convert money over. I also notice their exchange rate is lower than whats going, you can opt out and have your bank do it instead but I am not sure if that would be better or not. At least with Paypal it is written there in black and white and you know how much it costs.

Dave

Some good info here, thanks! While were are talking about VFD's Where is the best place to get a motor I am looking for a 1.5kw.
Will

Originally Posted by Dave J

Brian is sending me up a 3hp motor next week.

is it that the one he twisted my arm for

Originally Posted by RayG

so the torque drops away at low speeds...

Ray, to what extent can using a larger motor compensate for this? I doubled mine from 1 to 2 hp and was hoping that would be enough. Haven't used it enough yet to really comment on performance.

PS: Eskimo, yes Dave has a better use for it.

Originally Posted by Bryan

Ray, to what extent can using a larger motor compensate for this? I doubled mine from 1 to 2 hp and was hoping that would be enough. Haven't used it enough yet to really comment on performance.

PS: Eskimo, yes Dave has a better use for it.

what about me.......i missed out ...again
oh well I will just have to wait for one....or buy it.....
nah ..i dont dont need it...glad its going to someone who will use it tho, rather than the scrap bin...like where these others may end up

With the help of the techo (Mark) at work I have decided to go for one of these for the hercus.

SAJ 1.5KW VSD VFD inverter for fan pump - saving energy | eBay

I realize it's about double the price of the love-happyshopping units but I simply can't bring myself to buy from someone with that name and I feel more comfortable about purchasing from a supplier located in Oz so if there are any issues with it I only have to send it back to Sydney.

Anyway, Mark is also supposedly a bit of a gun in programming these units so it will be interesting to see what he can do with it.

Originally Posted by BobL

With the help of the techo (Mark) at work I have decided to go for one of these for the hercus.

SAJ 1.5KW VSD VFD inverter for fan pump - saving energy | eBay

I realize it's about double the price of the love-happyshopping units but I simply can't bring myself to buy from someone with that name and I feel more comfortable about purchasing from a supplier located in Oz so if there are any issues with it I only have to send it back to Sydney.

Anyway, Mark is also supposedly a bit of a gun in programming these units so it will be interesting to see what he can do with it.

That one seems* to be a vector control (constant torque) model, and worth the extra money if it is.

*Seems to be because many VFD sellers are now using "vector drive" and similar terms to convince the unwary that the drive is constant torque when in fact its V/Hz.

I guess a question to the seller should resolve that one way or the other since he's here in Oz.

Greg