Inverters? Talk to me.

At some point I intend to purchase an inverter for my Boxford Lathe. Which is currently wired up with some home brew 3 phase thing which just doesn't cut the mustard. The problem is that I know practically nothing about electronics. I've been doing a bit of reading but I still have many questions.

How difficult are the inverter's to wire up and program?

Should an inverter be the same specs as your motor or be a bit bigger? ie 1hp motor 2hp inverter?

Can most or all inverters control speed and reverse from a remote pod?

Is there any brands to look out for? And any to avoid? (Anyone used invertek?)

Hi I installed a VFD and three phase motor on a Myford and have been pleased with it ever since.

Not to difficult to wire up some people get confused changing the motor to delta but with newer motors this is pretty straight forward

I would say HP of motor same for inverter

Most VFD's are fairly easy to wire for forward/ reverse jog and speed control all remotly.

What brand everyone will have their favorite I got my kit from Transwave Jag cub VDF but I stayed with a imperial motor as I did not want to both with new pulley, plenty of help and advice also from them as well.

One thing I can say is that if you get stuck there are some great guy's on this forum who will put you right !

H

Hello, there should be no need to under rate an inverter for lathe use. Generally you will find that the quick start guide part of the manual is a simple procedure to establish base settings. I have start, stop, direction and jog controls with a speed potentiometer, you will have to dig deeper in the manual to set up a jog control. Be mindful that you are dealing with potentially lethal voltages so if you are unsure seek professional advice. Regards, Michael.

Edited By Michael Briggs on 08/03/2016 22:26:12

Have a word with Gavin Oseman 01684 574966, he sometimes advertises on Homeworkshop.org.uk. Bought the inverter for my Colchester from him, it came pre programmed and had a remote pendant wired up. Very reasonable price and he tends to sell quality name brand inverters.

Saying that, my pal bought a 5.5kw ebay special to run a two post ramp and it has worked faultlessly, although the manual/ instructions were a touch sketchy to say the least, and it took a bit of messing around to set up.

I

I have a Chinese inverter on my Bridgeport mill. Over rated to motor size, it was sub £95 a couple of years ago but I would have struggled with the "Chinglish" instructions. A friend set it up with no trouble.

OK that all sounds promising I've seen a few ready made remote pods for sale, are they all wired up the same and would these typically work with all inverters?

I've now bought 3 from Newton Tesla. Very helpful chaps, helpline 7 days a week and in English!

.

Ditto.

Got 2 of their Mitsubushi ones.

If required they sell a controller pendant to go with them so all you would have to do it put a 240v supply to it and connect the 3 motor wires and it's earth. You may also need to alter 3 links in the terminal box.

Good UK company with backup should it be required.

Nick

Edited By Nick_G on 08/03/2016 23:48:19

I installed an inverter and 3-phase motor from Transwave on my HBM 290 lathe, and I am very satisfied so far. The remote pod let me switch between forward and reverse, between jog and run, and using the pot.meter I can change the speed. I downloaded the manual and managed to program the inverter and connect the various leads without much problem.

Thor

You can't assume that they are all wired the same. Even if they are equivalent, colour codes or labelling of wires may vary.

If unsure of your ability to work it out, buying inverter and remote from same source would be sensible. Perhaps as a minimum, download the manual in advance for any inverter you consider and check if you can follow it.

I have just very recently installed a Transwave inverter plus a remote dongle to my Myford Tri-Leva and all was exceedingly easy and the instructions are remarkably clear, with colour pictures to ensure correct wiring connections.

I have also just installed another Transwave converter for my 3 phase Hardinge and that was another easy operation.

The only comment I would add at this stage is for a suitable enclosure, B&Q currently have IP45 rated boxes which are a perfect fit for the inverter and ensure nice tidy and safe wiring and protection against swarf and cutting fluids, and at less than £10 it is a bargain and I believe that is is labelled a "garden outlet connection box" or something similar.

Another plus for Transwave is that if you do have any problems their technical support is superb, and I have no connection to Transwave apart from being an extremely satisfied repeat customer.

Mike

Another thumbs up for Transwave, I bought a motor/vfd/remote pendant package from them a couple of years ago.

Straightforward fit and works perfectly. I've used inverters from Teco, IMO and Omron in the past, none of which are difficult to wire up, the remote control side is all low voltage (24V dc).

Excellent support from Transwave, no hard sell just sound advice based on experience.

Some of the manuals can be a bit confusing as to how each parameter affects the inverter control and some inverters will require a control relay in the remote pendant as not all inverters will work directly with non-latching switches, but all fairly straightforward to do. I usually build my own remote pendants as I find the £60 -70 most suppliers charge a little steep.

My friends have bought inverters via ebay for about £90 and non has had any problems. Some of the instruction take a bit of working out but, we got there in the end. I made the remote controls following the instruction, the components can be bought on ebay for a few pounds and the for the multi core cable we used some ex computer cable. It appear daunting but once you calm down its not difficult. Inverters seem to be rugged. Have a go I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised.John

Story of my Jaguar Cub package from Transwave:

www.model-engineer.co.uk/news/article/3-phase-conversion-and-other-alternative-methods-of-powering-a-mini-lathe/18752

Neil.

I have an Invertek 1.5 kw vfd on my big lathe, SPG 2129 running a 1.5 kw motor.....no issues at all....

I have an Imo iDrive EDX 75 series vfd running a 3/4 hp motor on my Chester 9*20 lathe, a Teco Minicon series rated at 0.4 kw running my Ajax milling machine, and my Chester Eagle 30 mill is running a 1.1kw motor with a vfd.....

I have a couple of CL1500's (2HP/1.5KW) from Newton Tesla and I could be tempted to part with one of them

I have picked up a Mitsubishi inverter (the same as is fitted inside the CL1500's) which I will be mounting directly in the electrical control box, hiding inside a cupboard or just hanging on the side of the lathe stand (it's only a small thing).

The plan is to wire up appropriately to keep the "original" look. I never liked having the CL1500 hanging off the side of my setup. That said, the control panel they incorporate is absolutely brilliant.

I'm not yet sure if I want just a reverse/off/forward switch at 50hz or 60hz of if I wan't to take advantage of the variable frequency. I don't have a spindle speed read out - so when I'm using the variable speed on the mill and lathe I've got to use my optical rpm gadget to read the speed, otherwise I just don't know - its a bit of a step into the dark.

Edited By Russ B on 09/03/2016 09:16:34

I still have the Chinglish instructions for my cheap inverter. I will find them and re read to see if they can be understood by average folk. I must admit to leaving the setting up to a friend but now I am looking to add more machinery I will be buying another Chinese inverter.

Yes, I have bought inverters and motors from them. Good prices and fast delivery to me in France. Recommended.

Russell.

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but it is related, I'm helping a mate build a spray booth, the extractor fan motor is rated as 3KW 220/415V and drives the fan via belts, we could do with slowing the motor on occasions i.e. after the actual spraying is over, then slow the motor to just keep a small airflow and stop all the heat being blown out of the room.
Most of the inverters I've seen are single phase in, we could wire the motor to run 220V 3 phase, and use a single phase inverter, however we do have a 3 phase supply already running the motor, I've seen some inverters listed as 380V!!.
What are the options with regards to using a VFD to slow this motor.

Thanks in advance

Shaun