Newton Tesla Electric Drives

Has anybody experience of

Newton Tesla Electric Drives

(CL400, 0.5hp Package to suit Myford ML7, ML-10/Speed 10, Boxford lathes)

I am looking to invest in this package, but would like to know of any good or bad experiences with the above unit

JES

​

Search box will find a couple of threads at least.

**LINK**

**LINK**

**LINK**

A few links might be more useful

Jim

HI

As soon as I bought my S7 I ordered the necessary from Newton Tesla.

Mine is a 3/4 hp motor but the lathe control is superb.

I would never go back to single phase again.

Service etc., excellent.

Regards

Richard2.

Hi,

I have five packages from Newton Tesla bought over the last 20 years and have only praise for service and product quality and reliability. I would not go back to the pulley-swapping and noisy single phase era before I bought my first drive - the ability to change from 2000 rpm to tapping speed with the turn of a knob makes the investment worth while. Some say that motors get hot and have no torque at low speed but I have now given up checking my motor temperatures as they always remain very low and I can happily drill 13/16ths in steel with no problem on my S7 at low speed on the top but one pulley speed.

Tool.

JESMany thanks for the information. I think I will now have to raid the piggy Bank and seek the approval from on high.

A good friend bought a package for a Union Graduate wood lathe and is very pleased. Previously I bought an inverter from them to drive the original 3-phase motor on an Aciera F1 I inherited and again they were very good.

JES , I have a Newton Tesla unit on my S7 and have never regretted it for a momen Regarding torque concerns at low motor speeds , I resolve any issues by simply reverting back to changing belts and increasing motor speed . NT intstructions make reference to not running the motor below 800 rpm for extended periods in order to avoid overheating . If you look on my album page you will find a chart I drew up to help me avoid any such problems . Hope this helps .

Trevor.

JES, I fitted a package from Transwave [see advert on RHS] to my S7 last year and must say it is excellent, I'm sure Newton Tesla are also very good. I chose Transwave partly because we already have 3 other machines running on their units plus there is a small price advantage.
Whatever you choose you will be pleased I'm sure.
John

many thanks once more I am now working myself up to a frenzy to do the deed

JES

Having just fitted the CL750 to my S7, the best bit is that you don't have to worry about any wiring - there are 2 plugs on the system - one mains plug and another plug from the motor to the control unit. +1 from me

Matt

Hi I have been reading about vfd on a number of posts/ forums, I can see the attraction for speed control, but what I don’t understand is the reasons to change motor to three phase, and why doing so reduceds the noise. Why not put speed control on single phase motor

Sorry not trying to be smart just trying to get my head around this

Jim

3 phase motors are nearly silent when running, single phase are quite noisy in comparison. Part of the reason for this is that the torque applied to the rotor of a 3 phase motor is steady but that applied to a single phase motor goes up and down as the commutator switches from one winding to the next. This only applies of course to motors with a commutator. Some people have said they get a better finish having changed to 3 phase because of this.

The other difference that is noticeable is the difference between starting a 3 phase motor with soft start and starting a full power from the off single phase motor. I have soft start quite slow so that the chuck does a full rev before picking up speed. It help avoid those nasty cases where rotating parts and stationary parts try to occupy the same space with lots of power behind the motion. The VFD will trip off if there is a sudden change in current draw when starting up.

Martin C

Spelling corrected

Edited By Martin Connelly on 18/01/2018 16:31:13

Another of the small advantage of the NT 3 phase system is when changing gear. My lathe manual states the motor should be stopped when changes are required. Unless the gears are perfectly lined up, changes can be somewhat difficult. Whereas winding the revs down to minimum, almost stopped, means the gears just slip into engagement.

Pete

3ph motor: less noise - yes, much smoother & little or no vibration - yes, need to keep changing belt for torque - yes.
Buy a cheap desk-top fan to keep the motor cool (well OK, "cooler" !).
Would also recommend fitting a Brammer multi-link belt in place of original to drive mandrel.

Since installing both (Transwave + multi-link belt), no more of those annoying surface striations when turning with saddle under self-act. Now a quiet and smooth running S7.
All-In-all, t'was the best investment since buying the Myford.

A single phase motor works a little like it's kicking a can down the road - one power feed pulsing 50 times a second. It's a useful compromise for smallish motors in a domestic situation.

A three phase motor has three power feeds each off-set from the others by 1/3rd of a cycle. The windings are arranged to create a smoothly rotating magnetic field. Speed control is achieved by varying the frequency of the supply. Altogether 3-phase motors are a much better solution apart from needing a 3-phase supply to run one. These days, that's much easier and cheaper than it used to be - a VFD,

You can speed-control a single-phase motor but it's done by increasing the can-kicking effect. Even noisier and the motor loses lots of power and torque. Not a good idea.

Dave

Okay I understand, next question, if find could only buy one would you upgrade lathe or mill,

Jim

Jes ... I have been using a CL 400 unit for the last 13 years ... best thing I ever bought ... it has had a lot of usage and still works perfectly ... my only minor comment would be that the emergency stop button is a bit near the ordinary stop button ... maybe my fingers are a bit hefty !

One of the replies above was from Trevor Drabble ... his photo shows a rowing boat with a "Skeleton Crew" ... I saw the innards of this boat at Harrogate M. E. show a few years ago ... the electronics and mechanism are fantastic ... the rowing action is very realistic.

martin R

I guess in theory it would be more value on a mill because they don't have a whacking great chuck helping to smooth out the motor by acting as a flywheel, also I find fine speed control on a mill a tad more helpful than it is on a lathe.

I prefer experiment to theory. Have a look at the smoothness of test cuts made by both machines. If you can see evidence of vibration on the test-pieces, upgrade the one that produced the poorest results.

You wouldn't go far wrong by upgrading the machine that gets used most often.

Dave

Personally i would do my mill purely on the grounds its under powered and lacks RPM.

After much deliberation back in October i chose to get a far superior motor from else where at more than 1/3 less, Mitsubishi D700 + £25.5 Filter from else where so two delivey payments so far. On/Off speed controller £66 from N Tesla + £19 delivery that took 3 days still worked out £30 cheaper than from one place.
Would have tolerated the £55 dearer if they would have given some help.

One day might get round to fitting it, just using the new bought motor.