Bridgeport vfd

While I have time to wait on deciding to get 3 phase installed to the workshop, I am looking into the viability of wiring up the Bridgeport to a vfd as an alternative in the medium term.

I've seen a lot of people using the Teco 510 vfd to wire up to the motor.. My question is could I wire one up directly to the breaker and transfomer that's on the Bridgeport as it also powers the light and powered feeds. The circuit is this digram on the penultimate page of the manual... I have the 2j 2hp head.

Bridgeport manual

I'm taking irl pictures of everything now and will follow up with an update...

Here is the wiring album. Bridgeport 2j 2hp wiring

Looking at your motor plate you could easily convert you Bridgeport to run off a single phase 240v to 3ph 240v inverter. However doing this requires a major re-wire as you need to remove contactors, reversing/changeover switches etc to use a VFD.

Now I’ve done that to my machines as it’s cheaper than getting a 3phase supply but for me it would be a waste of money doing this if you are definitely getting a 3 phase supply.

If you go down the single phase route you do need a reasonable sized single phase supply e.g. my workshop is fed by a 45 amp supply and my machines are fed from a 32amp breaker and obviously i couldn’t turn on/run all of them at once!

Rooossone

Easy way is to take a separate 240 single phase feed to the transformer to run all the accessory stuff and completely isolate the motor before connecting direct to the VFD. Up to you whether you control the motor direct from the VFD or use a remote pendant. Pendant is more in keeping with commercial workshop practice but I've never seen any reason why fitting a VFD with a decent case up where the forward - reverse cam switch goes shouldn't be both safe and practical.

Certainly the fast way to get going.

You could run both VFD and transformer off a single plug but probably better to have a separate switched inlet for the VFD so the motor can be positively turned off.

Having the motor drive VFD completely separate from the transformer supplied parts looses the integration between spindle and other controls. It's perfectly practical to take the main power feed through the contactor that originally supplied the motor keeping the standard integration. The stop switch on the standard knee mounted box then acts as an emergency stop, not an ideal one but functional. The real work of controlling the VFD being done with the pendant or on box controls.

I started to figure out an arrangement of that style before one of Drive Direct whole workshop plug and play systems appeared at an affordable price.

Clive

Simple answer is NO, You cannot use a VFD to power the whole mill by connecting the mill supply input to the VFD output.

The VFD output must be connected directly to the motor without any switches, contactors etc between them.
Someone will come up with an exception, but that is the basic requirement of most VFDs.

Robert.

If you are planning a 3~ supply in the long run, maybe a phase converter would be another option, it would allow you to use ex-industrial machines 'as is', retaining the old school look, feel, and operation.

At one time a 'spendy' option, the price of new & used units seems to be dropping..

..don't know much about them, sure others do..?

Edited By DiogenesII on 27/05/2023 19:38:25

You would need to see whether the motor can run in delta as most single phase input VFD's are not for star wound motors. The VFD must be connected directly to the motor as already mentioned, and running more than one motor from the VFD has been done, but not recommended. A lot of ancillary motors on Bridgeports are 115V, so that would require more research.

I have a metric 2J from Adcock and Shipley. It was wired for 3ph, but all the electronics is 1ph. The VFD is simply powered by the original motor leads, and the switch rewired to control the VFD. Check the panel, it should be fairly obvious if it's wired the same way.

Edited By Fulmen on 27/05/2023 21:08:56

Edited By Fulmen on 27/05/2023 21:09:12