MACHINE SHOP TIPS

[@G1951-w1y]

Mr. Pete, you don't know how much this video takes the mystery and fear out of dealing with a VFD. Most informative and now I'm confident I can tackle this project. I just got my 3 phase motor and now I'm ready to order my VFD. I'll build it on the bench just as you did, test it, then mount. Thanks Again and I'm impressed us guys in our 70's can still deal with modern technology. You are a great teacher!

[@mrpete222]

👍👍👍

[@G1951-w1y]

The first time I watched this months ago I was not in the market for a VFD so I just blew through your video. Now, I'm considering one for my new to me Clausing 8539 mill. Thank You Mr. Pete, this made so much sense now.

[@G1951-w1y]

That should have been an 8530 mill.

[@DavidJimenez-qe2vs]

First thank you for this vfd series, you simplified the process and educated me in what a vdf can do. Because of this I purchased a vintage Cincinnati 12x2 pedestal grinder with a 2hp, 3 phase motor for dirt cheap. Purchase a compatible Teco vfd and now have a perfect running 3 phase machine in my 110v/220v equipped shop. Again thank you.

[@mrpete222]

Great idea. Never thought of putting one a grinder

[@trevorreiten349]

Teco should send you a check. Took a lot of the mystery out of vfd installation, programming, and usage. Nicely done.

[@modtwentyeight]

At least Mr. Pete's shipping cost...

[@ronkluwe4875]

Lyle; We typically program our VFD's for 90 Hz max in the facilities my group engineers for. That allows for seasonal variation in throughput without overstressing the motor. My mechanical engineer tells me the usual limit on a motor is the bearing max rpm limit. Easy enough to back calculate from the max bearing limit to the max frequency. One other trick is to change out shaft bearings to allow for higher speed bearings to allow for higher motor speed. Thanks for all the great videos. Regards; Ron Kluwe

[@mrbreezeet1]

What is the lowest HZ you would want to program the VFD to go to, about 30?

[@mrpete222]

anthony diodati 20

[@garbo8962]

Mr Pete you are a man of very many talents. When I first starting working on drives in early 80's you only had about 6 parameters. Had trouble with a 150 HP Drive where I had to call in a tech. Book it came with probably had 150 parameters of which we only had to use around a dozen. He had a programming book from class that he attended that was an inch thick. Drives pay for themselves quickly epically on motors that run 24/7. We had two 5 HP Z gearbox with moving in & out pullies for speed control that took 8 hours to replace due to being inside of a 75' long machine. We replaced it with a motor that bolted to a gearbox and a VFD. It would start & stop at least 50 times a hour. Set ramp up time to maybe 3 seconds to reduce shock of starting. Instead of replacing old unit once a year and downstream bearings was running over 5 years with no down time. On large drives they keep a great event & energy used. Would show bosses how much energy they saved when ever they cried about spending money on replacement boards & replacement dtives. Have to be careful running motor faster then designed speed. Bearings in most motors not designed to run to run at say double nameplate speed. Right before I retired company had two 1750 HP chillers that were feed with 13,200 volts then thru a transformer to a 4,160 volt VFD. Control cabinet was 8' high and 18' long with medium voltage step down transformer. Was hoping to get some training on them. A large 12 story building that company built had VFD'S on all motors 5 HP and over. All motors 60 HP and over had 18 pulse VFD'S . 250 HP fire pump had a soft starter feeding it.

[@mrpete222]

Thank you, that was interesting

[@maxleanr6]

Very well done. I did this last year and newbies to this VFD should really appreciate what you have done here. I have! Thank you, Sir!

[@neptune5678]

Love all of your videos and this one in particular. The model shown is now replaced bymodel number L510-101-H1-N. Thanks for all of your hundreds of videos. I am about halfway through them. Very informative.

[@mrpete222]

+Neptune Thanks for watching-stay with me

[@OldManYoungMind]

Mr Pete I enjoy all of your videos and have watched even before you started the 'Machine Shop Tips' by number. I hope you do a video when you do the Bridgeport conversion in the same manner as you did this. I think you will need to go with a 2 hp 220 volt version of the VFD for the Bridgeport, and I know they make them so they are able to read the motor speed so you may want to consider that when you shop for that VFD. I have a Bridgeport that I acquired from Caterpillar and it is now in the disassemble/clean/evaluate/repair/replace/reassemble stage. After this it will be repainted and wired with a VFD. I have read about a lot of different models but it seems that I get more confused the more I read and I think that you will point the way for me long before I get this machine finished. Anyway keep up the good work. Regards, John

[@whitecaps775]

Great series for my plans. I have new 3 phase motor and VFD sitting here ready to convert my Clausing lathe. Just perfect information for my plans, and very well done. Many thanks Mr. Pete

[@isbcornbinder]

I am old school like you and about the same age. I embrace the new technology and have taken on the challenge to make myself conversant with it. I am so pleased that your took the time to show this VFD and what it can do. Tomorrow, I am going to buy a three phase Bridgeport that was offered to me, some time ago, and I passed on it because the three phase. Happy New Year

[@TheTarHeelTom]

I bought a three phase Bridgeport, and a 5hp motor to use to build a phase converter. Then before I built the phase converter, several people told me about the VFD's. Bought one, and I'm tickled with it. Also bought it from the (probably) same house in New Jersey that mrpete did.

[@davidengland4731]

two thumbs up, Mr. Pete. I just purchased a 16 inch South Bend lathe, with a 3 hp, 3 phase motor and was planning on replacing the motor until you started this series.. Thanks much.

[@andydennis9410]

Thank you bought a lathe with this Vdf works ok but had not a clue about it and the manual is brain frying to most people , you have now given me confidence to adjust it and sort of understand it .thought i was just going to have to hope it never caused me a problem . Regards Andy

[@Chuckles20000]

Your series is the best informative videos on KZbin, you perform a much needed service to those of us who have little or no training or have forgot these handy tips. Thank you so much, I hooked and I now am a subscriber.

[@Zimby12345]

You are a great educator. Thanks for the excellent instruction. Side bar comments are also superb ("has no more connection to George Westinghouse than the man-in-the-moon!")

[@hakimmic]

My Bridgeport came to mind as soon as you mentioned this wonderful device. Thank you

[@johngrubbs9494]

Thanks, mrpete, for a very horse-sense approach to a somewhat confusing topic! Think I'm now ready to make the VFD plunge!

[@mrpete222]

Thank you

[@StraightThread]

Very informative. Watching over your shoulder while you step through the procedure is priceless. Now I've got the itch to get one for my Clausing. Thanks, Mr. Pete!

[@bam1314]

Hello Mr Pete, great videos. I converted my drill press to a permanent magnet dc motor off of a clothing rod or treadmill some say. I bought a one hung low handheld tachometer, and mounted it to the drill press aimed it at the final pulley with a small hole drilled into the bottom of the belt shroud and added a piece of reflective tape. Just press the read button and get your rpms.

[@cadflatvideoseries1992]

This has been a great help to me even though I have a Folinn VFD which offers no genuine support once purchased. Emailed China several time, but no customer service or interest so beware.Thanks again for your down to earth account of dealing with each step. I followed you with my manual open and have made more progress in 15 minutes than I have in weeks.Thanks, Russ.

[@mrpete222]

Thank you, that is a very old video. I will revisit that subject in the next month or two. As I now have two more of these devices. One on a drill press on one on a bandsaw

[@cadflatvideoseries1992]

Glad to know are continuing to produce videos along this line. I like your well presented and simple account of each step. Your presentation is in a style that I can engage with and feel that I am understanding things. Keep up the good work. Russ.

[@swarfrat311]

Great video! I used to operate a labeling machine (it glued computer generated labels to a mailing piece) about 40 years ago when I worked in direct mail. The "ramp up" function on this machine (made by Kirk Rudy) was called a soft start. Programming the VFD can't be all bad since it has a button labeled "FUN" :-)

[@aronlionel1030]

instaBlaster...

[@JorgeLopez-ck6wy]

7 years later and this video is still really helpful

[@cyberbadger]

Great video. Just a comment on the multi language manual ... It's like machining the same part for different customers. It's cheaper to just print 1 manual that has multiple languages. That's globalisation for you. I'm probably half your age, but I still enjoy your videos. I try to buy American when I can, but it's not really possible nowdays. BTW - you DO NOT talk to much on your videos - It's great to here an old guy share his wisdom and opinions.

[@vvet7625]

Thanks MrPete! I have a Bridgeport mill at my friends house and have the same TECO VFD you are instructing us on, except it's a 220vac input. My friend keeps asking me how to reverse the spindle and now I can tell him how. Next month the BP will be in my house with a 110vac VFD from TECO. Thanks for a great series and even better timing.

[@Litzwire]

I've had one for a while, but only just fitted it after your video reminded me that I hadn't got round to it. That $119 was a good price even with $20 postage. Over here in the UK they seem to be double that price. Luckily I picked up a used one on Ebay for about £27 or 44 bucks, I'm very happy :-) Thanks for the tutorials.

[@wrightanglemachinerepair6340]

Hello Mr. Pete. Nice job on the VFD. I put one of these on my Clausing lathe, which is almost identical to yours. It replaced the factory variable speed that can be somewhat problematic as you might know. By using a hand held tach and adjusting the frequency until it reached various nominal speeds I made a chart to give me a list of about 12 of the most desirable RPMs. It doesn't take the place of a integral tach but it's good enough for me. Thanks for all the great videos. Mike

[@PeterWMeek]

Like you, I have no 3-phase power, so when I got a vertical mill with a built-in 3 HP, 3-phase motor, I had to get one of these. Mine is 230 VAC/60Hz/single phase in and 230 VAC/0-240 Hz/3-phase out. I could (theoretically) run my motor at four times its designed speed (but as you point out, that's way too scary). I keep it to about 100 Hz maximum. I've been a computer geek since the 1970s so the manual wasn't too confusing. As you say, computers are all pretty much alike. Making smaller charts with only the settings I wanted to change helped quite a bit. For the 3 HP motor, the slow ramp-up was very important as it really cuts down on the huge current draw when starting. A slow ramp up means no big current surge when starting. I actually draw more current when doing a quick power down. I used the extra remote connections to integrate it with the original controls on my milling machine. If I hit the big red button, the VFD shuts down the mill right now! It seems to apply DC power (0 Hz) to the motor windings which acts as a brake, and draws about 25 Amps (at 230 VAC) momentarily.

[@MaturePatriot]

At 120 Hz it looked like it was gonna walk off. I remember the Word Perfect 5.0 manual, it was over an inch thick. I threw it away and learned by trial and error. As a lead in my previous profession, I would print up "cheat sheet" labels to go on our air samplers for programming. Another great video.

[@robertburgy7735]

You have done a magnificent job of teaching me what I have to do to get my lathe.( 1948 Delta Milwaukee up to speed. I need a one house motor with the teco and for reversing I might need to at the potentiate meter. Any comment would be appreciated. Glad I found your channel. Thanks..

[@mrpete222]

Thanks for watching

[@horneygeorgeforge7079]

I have operated ones like that at work. but never knew how they where programmed.THANK YOU !

[@AlFurtado]

Man you are a life saver. I just installed the very same VFD on my lathe and was wondering why the speed dial didn't work and with your video I went to it and sure enough I got it going as easy as you described

[@mrpete222]

+Al Furtado (Rebel WoodTurner) Glad you got it!

[@tonyzeh]

Always enjoy your videos. Just go a Teco L510 VFD for my mill and one for my new belt grinder. Was totally clueless on the programming. This gave me a direction. The L510 has some different coding numbers, but it headed me in the right direction. I will be adding a reversing switch and Potentiometer to mine. Thanks for all your insight.

[@stephensmith8756]

Lyle Well done ! I think you showed and explained the basic functions very well. One of the other great benefits of these VFDs that mightn't be immediately obvious to North American users is that for those of us in Europe, Asia and Oceania who have 220-240V 50Hz mains power, we can now buy models of American power tools and machine tools, without also needing an expensive 110V step-down transformer to handle the power, or worse, a complete motor replacement. Many desirable models of US-made power tools and machine tool brands are not sold in 240v 50Hz, and so as long as you are prepared to pay the shipping costs, these devices open up a whole new range of opportunities. Like you, I'm prepared to make an exception and buy this sort of Chinese / Taiwanese made product. Thanks for covering this important subject, in a comprehensive manner. Kind regards from a warm and sunny Australia.

[@markwentland3147]

i am in the process of buying a Clausing lathe just like yours, and the original hyd variable speed drive is gone and it had a 3 ph motor, now it has a single phase 220 and a gilmer toothed pulley and belt and it needs to be finished with a VFD so this was a good lesson for me thx Lyle

[@mrpete222]

That will be a great machine. Mine is very noisy with the variable speed Drive

[@RyanWeishalla]

Thanks for taking the time to show us how it works so we have an idea what is available. I had a 2HP 3 Phase motor which came with my mill that I couldn't get to work with the 3 phase in my garage. It currently has a 2HP 110V motor on it, but I may try to get one of these and if I can get the 3 phase motor to work, I can put it back on the mill and use the new 2HP 110V motor on the large air compressor whose motor isn't working right now either and like you, not have to change belt positions on the mill I have.

[@andypandy9931]

Well explained MrPete. These are great, I have just put a different version on my small Myford lathe and can see it is going to be much better to use. As you said the instructions were poor but fortunately someone had put a clear video on KZbin. I would have struggled otherwise.

[@speedbuggy16v]

Thanks for the videos, I just got a smithy CNC 1240 bed mill that's been stripped of all of its controls save the VFD. Even though this is not the same VFD it gives me the information to translate the "engrish" in the manual so I can get the spindle going and check that before I start in on the servos and controls for them.

[@paulster22ify]

Awesome video all of them! I installed one (VFD)on my Pilgrim mill about a year ago and it works great, you can thread with the mill or drill if you slow it down and install a forward/reverse switch to the unit,my mill has the variable wheel on it but does not offer the efficiencies and performance options of the vfd.Love all of your videos Tubalcain!

[@countrycraftsman5110]

In the mid 90s we had wired some 200 horse power chipping head motors on VFD's. (Chips the sides off of logs on both sides before going thru quad bandmills) the start up guy came in to tune the VFD to the motors he was showing us what the drives could do. He would take those motors from stop to 100hz forward to full stop to 100hz full reveres to full stop in just a few seconds. He only did it a couple of times. I was amazed it did not kill those motors but they were a VFD rated motor.

[@bojandelac3861]

I know this is an older video and i am not sure if you've had this comment already but when adding any type of motor speed controller to an electrical motor you should be very careful at low speeds with high torque. Motors often have a fan attached to the same shaft as the load so they kinda cool them selves. If you reduce their speed, the speed of the attached fan is consequentially also reduced rendering it useless. Motors that are designed to run at slow speeds have an active cooling system (usually a powered fan) to cool them down.

[@dpepalis9456]

Thank you sir. I watched the 2Jeffs video last week which is similar but your video is more interesting because I ordered the Teco unit for my drill press. Very clear and instructive.

[@masterofnone]

Just got a VFD for my Drill restoration and I was trying to understand the relationship on the frequency and speed. Thanks you for clarifying Mr. Pete.

[@mrpete222]

Thanks

[@paulrichter8845]

Hello Mr. Pete, I plan to remove the noisy variable speed drive components on my Alliant mill and install a VFD and digital tachometer. Thanks for another excellent topic and video!

[@dwtees]

Mr. Pete, Another entertaining and informative video. Also consider what I have done on my Logan 820 lathe. A little more involved than using the vfd however. I used a used 3 hp treadmill DC motor and variac and simple bridge rectifier and capacitor circuit to convert AC out of the variac to dc. It works great and as you say it eliminates using back gears and changing pulleys. The DC motor is also much smoother than the original AC motor set up on my logan and virtually has eliminated all vibration. I may use a VFD on my drill press as it will be much more simpler than mouting a dc motor variac etc. Thanks again for your great instruction and sharing your knowlege.

[@marceltimmers1290]

Hi Sir. Thanks for this excellent explanation of the unit. I have one myself and was going to ask Stan from BAR Z to help me out, after his most generous offer to do so, But now, together with his video, I will be looking forward to doing this. I thought that this would be mush more involved, but its' so simple. Thanks Marcel.

[@jamesminor3833]

I installed. VFD'S on two machines in my shop, a large powermatic drill press and a big delta bandsaw. I did it mainly because they were 3 phase motors, the speed control was just an added bonus. I was able to purchase these machines at a real bargain because they were 3 phase and the average joe wanted nothing to do with them. Jim

[@jimillsortit]

Thanks for sharing Mrpete. I have one simulir to fit my mill once I repair it also have a remote control to wire in as you say the manual requires a bit of studying, your demo has helped a lot.

[@robintheirishman9378]

Awesome video series. Now I know if I ever want to do the same thing it’s not as difficult as I thought!

[@mainesailah]

Nicely done. I hear you about the Teco manual, leaves much to the imagination. Once you go through a few of the programming functions it becomes easier. just to answer a couple questions from your commenters: If you slow the Hz down to tickover speed you also lose the torque from the motor. So just running the spindle at 1 rpm you can easily stop the spindle with your hand. They do make (and I'm getting outside my pay grade here) other more expensive VFDs called Sensorless Vector drives that *I believe* can maintain motor torque so that might be more appropriate for a machine like a lathe or mill where you still need the machine to have the power in the back gears. You can also add a FWD REV switch (and program the VFD) so that you can go FWD reverse on teh spindle without digging through a bunch of menus. The keypad buttons do indeed feel fragile to me and i stopped using them when I decided to move my switches to the front of my drill press remotely. I might recommend you do that for the on/off at least if you machine gets heavy use.

[@brbeardm]

Awesome Lesson. I have a Teco on my Logan Lathe! They are great! And I have scavenged an old wire feed welder and setup your variable speed carriage feed... on my logan as well. Just awesome how to videos! Thank you for knowledge sharing with us!

[@mrpete222]

THANKS

[@jamesselby2697]

Hi just to let you know how much I enjoyed your videos on this subject. I have been running my boxford 9" lathe of a similar unit in England for the past six years and it has not missed a beat. The rep. for my unit told me to fit a remote controller as the units run/stop button may be over worked in time. I purchased a controller but never plucked up the nerve to fit it after reading the instructions until my head began spinning. your video however has given me the impetus to try again. Thank you for that.

[@junglejammer1]

I'm greatful, for all the trouble you take to educate us, thank you. It's good to find out that, these units are available for single phase motors, as well. My mill/drill is a real pain, to change the speeds. Am going to look into one of these gizmos.

[@turboed350]

thanks will have to get one for future machine. its funny because i went to a dealer for machine tools the other day and he was showing me his hi and low two phase switch he put together on a mill and i thought it was the dumbest way every and only have two speeds. haha i knew better than what he was trying to tell me that it was the only way and cheapest rather than change pulleys around. now ill feel better about looking for machines and not worrying about speed control so much because i will add one of these to it and an inclosed electric fan to the motor. also going to have to get one and go play around with it on a few machines at my fathers mechanic shop, i know he would love to be able to fine adjust alot of his machines such as valve grinder, drill press, mill and brake rotor machine lathe and random others. should be fun im looking forward to it :) thanks for the video.

[@mrpete222]

turboed350 Thanks for watching. Yes----you will like a vfd. You seem very enthusiastic about them.

[@turboed350]

oh yeah I like the fact that I can now shop around for a mill that is very basic and the VFD will make it do what i would like. thats awesome and makes me happy to know that i can now not worry about the cost of variable speed spindle controller and look more for the good old machinery :) thanks. not only that im young and been machining for around 10yrs now and looking to make a little shop for gunsmithing and all the fun random stuff i come up with to make. i like yours and ox's videos they are very good for learning the tricks you guys got up your sleeves for machining, its the small things that make our days easier thanks again.

[@mrpete222]

turboed350 Thanks for watching

[@georgelevett6925]

A very useful video I like the idea a lot as it does save money ,you can use the 3 phase motor on single phase or vice-versa, Thanks for another good video.

[@dannywilsher4165]

Love your rants!!! Don't apologize for speaking the truth!!!!!!!!!!

[@mrpete222]

+Danny Wilsher Thanks-but I've been toning it down a bit

[@shamillemohammed7749]

Great video it will help me when changing vfd on my press which is acting up right now . Keep up the good.

[@peterhall30004]

looking forward to the milling machine VFD. I'm thinking about getting one of these after watching your progress.

[@davidroberts2049]

Just a knucklehead question. I have no shame! When you say the VDF converts 110 power to 220 3-phase, are you plugging the drillpress (or VFD?) into a 110 wall socket. Would you look at how the motor is wired to determine what level of power (110 vs. 220), or is the VDF wired for 110 or 220, or both, and you have a choice? And yes, of all the VFD videos you there, and there aren't many, this one is by far the best tutorial, very good explanation. You have a knack for teaching others.

[@Keith_Ward]

Looks like a great addition to most shop equipment. Would be interesting to see what kind of torque you can get with drills, annular cutters, or hole saws of sizes that could have never been considered on a limited RPM drill press and/or mill before. Manual seemed pretty straight foward to me. Seems like another few settings that they could add would be a conversion factor and to allow the display to show actual RPMs using the conversion factor. Would also need to add a 4th digit ... Glad you finally pealed the plastic off the display!

[@donaldsnyder4795]

Awesome job of explaining. Wish I could have had you as a teacher!

[@mrpete222]

🤙🤙

[@donaldsnyder4795]

Actually this was my husband's (Donald) comment. He really enjoys your videos. He says he's not a machinist, but he has a 13" southbend lathe. And he's looking to purchase a Bridgeport mill and looking forward to learning something about it from you. Do you have videos on the Bridgeport? He really enjoys your teachings. Loves that you're all about America!!!!

[@GroovyVideo2]

Great video as always -I have learned A Lot from you - I have been using a VFD on my lathe and mill for 5 years - works Great you will love yours -

[@FredMiller]

I followed this series with GREAT interest! I too will be adding one to my mill. I too have a step pulley system and I detest it! (sorry for the strong language)... Many Thanks for the schooling Mr. Pete... Fred

[@dwtees]

I agree with all your rants as well. Keep em coming!

[@tomherd4179]

Super great video. I use a stapler and staple the other manual pages in different languages together, as I don't use them. The Mill video will be interesting, if I understand it you will have to install a 3-phase motor as well. I will have to look at my MSC mill and see what a motor change would require. I like the idea a lot!! Thanks :-)

[@grantham4187]

Excellent! Thank you so much for an easy to understand demonstration.

[@clintchapman4319]

Waiting on all the parts to arrive to convert my lathe to variable speed now... Great timing!

[@xoxo2008oxox]

You can peel that shipping layer off the panel. great video Mr Pete!

[@weebandit]

Nice series! Looking forward to more of your machine tool conversion projects on VFDs.

[@jasonstephens1918]

Love all your videos. Just getting into metalworking as a hobby. Currently purchased a Enco metal lathe and looking for a Bridgeport mill in the future. Been doing woodworking for years and branching out some. Very interesting product. Wondering how it would work on a small woodworking lathe to convert to variable speed. Also would like a 220v model to install on a Powermatic p1200 20" drill press 2hp 3phase.

[@jimward3549]

Mr. Pete, I have a great deal of experience with VFD's so I thought I should share a couple of got ya's with you. 1) make sure your motor is designed to run on a VFD. Any motor will run on one in the short term but motors not rated for a VFD will burn-up prematurely. 2) VFD rated or not motors should not be run under 20Hz under load. If you have a VFD rated motor you can run it above 60HZ, In many cases up to 120Hz. Pick a pulley combination that gives you your minimum spindle speed at 20Hz and if your motor is so rated your maximum spindle speed at 120Hz. In any case a non-VFD rated motor will last longer if run between 20&60Hz. Best regards, Jim

[@mrbreezeet1]

I have heard that too. I brought a VFD type motor for my wood lathe, cause it was 56 frame, but what if it is some kind of proprietary funky mounting 3 phase motor?

[@Tryin2FlyII]

I've never heard of this? I did buy one &have been using it on my 1951 SB lathe- how would you know if the motor is made to use a VFD? PS I don't use the lathe daily just for projects or repair parts also I did notice that to start &stop the lathe I have to use the VFD instead of the on off & reversing switch that is on the lathe-is that because of the ramp up? (14×72 tool room lathe) Thanks for any info you can throw ny way

[@craigspakowski7398]

I'm a little late to the party but this is exactly the information I was looking for for my milling machine. Thanks man, you made my day.

[@thatguythatdoesstuff7448]

@@Tryin2FlyII Inverter duty motors are labeled as such. They are usually class F wire insulation and also employ motor shaft grounding (newest motors do). Either way, the manufacturer will readily label the wire insulation class and most times will also call out whether or not it is suitable for inverter duty.

[@Tryin2FlyII]

@@thatguythatdoesstuff7448 Thanks - I will have to get in the motor cabinet and see if the motor is labeled any where it is a bit hard to get into and it is darn cold here at the moment lol but Thank you for the info!!!

[@kwd57]

Now I wish I had a 3 phase motor on my bridgeport. Thanks for another great video.

[@daveg1176]

Hello Tubalcain. I recently purchased a Harbor Freight Mini-Mill and wanted a Tachometer DRO function. I purchased a digital tach on ebay which uses a small magnet attached on the spindle and a Hall effect sensor. I had to buy a small plastic enclosure and perform some simple electronics wiring and add a 12 vdc power supply. Finished with a dead accurate digital tachometer.

[@mrpete222]

+Dave Glodo I really like those add on tachs

[@GK1918]

Thank you for clearing this up. Teco a major control mfg.most noted for zone valves which you probably have on your boiler. Dont tell me they moved to china? The are or were in Warwick RI. Also thinking of my mill, but the mill has four 3ph motors, so I guess that will not work without major rewiring. So thanks again samuel

[@outsidescrewball]

Hi Pete So in reading comments you mentioned you were not happy with the torque! I read this that you have speed but no strength/power which would be a problem when using larger tooling in the machine. Please expand on your issues or produce a follow up video....I like most of the viewers got excited based on the cost/installation ease/voltage adapt, but need to know & understand if preformance issues are created. FYI...I sit in the back of the classroom and you had my attention the whole time....LOL, thank you Chuck

[@Brad1962Fisher]

torque problem sounds like he needs to change pulleys to the smallest drive pulley running to the largest drill pulley! then turn the speed up to the 90hz and running the motor faster thus getting more torque and still having the faster drill speed!

[@liudas5377]

Long time watcher - first time poster - great vid - thanks....

[@not2fast4u2c]

I like your Classroom you are a Great Teacher ...This is interesting stuff

[@MrSupersidewinder]

While I am quite familiar with VFD's and electronics in general, this is the smallest unit I've seen in the 1HP range! When they first started to really 'catch on' in the hobbyist market they were all the size of a small computer tower and were mostly used to build or convert a CNC machine to run a 3 phase water cooled spindle.It really wasn't that long ago you would have to buy or build either a rotary phase inverter or a LARGE complicated (expensive) solid state version, and even then such devices only 'create' the third phase so you still needed 220v 2 phase to start with! The concept of breaking current and voltages into small 'packets' to create a 'duty cycle' has permeated into many common items and seems the way forward, even your car's charging system operates this way. (low load=few pulses. high load=many pulses) way more efficient than the voltage regulators of old (can you say HOT)! Remember Triodes (diode trios) and ballast resistors... Thanks Pete! for all the videos!

[@princebatswater]

Thanks for another good video Mr P. That start/stop button is so tiny, I would love to see you wire an emergency stop button to that thing.

[@LarrySbrusch]

As always..I love your videos..thank you

[@mrpete222]

Thanks

[@one4stevo]

I'll be getting one of these units now that i've seen how easy it is. Thank for the lessons

[@yamadeal8286]

We'll Mr. Pete goes hi tech . I'm 69 years young and hard to change my ways , but you might be on to something here. Keep us posted if you run into any snags . Great job even I get it. Kendall Yocom

[@spfldmilkman]

As always I enjoy and value your videos and information. Thanks

[@andrewchurchley5705]

Great explanation on the programming, very clear, thanks.

[@mrpete222]

Thanks

[@stcknthpstjim3491]

Mr Pete: Thank you for many great videos. I enjoy your humor, being an older person myself, i remember a world long gone. however isnt tech great as proved by the VFD unit. and the best tech YOU TUBE! LOL.

[@derwissenskiosk8041]

^Makes my alltime happy to see when old people learn new things... :D

[@billjulius1231]

So much easier than the manual, thanks

[@allsortsofinterests1]

Hi Mr. Pete, I have an Automation Direct vfd and can program the rpm, you can probably do the same if using a fixed pulley. You can rotate through using the dsp/fun button while running and it will probably also show amp draw. In the advanced section... Mike

[@SQ_og]

Surprised you did not use more of these.

[@OleGramps53]

Thank you, I've been looking for a way the add veritable speed control to my wood lathe and run in reverse when I turn bowls and vases. The motor and control are less horsepower than I have on the lathe now. Now I can check this out.

[@MilanDupal]

Great video! Did you check drill press (motor) torque at different frequencies? I suggest to connect external robust start/stop push button and potentiometer, otherwise the Chinese unit keypad will get damaged shortly. You had inspired me, I am going to look for my VFD unit I got for this purpose long time ago... regards Milan

[@allsortsofinterests1]

Also, Shadon HKW has a video called "auto reverse drill press" where he attached a lever to the drill stop and added a limit switch to make an auto tapping machine from an old Walker Turner.

[@robertgustkie1574]

all the video are great much to think about thank you sir

[@stephendeakin2714]

I installed a similar converter to my Tom Senior mill and understanding the programming is somewhat of a nightmare, I felt if I did something wrong that would be that, but as of today everything appears to work okay. Resisted the temptation to overspeed the motor, we are 50Hz here so I may one day set it to 60Hz which I guess the motor bearings and armature will take, increasing the speed range a little.

[@telecrate]

Great Video, thanks! I have 3 AC VFDs (2 x 110V + 1 x 240V) and a DC speed controller I use for my various machines. All the VFDs are Chinese. Two of them have failed on me so far, so needed replacement. Mostly my fault. Lesson: All that flexibility in the settings can be detrimental to the life of these devices and the motors. You better know what you are doing when you program them…. Changing ramp up and ramp down time to low values for instance are really taxing on the power circuits in the VFDs (specifically the crappy caps). Yet, given the price point I believe they are still generally a good investment compared to the pain of changing gears or belts. It's like cheap center drills: When they are dull you just buy new ones.

[@quantumfrenzy74]

Very informative series. Thank you.

[@billybowman704]

Thanks for the VFD series Mr. Pete. I would now consider purchasing 3 phase equipment for my single phase home shop. Any suggestions on where to run the belts on the step pulleys of a mill when using the VFD? Would you setup your belts on the smallest motor side pulley for maximum torque and use freq > 60 hz for spindle speed control?

[@michaelidarecis]

Check out function 24 when your motor is in the upper limit of your current draw. The Teco might be set to low and that would make a jog in the startup or premature OL1 (overload light) come on. This information was from Harold at the NJ Tech support of Dealers Industrial. He was spot on took him 15 minutes of trouble shooting to come to that answer. When calling Teco customer support they were supportive but didn't solve the problem.

[@gasworker3042]

Thanks for the info Mr. Pete Very helpful

[@raudelgutierrez962]

Thank you for a great video, very informative and will definitely use on my machine.

[@lastmanstandingwtsht]

I will be very interested to see how a vfd will work on the Bridgeport sounds like a great idea

[@TheTarHeelTom]

It works fine on my Bridgeport. I'm quite happy with it. I have several videos about using my Bridgeport, but never considered making one on the VFD. It just sits there and does its thing, no muss, no fuss. My house has no three phase available in the neighborhood, so had to use either a three phase converter or a VFD. The VFD is a much better solution. Also allowed me to rip out the old three phase interlock in the power cabinet.

[@lastmanstandingwtsht]

Tom do you notice a torque loss? and is your mill step pulley or variable speed-thanks

[@TheTarHeelTom]

Blacksmith Johnny I haven't noticed a torque loss, but the vast majority of my work is with small diameter cutters, in aluminum. I do notice a torque loss (belt slipping) when I'm using large diameter drill bits. Just ordered a boring head, which will do a better job on large holes. I currently have the variable speed drive, which I've never used. Btw, there is a good thread on cnczone.com on replacing the variable speed job with a single tooth belt system, with only one pulley on the motor. If torque is a problem, a guy can always use the lower gear range on the Bridgeport, and I assume on some or all of the clones as well.

[@lastmanstandingwtsht]

Great info thanks Tom