Grizzly Mill VFD Conversion

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rbertalotto

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Here are a couple videos on the VFD Three Phase conversion I just completed.....And a couple pretty big issues....


 
You might be getting some RFI from the VFD. Try removing it from its current mounting location and move it away from the DRO and see if the problem persists.

Personally, I am not a fan of VFDs. I like my rotary phase converter.
 
Yes, that might be a solution, but not practical in this instance. I'll try the filters first.

I looked into rotory but I wanted the amazing flexability and control options of a VFD. Amazing what you can do with them. And with priced for a VFD under $100, its a no brainer.
 
I suppose if it's your only 3 phase machine. But I currently have 4 three phase motors and only one RPC.

In any case, if it is the proximity to the VFD, you might try toroid cores around the cables to the DRO.
 
If you are running signal cables alongside power ones try separating them
Sometimes wrapping the signal ones in foil will do the trick also
 
They are not near each other. But today Ill try moving some wires around
 
I noticed the conduit for the VFD power and the DRO are next to each other, try plugging the DRO into a different outlet and see if that helps.

VFDs require good grounding to prevent interference issues. If a different outlet helps, then I suspect you have a grounding issue. Check you have a continuous ground path all the way back to your main panel using wire and not using the conduit or anything metal in your building as the ground. If the conduit is being used as the ground path to your sub or main panel, then it can act as an antennae and cause interference problems. The chokes you ordered might not help if that is the case, but they are not a bad idea in any case to eliminate any possible issues from the power wires.
 
I noticed the conduit for the VFD power and the DRO are next to each other, try plugging the DRO into a different outlet and see if that helps.
Click to expand...

So this morning I go into the shop, and as suggested by you great folks I tried a few things. Ran an extension cord over to the mill from another outlet and moved the "Wall Wart" for the DRO well away from the milling machine...No Joy...

But then I removed all the wire ties holding the power and indicator feeds from the DRO that I had tied the remote control panel flat cable from the VFD to......Eureka! Everything is working fine now.

But then it gets strange......I put the VFD cable and the DRO cables back next to each other and everything is still fine....????

Not sure what is going on. But I'm rerouting the VFD controller cable away from everything else....See what happens...Stay Tuned

Thanks for all the great suggestions!
 
Totally done! The motor noise went away after about 15 minutes of running the motor. I called the vendor and they said "They all do this...Run it for 15 minutes and if it doesn't resolve itself, they would send me another motor." Great customer service from China! The interference with the Digital Read Out (DRO) was resolved by moving some control wires around. Like an idiot I had tied the control wires for the VFD right alongside the DRO control wires. I moved DRO to one side of the machine and VFD to the other. Works perfect now! I did a bit of milling yesterday and it is like a new machine. Huge improvement on surface finish and depth of cut......Happy Camper!

Here are the devices I used:
 
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