PM-1236T on VFD

I'm not advocating connection two very dissimilar motors to a VFD. They must be capable of operating normally with the same VFD setup.

I did think of one thing and it is if you want to use remote (from the VFD) speed controls as opposed to the front pannel one. And of course you would. It can be overcome with a little logic but is VFD dependent.
 
You must not be reading the VFD manuals under cautions and outlined in almost every VFD manual that I have seen, that you can damage the output section of the VFD if it is disconnected from the motor under operation. I have installed 100's of VFDs of different manufactures, the more mainstream VFDs the VFD tuning is specific to the motor, the outputs are specific to the machine. Yes, a VFD can operate different motors with the same parameters, maybe. Cheaper VFDs have limited programming parameters, so maybe it works in your case but the parameters and setup are very different between a mill and a lathe. It is clear you want to believe what you want so I will opt. out of any further discussions in this thread.

VFD Output.jpg
 

Well damn I've done it again! Allowed my obstinate, opinionated personality to alienate another machinist brother. I'm not apologizing because I never attacked anyone personally. I also don't think I can apologize for who I am. An old retired Army NCO who can never change. Ask my wife, no, please don't.

So, I confidently issued a challenge and mksj steped up and proved me wrong.

I TAKE MY CROW WITH TABASCO.

After issuing said challenge I thought maybe I should cover my bases with GOOGLE, which is where I should have started, because I learned that not only was mksj correct but that fact horribly complicates my plans. Not for connecting two machines to one VFD, that was to be temporary anyway, but connecting a VFD peroid.

Things went from bad to worse as when I got on this morning I saw that mksj had jumped ship. I poked around here last night and learned that mksj is one of the "go to" guys on this subject. So, mksj, I'm dropping this thread also and after more research, will start a new one on "Connecting a VFD to a PM factory 3 phase Lathe or Mill".

I hope you all will help me in that endeavor.
 
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There have been many threads on VFD's and the PM mills and lathes. You might want to do a search and see if some of your questions can be answered before starting a new thread. If you still need help, I am sure it will be forth coming. I found most of what I needed by looking at previous posts. It's not hard, just a little spendy to do it right. mkjs showed us how to use the existing contactors on a 1340GT I believe which would save some money. Not the route I took, but something to search for if you're looking to save some money.
 
There have been many threads on VFD's and the PM mills and lathes. You might want to do a search and see if some of your questions can be answered before starting a new thread. If you still need help, I am sure it will be forth coming. I found most of what I needed by looking at previous posts. It's not hard, just a little spendy to do it right. mkjs showed us how to use the existing contactors on a 1340GT I believe which would save some money. Not the route I took, but something to search for if you're looking to save some money.

Thank you. I did some searches this morning and found some very well done post but they were more then 6 years old and was a conversion from single phase to three phase motor. Mine are new factory 3 phase machines. I just don't know what changes have been made if any. I will continue looking.

My requirements are that all the controls on the machines work as originally intended even if rewiring is required. After a quick look at the wiring diagram in the manual it's clear that a complete rewire will be necessary due to all the contactors and circuitry in line with the motor which is intended to work with commercial 3 phase.

What is an 81husky? A very old dog?
 
After many hours of reading here and watching youtubes I found that this has all been done many times before by many people on many different machines. No need to reinvent the wheel. I do hate that it requires gutting the electrical box on the machines but nothing destructive that can't be put back. I'm done with talking, time to collect parts.

Disclaimer:
PM, if you're listening, all this was fictional, not really going to happen. I have no intentions of voiding my warrant.
 
After many hours of reading here and watching youtubes I found that this has all been done many times before by many people on many different machines. No need to reinvent the wheel. I do hate that it requires gutting the electrical box on the machines but nothing destructive that can't be put back. I'm done with talking, time to collect parts.

Disclaimer:
PM, if you're listening, all this was fictional, not really going to happen. I have no intentions of voiding my warrant.

I have just completed the adding of a Hitachi WJ200 VFD to a new PM-1236T, factory 3-phase, and did not have to gut the electronics but was able to reuse them. Move a few wires, run a few cables to/from the VFD, and the the factory controls work as designed. It took some digging, ok a lot, but ultimately I was able to complete the conversion thanks to a write-up by mksj that i found here in the forum. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Rick
 
I have just completed the adding of a Hitachi WJ200 VFD to a new PM-1236T, factory 3-phase, and did not have to gut the electronics but was able to reuse them. Move a few wires, run a few cables to/from the VFD, and the the factory controls work as designed. It took some digging, ok a lot, but ultimately I was able to complete the conversion thanks to a write-up by mksj that i found here in the forum. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Rick
Hey Rick. Thank you. Happy things are working out for you. I have a tendency to overstate. "Gut" was one of those times. What I should have said is open the panels, remove the existing wires from the controls and add new wires going to the VFD and contactor. No harm done.

Maybe we can stay in touch concerning our lathes. Do you have a DRO? What other machines do you have? Is this just a hobby for you?

My shop is a work in progress. My mill and lathe, along with everything else, is in an adjacent area under plastic. The power is installed, drywall installed, tapped and sanded. Tomorrow is paint day. Then install the lights, cap all the outlets, install two doors, Epoxy Shield the floor, install trim and baseboards. WOW! Then, I hope, I can roll the machines in and start the fun stuff. Then there's benches and cabinets, welding area. I may never be done with the shop. But this is the culmination of a life long dream so why rush it.

I think mksj is mad at me and withdraw from this thread. I have not read his write-up. After he convenced me that I was going in the wrong direction, thank you mksj, the rest was simple.

Photos to follow soon.
 
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I'm only a few steps ahead of you. The lathe was sitting on the shipping crate for the last few weeks as I got the electronics reworked. Yesterday it got hoisted up off the crate onto its' new home. I've spun it up to check everything, next step is to level it and dial it in.

The write-up I used is version 02 dated 03/2018. A few things have changed since then, like my 24v transformer is a 110/220 instead of a 220/440. Made it easier for me, I just ran a 3-wire 110 line into the box. The Hitachi VFD software has been updated and does work in Windows 10, and includes the USB drivers in the install.

PM if you have any questions about my setup with the VFD, so far I'm very pleased with everything.
 
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