Someone Let The Smoke Escape From The VFD

Mark in Indiana

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Hello Friends,

At the shop that I currently work at, I was called to check out a drill press that malfunctioned. The operator said smoke came out of the control box, which enclosed a variable frequency drive (VFD), to control the drill speed. So after opening the box, I found the cause of problem (see picture).


I can fix electric but I can't fix stupid and lazy. Does anyone else have examples of stupid and lazy?

DRILL PRESS VFD SMOKE2.jpg
 
Yup, once the magic smoke gets out they don't work again!

Using a piece of wire in place of a fuse is just a recipe for disaster. The whole thing is more than likely toast by now.
 
Yup, once the magic smoke gets out they don't work again!

Using a piece of wire in place of a fuse is just a recipe for disaster. The whole thing is more than likely toast by now.

To a hobbiest, not protecting a VFD is a mistake that costs a few hundred bucks for being too lazy to use a 25 cent fuse.
Years ago, I worked at a plastics processor that had a machine that someone put 1/2" pipe nipples in the main fuse holders of a thermoforming machine. The building burned down as a result.
 
Just another version of the "Never Blow Fuse". Electrician was showing us some steel pieces someone had put in a fuse/disconnect box at another business. The machine was only protected by the main fuses for the building - 400 Amp fuses! They were only discovered due to a oil fire and the damage they came in to repair.
Pierre
 
Always use the appropriate rated fuse in your equipment
fuses.jpg

Cheers Phil

fuses.jpg
 
You can also use a mini-breaker. It isn't much more expensive than a fuse holder. We use them on all inputs and outputs on our PLC's
 
I doubt A new VFD is going to fix this problem.
I would suspect something burnt out the original fuse and that problem is after the vfd in the circuit
something exceeded it's rating like too large of a load or a short prior to the smoke fuse being installed.
Steve
 
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