Invertor for lathe.

[Fiji]

I'm eventually getting round to sorting the lathe I got off Cato and need an invertor. Is there anyone the masses can recommend ? for a good reliable unit rather than pot luck on E Bay.

 

[frank horton]

cant find em now but model enginneer forum used to have a place in Nottingham advertise.......
fair prices......not crap.........
if i get time i'll check it up for u........

 

[8ob]

Sounds like a fair swap, transport may kill it.

Bob

 

[Pete.]

I'm eventually getting round to sorting the lathe I got off Cato and need an invertor. Is there anyone the masses can recommend ? for a good reliable unit rather than pot luck on E Bay.

What output are you looking for?

 

[RichardM]

Are you in UK or NZ?
Single to 3 phase.
My Huanyang vfd I bought from EBay has work fine for over 6 years now, only for hobby use though.
There is also Drives Direct, which I think @frank horton is thinking about. I have a Teco E2 on my mill, their sales are mostly via their EBay shop now.

Drives Direct - Digital Phase Converters - Home Page

 

[striker]

I've used 3 Chinese inverters, without fault. I currently have two, one on my lathe and one on my mill. The way I look at cheap enough to replace if they fail. They haven't yet. I think it's important to size up on the KW.
If you look on you tube for Steve Jordan there's a great guide on how to install with remote controls.

 

[Seadog]

I've a Teco, Invertek, and Huanyang. No problems with any of them

 

[iNf]

Inverter Drive Supermarket are another more mainstream supplier.
You'll need some more information on your motor. Such as can it be converted from star to delta, power rating, single/two speed. Are you prepared to do the work yourself or do you want a fully prepared package? Obviously cost will vary considerably.

 

[Gragson]

Inverter Drive Supermarket are another more mainstream supplier.
You'll need some more information on your motor. Such as can it be converted from star to delta, power rating, single/two speed. Are you prepared to do the work yourself or do you want a fully prepared package? Obviously cost will vary considerably.

I found them really helpful over the phone and in person, Bought a TEC 3ph motor and Parker brand VFD, mounting lug on my motor was broken in despatch, returned it in person as did not trust courier and not too far away , they replaced the motor mount and while I was there they gave me a bit of tutorial and we wired it up, them supplying the shielded cable and all. Good people.

 

[Gavlar]

I've fitted a fair few of the cheap chinese inverters over several years. Yet to have a problem, the only issue is deciphering the poorly written instructions.
Assuming you want single to 3ph, just search 'AT1 inverter'. (3ph to 3ph is an 'AT3' I think.
If you buy one from ebay, amazon or the like, you have to be capable of fitting it, it won't be a complete package like you might get from a reputable company so you'll get no support if you don't know what you are doing.

 

[striker]

I've fitted a fair few of the cheap chinese inverters over several years. Yet to have a problem, the only issue is deciphering the poorly written instructions.
Assuming you want single to 3ph, just search 'AT1 inverter'. (3ph to 3ph is an 'AT3' I think.
If you buy one from ebay, amazon or the like, you have to be capable of fitting it, it won't be a complete package like you might get from a reputable company so you'll get no support if you don't know what you are doing.

Yes this is the type I fitted. The Steve Jordan you tube videos helped me greatly. I'm not an electrician but found it easy enough!

 

[Arc Tourist]

Bought a couple of these off the internet and have not had any issues so far. I installed them in a plug in and play box so I can use other shop machines when occasionally needed.

 

[Robert Weaver]

Newton Tesla offer complete system.
https://www.newton-tesla.co.uk/product/1-5hp-inverter-motor-package-with-remote/

 

[timgunn1962]

If you already have some experience of inverter drives, or have infinite patience, the Chinese cheapies off ebay or Amazon are generally cheap enough and good enough to be a fair bet. The manuals tend to be horrible and I've helped out a few folk who've found themselves out of their depth over the years.

For a lathe, it's definitely worth spending the extra for a Sensorless Vector drive. SV is a system that measures/calculates the power factor and adjusts the Voltage to maintain the power factor at the design value for the motor. Basic V/F drives will generally run motors smoothly down to about 10 Hz, but by about 7 Hz they tend to become "coggy" and surface finish suffers on a lathe. SV will run smoothly down to 1 Hz or less.

Note that 4-pole motors (the plate will show 1400-1500 RPM speed on 50 Hz mains) can usually be safely run to 100 Hz for twice the rated speed.

I've not come across a real SV drive among the Chinese cheapies, though several try to give the impression that they have SV capability.

Before buying any drive, download and read the manual. Save the link. If you can't make sense of the manual, don't buy that drive. If you can't freely download the manual, don't buy that drive. If you do find yourself stuck and needing to ask for help on a forum, there's a fair chance someone familiar with drives generally will be able to help if you include the link to the manual.

Inverterdrive supermarket let you filter by inverter power and Sensorless Vector control, so you can narrow things down. Once you've got a shortlist, you can shop around, though I would be very wary of buying on price alone from somewhere that can't provide technical support.

 

[Fiji]

What output are you looking for?

Need about 10 amps.

 

[Pete.]

Need about 10 amps.

So for a 3hp motor?