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VFD for 5hp motor

2/1/20

I recently acquired a 12" Porter Jointer with a 5hp, 3ph motor. I have only single phase power supply and am weighing a VFD vs. new single phase motor. Has anyone successfully installed a single phase input VFD for this application? Though I read/hear that 3hp output is the limit for these, I see some new single phase input VFDs that claim 5hp/3ph output . Curious if anyone has installed and can recommend one of these drives?

2/1/20 #2: VFD for 5hp motor ...

Leo G

Member

This might help

VFD talk

2/1/20 #3: VFD for 5hp motor ...

rich c.

VFDs are available from 1/4hp to 300hp. They work great. With cheap Chinese VFDs, you won't get any help with the programming.

2/3/20 #4: VFD for 5hp motor ...

Ryan

5hp is getting to the up end of VFDs for single phase and 3 phase out.

I did this on a 5hp 3ph planer. I went with a cheap hagwang (spelling) ebay/amazon model for $180 and it popped after a year. I was plugging/unplugging it from my dryer outlet which VFDs don't like. They want to be plugged in and left alone.

I'd look into Temco and US brands. Gonna be $300+ for one that will last and has good support.

I ended up getting a 5hp single phase motor that matched rpm, shaft, mounting as previous motor. I did also have to change the magnetic starter relay as single motors pull more amps.

In the long run easier for me cuz I can plug it into any 30 amp 220 outlet now.

2/3/20 #5: VFD for 5hp motor ...

Eben Blaney

Thanks Ryan. Sounds exactly like the inverter I was looking at and my suspicions about it are why I posted this original quarry. I'm leaning toward getting a new motor at this point. Price won't be much different when all is said and done Thanks Leo and Rich for your responses as well.

2/3/20 #6: VFD for 5hp motor ...

Bruce H

I would say to get a rotary phase converter. Once you have a converter you will be able to run other 3 phase machines. If you are in business more that likely you will get another machine that requires 3 phase power and you'd be set up. I ran my shop with one including a fifteen HP wide belt sander.

2/4/20 #7: VFD for 5hp motor ...

Jared

Member

Ignore the hp ratings on both the motor and vfd.. 3hp vfd outputs 12 amps (up to 18amps for 1 minute) most 5hp motors are 13 to 13.5 full load amps, and hitting that with a hand jointer will be all but impossible.

Imho get the 3hp fuji and be done with it. A motor swap will require a new starter and cost significantly more than the $250 you will spend on the vfd.

Incidentally I'm running a 16" newman (5hp DD) on a 3hp fuji

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2/5/20 #8: VFD for 5hp motor ...

rich c.

Ryan, you have a dryer in your commercial shop? Why?

2/12/20 #9: VFD for 5hp motor ...

Leo G

Member

One of the nicer things about a VFD is the control you gain over the RPMs of your motor. Ramp up speed and braking being some of the nicer aspects of it. Got an old saw that takes minutes to spin down? Put braking parameters into it and add a brake resistor and you can have that saw stop in 3 second. Got a motor that lurches on, setup the VFD to slow start it and have it go from 0 rpms to full rpms in 3-5 seconds instead of a nearly instant full rpms. Better for the motor, the pulleys, the belts.

Only downside to most VFDs is the 15Khz frequency they drive at. You can hear the harmonics produces as a high pitched whine, at least on the older ones.

2/12/20 #10: VFD for 5hp motor ...

Jared

Member

BH, Your comment about trying to drive the 10 horsepower spindle with a vfd puts everything in perspective.

First let me clarify and say that a single phase rated vfd is rated for single phase input at the output level on the data plate. If you were to compare the size of a single phase vfd to a 3-phase vfd You would notice that the single phase vfd is double in size for the same power output rating.

Also, I'm not aware of any manufacturer that offers a 10 horsepower sngle-phase rated vfd. That's not to say there are not 3-phase input vfds in the 10 horsepower range that will run on single phase input. However, like you previously stated. Those must be de-rated approximately 2/3 to 1/2. The reason behind this is simple. 2 phase input only has two thirds of the available power compared to a three phase input, and the unit it sized as such.

Again none of this applies to the Vfds built by the manufacturer for single phase input. Which are typically 12 full load amp output and under units, and work on nominally rated 5hp and under motors

2/12/20 #11: VFD for 5hp motor ...

rich c.

It took 10 seconds to find a single phase input 10hp VFD.

http://www.gohz.com/10-hp-vfd-single-phase-input-to-three-phase-converter

2/13/20 #12: VFD for 5hp motor ...

Jared

Member

Rich, you might want to double check that... they dont make a 7.5kw (10hp) vfd for single phase input

Its 10hp with 3ph input and likely 5 to 6.6hp at best when run on single phase.

dont believe everything you read on a reseller sales page

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5/25/20 #13: VFD for 5hp motor ...

DannyB

Member

So,

1. As stated you will not find any normally rated-for-single phase input VFD for >5hp.

They do not exist in the wild - among other things, it would require pointlessly splitting the 3 phase product line - derating and turning off phase loss protection instead works fine.

2. As also mentioned, you will need to get a 10hp+ VFD and run it derated.

3. The derating is *not* due to available power at all, but because of the additional load on the VFD itself.

In a standard PWM VFD with 6-pulse diode rectifier, you are using 6 diodes with 3 phase :)
When you use single phase, you are pulling *all* the current through two of the diodes instead of 6.
This in turn, generates higher dc bus voltage ripple/etc.

The VFD has to work a lot harder to maintain the output you are asking for.

5/17/21 #15: VFD for 5hp motor ...

Randy scott

Member

Hey...I had a client who builds control systems for the industrial food industry (furnaces and blast coolers using conveyors). The only trick is that all motors need to be the same and add 10% extra current power compared to the total (because larger motors have a higher inductance that acts as a current limiter), as well as individual overloads. They regularly used >10 motors per drive. Never had a problem. Its supplies come from automation parts, so far these have been good words. I do not know if there is a theoretical limit on the number of motors if the total power consumption is <90% of the drive output power.

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VFD for 5hp motor

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