A VFD puzzle.

The guys at that other forum are not interested in experimenting, I've noticed. Very practical types
 
I deal with quite a few people that install different VFD's, the HY, Lapond, etc. are the only ones that I have encountered which either have a high initial failure, then seem to go for a number if years and then ultimately fail, and also under perform. It is all relative to the application, frequency of use and expectations. Just do a search of "Huanyang VFD failure" and look/read the reviews and the comments, numbers speak for themselves. You see many Automation Direct, Hitachi, Yaskawa, etc drives that have been operating for decades with constant use and rarely a report of one failing similar to what is described here. I have not experience anyone mentioning of these brands failing because of the traces burning up or terminals/devices undersized, typically it is the capacitors have reached their service life and rarely the inrush circuit or an output device failing. VFD's in the 1-3Hp range for single phase input, then somthing like the Automation Direct 2 or 3 Hp VFD's are a reasonable alternative at $200-250. Anything larger than 3 Hp, then the price difference becomes more significant, and depending on the application/use/budget then it is a different set of choices.

If you are a weekend warrior or just occasionally use your VFD, then the cheap VFD's may be the ticket for you, but almost everyone who buys one will go to the next size up. I did a 3Hp HY VFD install on a lathe a number of years ago, the terminals were so small only the smallest spades would fit, the braking was never satisfactory and the performance was marginal. It died recently and I had the individual replace it with an Automation Direct VFD, it was easy for him to install and program, the performance difference he indicated was night and day. Braking went from 3-4 seconds to 1 second, as well as much better speed regulation.

 
I’m not a weekend warrior, and i get away with crap VFD’s , go figure.

I heard of Ferrari drivers say they would never drive a Corvette
 
Last edited:
The weakest links are the big power supply capacitors and the output devices, and the low cost units try to cut corners everywhere

It's the difference between a 3-5 year lifetime and a 10-15 year one
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top