Bridgeport Voltage 3 phase to single phase

Here is where I had my VFD mounted, just put it in place of the original motor switch.

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I did some other mods and part of that was replace the VFD so this is where I have it mounted now, on the back of the electrical panel. Don't panic, most of those cables have nothing to do with the VFD :)

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And the new VFD controls

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Thanks for the reply. That looks like a nice and compact installation. Very similar to what I was hoping to achieve. As I read more about these installations I seem to come across many references to people changing motors in the process of these conversions. Is it necessary to change motors as well? I already have 3 phase power available (at least after I wire up a sub panel) and I really didn't want to go through the hassle of messing with the motor. Is the issue that the old (cheap?) motors can't readily deal with a wider frequency range?

Sorry for all the questions, but I am trying to figure out what the best way is to wire things up here...
 
If you stay between 30 and 90 HZ you should be fine with almost any motor. I ran my old clone between 30 and 120 Hz with no problems.
 
Here is a pic of my VFD control panel. I loosely designed it, Jim refined it and made it on the mill he showed pics of.

A nice feature of that particular VFD we are both using is that it has a tachometer output. Very handy since the head on my mill was specifically made for a VFD and you have no speed dials or belts to swap for certain speeds.20181220_070821.jpg
 
This is how I did my VFD , mounted in a box I made with a computer fan pushing air out the bottom .
Plexiglass window
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I set up my 1HP J-Head Bridgeport with a
Mitsubishi VFD FR-D720S-025-NA

Works great. I found it on ebay for $125. Made a remote switch & pot box and mounted it to the side of the head.
 
I vote for a nice reliable overhead line shaft, with an economical wood fired boiler and steam engine. You kids and your new-fangled gizmos. Why when I was a boy, yada yada yada. For a single machine a VFD would be the way to go. Mike
 
Rotary phase converters are very popular and reliable, especially if you have more than one machine to power
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I like the fact that many of these have been made to almost appear OEM. Is there a default pulley configuration when you go the VFD route? Do you leave the pulleys in a state where something close to maximum torque is produced at the spindle (i.e. motor gear reduction)?

Sorry for all the dumb questions...

Gary
 
Mine came with a static converter, but I learned those reduce the power you can get from the motor. I thought about setting mine up with a rotary. But the power loss while on standby just annoys me. With the VFD I got, the efficiency is at least 80% no matter what, worst case. Also, at normal speed , you have full motor power. Not that you often would need it. Plus the extra noise I didn't want either. And it does a nice ramp up to speed, and brake to stop. AND I have the variable speeds. I switch the belt for coarse speed selection, then turn the pot on the VFD to get the speed I like.
 
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