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  1. #1
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    Default VFD Remote Switch Panel

    I bought a 3ph motor and VFD from Conor motor to run my old South Bend lathe and wanted to control it on its own control panel.

    It has taken nearly 6 weeks to get all the switches in the mail but today I wired it up and programmed it to use the control panel.

    I got some help from a gent in the US who gave me a wiring diagram and programming instructions so I can not take any credit for that but it was reasonably straight forward. Or at least it is now that I know how to do it

    If anyone needs any help with this stuff (specifically Conor motors VFD’s) give me a yell, I am happy to pass on the knowledge I gained.


  2. #2
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    Toowoomba Qld
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    Default

    Looks good

    How are you doing the rpm readout? is that a readout from the VFD or do you have a sensor on the spindle?

  3. #3
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    Looks like one of the eBay tachometers with sensor for the spindle.

    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/12V-Hall...IAAOSwbJJezKxP

  4. #4
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    Yeh it’s just one of those cheap eBay things but it’s surprisingly accurate.

  5. #5
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Looks good

    I know it's not in keeping with an old machine look but like to be able to se the VFD display as well.
    This is the panel for my mill - one VFD display is for the spindle the other is for the lube pump.
    The two knobs at the bottom are the fast and slow controls for teh spindle. Pumps speed can be controlled by the VFD panel pot.
    Spindle has fwd-stop-rv on teh same tingle switch - pump has only a fwd-stop switch.
    Panelfinal.jpg

  6. #6
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    I’m intrigued by the emergency stop. I’m assuming your South Bend has a screw-on chuck. If so, there’s an excellent chance the chuck will unscrew itself if the lathe is brought to a stop abruptly.
    Chris

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    Looks good

    I know it's not in keeping with an old machine look but like to be able to se the VFD display as well.
    This is the panel for my mill - one VFD display is for the spindle the other is for the lube pump.
    The two knobs at the bottom are the fast and slow controls for teh spindle. Pumps speed can be controlled by the VFD panel pot.
    Spindle has fwd-stop-rv on teh same tingle switch - pump has only a fwd-stop switch.
    Panelfinal.jpg

    Thanks Bob. I did mess with the idea of incorporating the VFD display into a panel but mine looks to be quite a bit larger that yours so I just hid it under the bench. One thing I did learn as I was schooling myself on the VFD programming is that there is many different ways to program them.


    Quote Originally Posted by jack620 View Post
    I’m intrigued by the emergency stop. I’m assuming your South Bend has a screw-on chuck. If so, there’s an excellent chance the chuck will unscrew itself if the lathe is brought to a stop abruptly.
    True, I guess with a heavy chuck and enough momentum that could be the case. Even running the lathe in reverse and loading up a work peice has potential to unscrew the chuck. The emergency stop even though a fairly hard stop, it doesn't just go bang into a sudden violent stop like a traditional emergency stop would. There is no mechanical braking, it is still relying on the VFD to stop it and the resistance.
    I have a switch to change the normal stop buttons deceleration time from 1 second to 3 seconds (programmable). I think the only time I would use the faster deceleration time is if I was threading to a shoulder in metric and wasn't able to use the cross slide to back away from the work peice.

    So the short answer is, the emergency stop button is more like a normal stop button that is bigger and easier to push in the event of an emergency., it still takes a few revolutions to pull up at high speed, so your finger will do a couple of laps around the chuck still

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by danshell View Post
    There is no mechanical braking, it is still relying on the VFD to stop it and the resistance.
    I understand that. When my 4 jaw chuck unscrewed itself my VFD was set to 3 seconds deceleration time. The chuck fully screwed itself in the blink of an eye. The only thing that saved me and the lathe bed from damage was that I had a length of 20mm square stock in the chuck. That kept the chuck from falling onto the bed. The noise was awful, but miraculously no damage was done to the spindle bore. I have since set my VFDs deceleration time to 5 seconds.
    Chris

  9. #9
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Quote Originally Posted by jack620 View Post
    I understand that. When my 4 jaw chuck unscrewed itself my VFD was set to 3 seconds deceleration time. The chuck fully screwed itself in the blink of an eye. The only thing that saved me and the lathe bed from damage was that I had a length of 20mm square stock in the chuck. That kept the chuck from falling onto the bed. The noise was awful, but miraculously no damage was done to the spindle bore. I have since set my VFDs deceleration time to 5 seconds.
    Mine is only a small slow speed Hercus but I seem to get away with 3s stop time even with the 4 Jaw. With the 100mm3 jaw I can use 1s but I don't want to forget what it's set on.

  10. #10
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    Mine's a Hercus 260. Part of the issue with mine is I regularly swap between the 3-jaw, 4-jaw and ER40 collet chucks. That means the chucks don't become bound to the spindle as I suspect they are on a lot of lathes. I've even seen my 3 jaw partially loosen itself if stopping from a high RPM. Personally I think the potential for injury or lathe damage from a flying chuck outweighs any potential safety benefit provided by a an emergency stop.
    Chris

  11. #11
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    Ok thanks for the heads up gents, I may need to reconsider my stopping times.

    I wonder if I drilled and tapped a grub screw in the backing plate and a sacrificial piece of brass to push on the spindle would be ok?

  12. #12
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Quote Originally Posted by danshell View Post
    Ok thanks for the heads up gents, I may need to reconsider my stopping times.

    I wonder if I drilled and tapped a grub screw in the backing plate and a sacrificial piece of brass to push on the spindle would be ok?
    I wonder if a copper slug might be better as it would give a bit more?

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    I wonder if a copper slug might be better as it would give a bit more?

    Could be mate, I think either should stop the spindle getting damaged by a metal grub screw.

  14. #14
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Quote Originally Posted by jack620 View Post
    Mine's a Hercus 260.
    A 9" Hercus with plain bearings is nominally limited to 700 rpm, whereas a 260 can do 2000 RPM , or more with VFD.
    3x speed is 9x angular momentum so can see why that's a problem.

    After a thorough oiling have had mine up to 1500rpm with the 4" 3 jaw for short periods but it can still can do a 3s stop without any chuck movement.

    It also depends on how "loose/tight" the HS thread is. Some HS threads are so loose they spin easily all the way in. Despite a thorough clean the last two turns on mine has always been tightish, can still turn it by hand but it will not "spin" into place at this point.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    Despite a thorough clean the last two turns on mine has always been tightish, can still turn it by hand but it will not "spin" into place at this point.
    Mine will easily spin all the way on, so that might be a factor in its willingness to unscrew itself.
    Chris

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