On Wed, 21 Dec 2005 06:11:20 +0000, "William B Noble (don't reply to
this address)" wrote:

this Abene mill finally arrived - a long story. The good news is that
it's wired for 220, so I won't need to worry about a transformer or
other means to convert to 440 - everything seems to be dual voltage.
My plan, unless someone here has a much better idea is to use two
VFDs, one for the spindle motor, one for the ways motor, and to use a
suitably sized capacitor for the coolant pump - a little motor that
doesn't seem worth a VFD of its own. I like the VFD approach because
of the soft start. If anyone has a better suggestion, chime in.... I
don't really want to use a rotary converter because of space
considerations

The only possible problem could be the feed motor. To engage rapid
traverse the feed motor is reversed quickly (as in instantly). The VFD
might not change it quick enough to make the rapids engage (you'll
have to try it to see). I know that my mill is rather difficult to get
the rapids to engage when it's cold with the instant reverse and it
may take several tries before it does engage.


Wayne Cook
Shamrock, TX
http://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm