I have had an Hitachi SJ100 on my 13x36 lathe for about 3 years. It works
very well. The sensorless vector feature means that you will almost never
have to change the mechanical drive ratio between your motor and spindle.
It has a host of features that you will never use in a manual machine
application as it is really aimed at industrial/remote control applications.
That is the main reason it is expensive.

Automation Direct sells the Hitachi line and they also sell their house
brand called the GS series. I have had a GS2 on my Bridgeport for 2 years
and it works very well also. The GS line is not sensorless vector, has
fewer features and a less robust enclosure than the Hitachi and sells for
less.

You can see full specs and the instruction manuals for both drive lines at
www.automationdirect . They are easy to deal with and have very good tech
support. I have no connection with them other than being a satisfied
customer.

Randy




"T.Inoue" wrote in message
om...
Ok, I've read hundreds of messages on VFD drives and am trying to
decide upon a unit. I'm a bit confused about the relative merits of
the different models being advertised and was hoping somebody 'in the
know' could help.

what's the diff? Why the big price differentials? I don't see whether
some are vector drives or not. the information is pretty spartan.

All are 3HP, 220V 3-phase output
TECO FM100-203-N1, $295
TECO FM50-203-N4, $407
TECO FM50-203-C, $245
Hitachi L100-022NFU, $300
LG PS-C21030, $309
Hitachi SJ100-022NFU, $385 (sensorless vector control)

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I'm looking at driving a Mill and a
Lathe off of it, not at the same time. Very different load types,
minimal heavy work will be done.