Variable Speed Spindle Mk2

One of the problems of selling kit is that one tends to sell the last one before making sure that you can restock. A little more annoying when one finds the time to get on with a long term project and need a set oneself. Which is the case with the Variable Speed Spindle kit. I have been using the ABB inverter and TEC motor for some time as a finished kit for others upgrading the Taig mill, but not actually been using one myself, so now I do have the time to play, getting the Taig lathe set up finally seemed a good opportunity to do so. Only to find that neither of the items are now available. The ACS150 has been upgraded to the ACS180, but it's price has also increased, and none of the 1/2Hp motors now come with an 11mm shaft. Motor wise is a little irritating. I can switch to a larger footprint motor with a 14mm shaft but then I have to rework the Taig pulley to fit so while dropping down to the 1/3Hp version is a reduction in power, it's still more than adequate for the job and I can simply fit the pulley adapter that IS still on the shelf.

The inverter is not a problem either and sizes have come down a lot since the ACS150 came out, but one of the nice things about it was that one simply fitted a 13Amp plug and plugged it into a domestic supply ... and iot did not trip the ELCB. A problem that some other units DID exhibit when I was first sourcing stock. The input EMC filters were the problem at that time, but is that the same today was the question. I have used Inverter Drive Supermarket for many years to source these and the motors and as they are only a few miles away I can simply jump in the car and pick up, so I just posed the question, and an option was offered. The WEG CFW100, which is an unfiltered unit but has an optional input filter module which simply clips on. So an on line order later I shot over to the warehouse and picked up a new set of kit. At this point things should have been easy as I was convinced I had a screened lead for the connection to the motor on the shelf. No such luck, but finding out included several hours in A&E! The guy at IDS had offered a suitable lead and in hindsight I should have just taken it as it was only an extra £4.80 and would have saved a lot of grief, but some other positives did come out of the fiasco.

So the new set of kit is a WEG CFW100 0.37kW inverter, CFW100 EMC Filter and a TEC 0.25kW 63 Frame motor. Interestingly the inverter is from Brazil while the filter is down as China along with the motor, while I seem to recall previous motors being Italian. So now the picture gallery showing the assembly steps, and then a refresher on programming a new device.

Image Library is here now just need to document on this page ... and add the various pdf's for the kit.