# vfd for 50 hp motor - what brand?



## Landmark (Mar 7, 2010)

Have to make a quote on a 50hp motor with vfd. Are there any vfds that I should stay away from? Is Leeson a good one?
Thanks!


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## BWilson (Oct 13, 2008)

whatever you go with make sure you can get parts for it and you have a good tech support for it in case something happens when you put it in and it doesnt run, you have someone to call, i would probably pick an allen bradley may be more money but a pretty good product.


bart


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## MattMc (May 30, 2011)

I have heard good things about Allen bradley VFD's. So far I haven't installed or worked with one. We have done work on Danfoss VFD's they seem alright.


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## lefleuron (May 22, 2010)

Everyones "favorite" is going to be the one they work with most, because they know the brand the best.


DONT pick the cheapest, thats always a bad idea. And dont pick some odd-ball type nobody has ever heard of.

And dont buy more then you need, keep it as simple as possible for the application.


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## jmsmith (Sep 10, 2011)

You've gotten some great advice here! I have worked with several brands.... All have their good and bad points (am talking the top dogs, of course!). My best luck has been Allen-Bradley. On all but a couple occasions, their tech support has been terrific when it came to oddball applications such as railway bridges and lift bridges. I have also used them for custom pumping and paper mills.


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## JRaef (Mar 23, 2009)

Lesson doesn't make their VFDs, they brand label them from AC Tech, which is known for low prices but not necessarily for quality or service. I'm not saying they are bad, but their niche in the market is low cost, not best value. 

Most drives on the market are going to be pretty good or very cheap, the only way to survive in a tough market, but the two rarely go hand in hand. The advice I always give is to go with a brand that is well supported NEAR YOU. 800 number tech support is cheap, but sometimes an issue takes eyes. if your Leeson dealer has a good drives specialist on board, that may make it a good choice for you. But remember, if a drives specialist is good, he likely would be working someplace where he can make good money selling and supporting a major brand. Good drives guys are hard to come by.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

Some manufactures will give you special pricing if you buy both the motor and drive from them. Some will throw in the needed line reactor for half price or for free. I know as previous Baldor distributor and service center the line reactor was free on a motor and drive purchase. 

I like ABB, TECO, Yaskawa and Weg for drives. I like Baldor, Weg and TECO for motors. Personal preference. If Baldor still had the "H" series controls, and you had a stand alone application, that would be my choice for ease of installation and programming. I have been away from this for a bit now, and really have no business giving any advice on brand.
Good Luck.


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## Landmark (Mar 7, 2010)

Thanks everyone!

So far I've gotten price quotes on vfds from $3500 to $4500 and motors $2000 to $4000.


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## oliquir (Jan 13, 2011)

it really depends on application some application needs very good vfd and other will run perfectly with a no name vfd


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## SparkyinMontan (Sep 16, 2011)

Sorry, I only do Oilfield work, mainly submersible drives, and so work with Schlumberger and Baker Hughes (Centrilift) when it comes to drives. Nothing that small.

Aaron


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## Motorwinder (Dec 30, 2010)

We sell GE.

http://www.geindustrial.com/cwc/Dispatcher?REQUEST=PRODUCTS&famid=13


http://www.geindustrial.com/cwc/Dispatcher?REQUEST=PRODUCTS&pnlid=8&famid=23&catid=6067&id=XDDU841

You won't find better. You'll definitely find cheaper.

PM me if you'd like a quote.


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## Mr.C (Dec 20, 2009)

Try US Drives. These are the x reliance employees out of niagra new York. The support is excellent and the drives are solid with the 1 deep menu.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

Motorwinder said:


> We sell GE.
> 
> http://www.geindustrial.com/cwc/Dispatcher?REQUEST=PRODUCTS&famid=13
> 
> ...


Who says? :laughing: Thankfully I represented several manufacturers. I never had to make a statement like that before.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

Mr.C said:


> the drives are solid with the 1 deep menu.


That would be the first indication to run like hell. :laughing:


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## Mr.C (Dec 20, 2009)

I'm not saying there's a lack of parameter capabilities, I'm saying they made the programming very intuitive. Allot of manufactures complicate the set up process with very deep menus that are hard to navigate to. I found US Drives to be very easy to set up. Case in point the old tosverts and force drives were not the most friendly drives to set up.


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## micromind (Aug 11, 2007)

Motorwinder said:


> We sell GE.
> 
> http://www.geindustrial.com/cwc/Dispatcher?REQUEST=PRODUCTS&famid=13
> 
> ...


As much as I dislike GE electrical equipment in general, their drives (the Fuji ones anyway) are top-notch. 

Fairly easy to program (a LOT of parameters though), and out of about 50 I've installed, I've seen only one failure so far. It was an input card on a 60HP model, I called tech support, they sent me a new one, it took about 2 minutes to install, and it's worked even since. Must have been a batch of bad cards though, when I described the symptoms they were quick to blame the input card. 

Allen Bradley is another one I've had good luck with, same with Danfoss. In fact, next week I get to start up 3 A/B drives. 4160 volt, 1250HP. 

I've had terrible luck with Square D (Alitvar or something like that), a 200HP one didn't work at all, the factory rep knew way less than I did about drives, and they finally replaced it. From the way it acted, I'm pretty sure one of the CTs on the load side was bad. Or just not connected. But the factory rep wasn't comfortable going that deep into the drive. 

I once saw the results of a 5HP Dayton drive (I don't know who manufactured it) that blew up when it was first energized. Can't blame the drive though, it was installed without a line reactor, about 5' from a 3,000 amp board.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

Mr.C said:


> I'm not saying there's a lack of parameter capabilities, I'm saying they made the programming very intuitive. Allot of manufactures complicate the set up process with very deep menus that are hard to navigate to. I found US Drives to be very easy to set up. Case in point the old tosverts and force drives were not the most friendly drives to set up.


My point was a 1" thick book for just programming was way *to much*. Programming.


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## Mr.C (Dec 20, 2009)

I got you, no not a 1" thick manual.


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## Motorwinder (Dec 30, 2010)

John Valdes said:


> Who says? :laughing: Thankfully I represented several manufacturers. I never had to make a statement like that before.


The GE rep said.:laughing: My drive experience is limited, but have had good luck with GE.

I was thinking more the motors anyways. Those XSD motors are the best. IMO.


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## Matt (Feb 3, 2008)

I have installed roughly 50 eaton drives with JCI software. The install wizard make setup easy and every variable is easy to find. 
Only problem I have seen is the DC power supply is real sensitive and if it dies the whole drive is dead till you get a new one. 

Same one they make for honeywell too.


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## Netree (Sep 3, 2011)

Baldor or Allen-Bradley is good choice; I work with many brands. Lenze/AC-Tech is no good. I agree the rare brands can be ok or not. 

Have you any experience with Bardac?


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## Licensedelectrician (Feb 26, 2011)

What kind of network is going to be controlling the vfd ( profibus , Ethernet , device net ) ? Plc / pc controlled or hardwired ?Some brands are better for different networks than others.


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## cccp sparky (Nov 5, 2011)

Danfoss.


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## Mr.VFD (Dec 17, 2011)

YASKAWA............I own 5, soon to be 6 and they are considered the cream of the crop..... 



B,


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## lukejenson (Sep 14, 2009)

I'm surprised that nobody recommended ABB. My impression was that ABB makes better drives than most major manufacturers, even better than Yaskawa.

ACS550-U1-143A-2 is a wall mounted 50HP drive that I have in use. I can certainly recommend that. I'm not sure about pricing though.


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## Hpeou (Jan 21, 2012)

*Vfd*

There are many VFD's brands in the market. Better go with low Harmonics
Best


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## Runion Energy (Aug 17, 2011)

Baldor bottoms down the best on the market, easy to program all the bells and whistles.:thumbsup:


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

Runion Energy said:


> Baldor bottoms down the best on the market, easy to program all the bells and whistles.:thumbsup:


Which series? I liked the "18H". But it was a closed loop system. Today many drives are "sensor less vector" out of the box.
The "15H" was the standard inverter and the "18H" was the torque control, with encoder feedback. Full torque at zero speed. They also built a Regen control. I too was impressed with the very easy programming in real English. No codes. Only words displayed.
I used to troubleshoot these drives on the phone. And Baldor is very easy to work with. The Atlanta office specifically.


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## Runion Energy (Aug 17, 2011)

You could use either one of these should work Series H2 AC, VS1SP Baldor brands I use them at various plants.


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## Netree (Sep 3, 2011)

I just today install a VS1SP for 75 hp. Control wiring is tomorrow, I will post pictures.


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## lukejenson (Sep 14, 2009)

Baldor is ABB now. ABB bought them last year.


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## Netree (Sep 3, 2011)

:thumbsup:


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## lukejenson (Sep 14, 2009)

http://www.ctiautomation.net/AC-Tech-Enclosed-Micro-Drives.htm


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