1964 Monarch 10ee 3 phase Power requirements

I am sure this is posted somewhere but I'm at work and don't have time to do extensive searching. Need to make a quick decision.

Will a 1964 Monarch 10ee run off of a rotary phase converter or does it need true 3-phase as from the utility or a phase-perfect. Don't have a serial number at this point so hopefully the year is enough to make a determination.

I've read the Lathes.uk entry but it is non-specific as to years, just mentions that the "Monarch Electronic DC drive" units need true 3 phase power.

Thanks For your time.

Teryk

Assuming it is a modular machine it will run off single phase 220. But coolant pump requires 3 phase. I believe phase converters aren’t sufficient. But I could be wrong.


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You should only need a phase converter if you want to run the coolant pump. Otherwise, modular machines only use two legs even if fed with three phase. If you want to run the coolant pump, just get a tiny, cheap 115V-240V VFD. If you insist on using a phase converter, the main drive should be fed with the two utility-generated legs that come straight through an RPC or Phaseperfect, so you might as well skip the phase converter anyway.

I can always get my hand slapped, but ALL original Electronic EE drives,WIAD and Modular are single phase except the early MG and maybe for the late regenerative drives which I don't know about. Now the voltages can vary depending on how it was ordered. As stated, the original coolant pump is the only thing that is 3 phase and why would you use flood coolant on a EE , the horror.....

Thanks for the info guys. Nice to know but somebody got to it before me. If they back out I suppose I might end up with 10ee. Here's hoping.

Teryk

Jump!

Teryk - just a note for future reference-

When you're looking for a real lathe, the Monarch 10EE is THE lathe.
With that in mind, remember that it's large castings, precision bearings, delicate parts, with an electric motor and drive electronics in the base.

It doesn't matter WHAT drive system it has, or WHAT it's original power requirements are... there is a way to run EVERY machine tool off single phase power. Some methods may be more glamourous or less involved than others, but it all comes back down to large castings, precision bearings, delicate parts, and something spinning.

My '42 MG system came out several years ago in lieu of a 7.5hp Allis Chalmers 3-phase motor and a used surplus Allen Bradley 1336 VFD... between the two, and a 10K potentiometer, a 240v muffin-fan, and a few other small items, my investment was under $200. Yes, I kept all the old parts, but I'm certain I'll never put 'em back in... I push the ON button, and it's on, flip the lever and it spins, etc., with no fuss.

So the short version: When opportunity knocks, JUMP ON IT. Worry 'bout the 'details' later.

mTeryk said:

Thanks for the info guys. Nice to know but somebody got to it before me. If they back out I suppose I might end up with 10ee. Here's hoping.

Teryk

Click to expand...

Just to sort of "close the loop", then. Early - or even present-day - "3-Phase ONLY" solid state Drives of the sort that followed that last of the "Modular" drives do need "true enough" 3-Phase.

That because they directly switch each half-cycle of each of the phases. There is no conversion first to DC nor storage capacitor bank as a VFD uses.

These do not run well off an RPC. Not a shortage of ergs issue. Variances under load of the "generated leg" makes it hard for rather sensitive monitoring and control electronics to hold stability well. The RPC - dumber than a box of rocks, so hard to describe as being "confused" - is hit with a constantly changing switched loading that it does not handle well as to even "generating" that third phase, either.

Putting a 3-Phase transformer between RPC output and Solid-State drive input adds inductive inertia and is probably a good-enough fix.

They WILL run off a Phase-Perfect just fine.

Even so, if you have the opportunity to acquire a 10EE "Monarch Sidney" DC Drive or a DoD / Contractor "upgrade" to other 3-Phase-only DC Drive?

Fear not. Grab it if you can do.

If no "native" 3-Phase is handy, any of those can also be near-as-dammit drop-in converted to a single-phase-only DC drive, such as the Parker-SSD 514C-16 (nominal 16A and/or 6 HP, max) or 514C-32 (nominal 32A, roughy 12 HP max).

IOW "don't let the big fish get away!"

They are still very tasty and waay more useful than minnows.