carla
Stainless
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2002
- Location
- W. Coast, USA
Hello, all,
I think this is the first question I've put in this section, in the several years I've been moderately active on this board.
Over the years, I've done my best to give useful advice on a variety of questions relating to mending-up old junk........er......that is, rebuilding/restoring older American machinery.
Now we come to a question in which I'm the 'newbie', or possibly, 'idiot'.
I'm phobic about the power, after having nearly lost my life when the insulation on a drill motor failed, quite a few years ago, but have managed to learn just enough to be able to wire up motor starters, etc., up to about the 20hp, 230V 3ph range, well enough for correct, safe installation.
I hate to have to admit it, but I've just never really learned a lot of the theory involved in electrical work, and really haven't the motivation to become knowledgeable in the field, except as needed to adequately wire up old machine tools.
To the obvious question of 'why don't I just get someone to do this work?....... well, we have friends who are real EE's, and say they will 'get around' to doing up some wiring work for us.....but..... that 'get around to' seems to involve something resembling the theological concept of 'eternity'.
Oh, well, on to the real question.....
Our little shop here has the machines running on an improvised phase converter which an old electrician faked-up for us, slightly over twenty years ago, and that system is getting to be due for replacement.
He used an old heavy 7-1/2 hp 3ph motor, kept trying capacitors til he found ones which would spin up the motor, and used those, with a 'time delay relay' for the improvised system.
That system has worked adequately well to run common machine tool motors up to 7-1/2hp, on machines where the motor started under no-load, for all these years, but its beginning to intermittently malfunction.
Whilst that arrangement has been adequate, its location and noise level has been a petty nuisance all this time, so I'm thinking of replacing it with a current production 'ready-to-go' system, which I'll mount up in an outside shed alongside the building, so that we'll no longer have to listen to the converter run. It looks as tho I'll have to do this myself, with a strong, but unskilled, helper.
The crux of my question is this.....I'm unable to adequately decipher the advertising from the different makers of rotary converter systems. I noticed that someone had asked a similar question below, here, and the 'thread' got side-tracked' with recommendations for variable-frequency equipment.....so I'm asking, as did this other person.......what is the best quality of rotary phase converter amongst those advertised by the various makers ?
I'd rather pay a bit more for quality, and the 'peace of mind' involved in knowing that the converter, once correctly wired-up, will have a long reliable service life. (that means, once I go through the work of running the bl**dy conduit and running the bl**dy wires, I just don't want to have to have to tinker with it again, for several years time at least)
Now, according to their advertising, the 'American' make might seem a good choice.....but what difference might there be between advertising and reality?
That they offer a Baldor-based rotary sounds good a first hearing......but is Baldor still a best make?
Another maker of rotary converters advertise their unit to be cast iron frame, which is good......but they don't say where their motor components are built....does that infer that they probably use Chinese or other off-shore components?
In short, if I'm willing to pay the price.....within reason......for a best quality unit, which should I choose?.....and, yes, I mean 'name names', from real-world experience.
Yes, I know, I could just put new capacitors in the existing unit, and a new time-delay relay, put new bearings in the motor, and it would likely out-live me......but I just don't want to do that, if I can get a new off-the-shelf best quality, reliable, rotary converter. (that, and I'd promised our existing unit to a friend, once it was replaced)
From the advertised specs, that 'Phase Perfect' unit seems impressive......but I really don't think its cost-effective for our use.....and I really don't want to get into variable-frequency technology.
cheers
Carla
I think this is the first question I've put in this section, in the several years I've been moderately active on this board.
Over the years, I've done my best to give useful advice on a variety of questions relating to mending-up old junk........er......that is, rebuilding/restoring older American machinery.
Now we come to a question in which I'm the 'newbie', or possibly, 'idiot'.
I'm phobic about the power, after having nearly lost my life when the insulation on a drill motor failed, quite a few years ago, but have managed to learn just enough to be able to wire up motor starters, etc., up to about the 20hp, 230V 3ph range, well enough for correct, safe installation.
I hate to have to admit it, but I've just never really learned a lot of the theory involved in electrical work, and really haven't the motivation to become knowledgeable in the field, except as needed to adequately wire up old machine tools.
To the obvious question of 'why don't I just get someone to do this work?....... well, we have friends who are real EE's, and say they will 'get around' to doing up some wiring work for us.....but..... that 'get around to' seems to involve something resembling the theological concept of 'eternity'.
Oh, well, on to the real question.....
Our little shop here has the machines running on an improvised phase converter which an old electrician faked-up for us, slightly over twenty years ago, and that system is getting to be due for replacement.
He used an old heavy 7-1/2 hp 3ph motor, kept trying capacitors til he found ones which would spin up the motor, and used those, with a 'time delay relay' for the improvised system.
That system has worked adequately well to run common machine tool motors up to 7-1/2hp, on machines where the motor started under no-load, for all these years, but its beginning to intermittently malfunction.
Whilst that arrangement has been adequate, its location and noise level has been a petty nuisance all this time, so I'm thinking of replacing it with a current production 'ready-to-go' system, which I'll mount up in an outside shed alongside the building, so that we'll no longer have to listen to the converter run. It looks as tho I'll have to do this myself, with a strong, but unskilled, helper.
The crux of my question is this.....I'm unable to adequately decipher the advertising from the different makers of rotary converter systems. I noticed that someone had asked a similar question below, here, and the 'thread' got side-tracked' with recommendations for variable-frequency equipment.....so I'm asking, as did this other person.......what is the best quality of rotary phase converter amongst those advertised by the various makers ?
I'd rather pay a bit more for quality, and the 'peace of mind' involved in knowing that the converter, once correctly wired-up, will have a long reliable service life. (that means, once I go through the work of running the bl**dy conduit and running the bl**dy wires, I just don't want to have to have to tinker with it again, for several years time at least)
Now, according to their advertising, the 'American' make might seem a good choice.....but what difference might there be between advertising and reality?
That they offer a Baldor-based rotary sounds good a first hearing......but is Baldor still a best make?
Another maker of rotary converters advertise their unit to be cast iron frame, which is good......but they don't say where their motor components are built....does that infer that they probably use Chinese or other off-shore components?
In short, if I'm willing to pay the price.....within reason......for a best quality unit, which should I choose?.....and, yes, I mean 'name names', from real-world experience.
Yes, I know, I could just put new capacitors in the existing unit, and a new time-delay relay, put new bearings in the motor, and it would likely out-live me......but I just don't want to do that, if I can get a new off-the-shelf best quality, reliable, rotary converter. (that, and I'd promised our existing unit to a friend, once it was replaced)
From the advertised specs, that 'Phase Perfect' unit seems impressive......but I really don't think its cost-effective for our use.....and I really don't want to get into variable-frequency technology.
cheers
Carla