HSL motor brake wiring?

I had to take the motor for my HSL apart in order to replace a bearing. And as I'll be running this machine off a VFD, I'd like to disable, if not remove, the brake solenoid and mechanism. (It comes out intact, and can be reinstalled if ever needed.)

What I don't know is the wiring. The two connections to the brake solenoid are thoroughly tied into the windings:



I'd hoped that it was just going to be a case of them tied into the pigtails that connect the windings in the junction box, but this is pretty well built-in.

Now, I'm assuming- and yes, I know what that acronym stands for - that since the solenoid is a winding, basically just a coil of wire, that I can pigtail the ends of the brake connection together and the motor will still work?

I'd like to keep the wires in place and capped, so that if I or some future owner ever decides to put the brake back on, it'll be a simple drop-in job. But obviously I also want the motor to work, too...

Any solid insight? I've got a day or two before the paint's dry, so no rush, but I'll need to know shortly.

Thanks.
Doc.

As I recall, the brake is spring actuated and the solenoid releases it. So, the solenoid is energized whenever the motor is running, explaining your wiring situation. The solenoid probably draws a fraction of an Amp when the motor runs, so no harm to leave it hooked up. There is an external lever on the end of the brake housing that mechanically releases the brake if you want to spin the spindle when the motor is off. As soon as the motor is started, the lever goes back to the disengaged position so that the brake will act the next time the motor is stopped. You could simply devise a lock to act on the release lever to keep the brake in the released position all the time. Then your device can be removed/repositioned if the mechanical brake is wanted again. I have seen different brake motors with different manual releases, but it probably will only require one sheet metal screw, possibly holding a little piece of metal that catches the release lever.

Larry

Well, I admit I'm also operating off an older thread I read, via a Google search, that suggested the brake solenoid doesn't play well with a VFD.

I do not, point in fact, specifically know that's true. Is it? Does anyone know? I'd rather not burn out a VFD finding out... Or even just greatly shorten its lifespan.

It's also entirely possible I can just go ahead and run this thing off my rotary converter- I figured I'd run it off a VFD, simply so I didn't need a 7HP idler running all the time while I was using it.

So I guess the actual questions are:

One, can you run one of these braked motors off a VFD, without undue strain or damage?

And two, if not, how would one go about disabling said brake solenoid so that you can?

And if that's not possible at all, then my options are to run it on the rotary, or replace the motor entirely.

Doc.

From another board:

"If not using the brake, the wires to the brake can just be cut and capped, but most brakes lock down with no power so the brake is usually just removed. [You don't] want to tie the brake wires together because they are in parallel with two of the three phases. Cap them separately."

Click to expand...

-Agree/disagree?

Doc.

DocsMachine said:

From another board:



-Agree/disagree?

Doc.

Click to expand...

Disconnecting power to the brake solenoid will save a tiny bit of electricity, but the brake will then be applied all the time, even when the motor is running. You still need to clamp the brake release lever in the released position or otherwise disable the brake mechanism.

Larry

I'm going to be removing the brake mechanism entirely. The VFD can be set to slow it rapidly if I want, and supposedly- though I'm still looking for confirmation- the VFD doesn't like the extra coil. I'm assuming it... what, unbalances the current draw, maybe?

Doc.