VFD Enclosure Showcase

Evening everyone,

Just a quick teaser of the VFD Enclosure design I’ve been working on. I’ll edit this and post a full write-up when I have some time.

Feel free to ask questions or add criticisms. I’ll try to address them in the write-up.

Thanks for looking!

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First of all, congrats on some fine drawings. Secondly, when you do get to finished, can you share some dimensions? (I have to wait for Ford to build me a truck, but I’m planning my CNC). Third of all, which spindle does that wiring diagram represent? (I’m eager for an 80mm ER20 spindle, though reluctant to go with water cooling) Excellent presentation.

Hey Rob!

The enclosure I got is a Vevor 16x12x8" (400x300x200mm in reality). It’s a little small, but it’ll actually work out fine for what I need. The VFD itself is supposed to have a certain minimum amount of airspace around it (I think 120mm above/below and 50mm on both sides) and this enclosure is just about perfect.

I designed this enclosure to be a complete solution for my spindle (Huanyang 2.2KW 220V 80mm ER20 Water cooled).

For safety, it uses a latching contactor circuit. This prevents the VFD from powering back up after a power outage, and it also disconnects the plug from the VFD so that you won’t get a nasty shock if you touch the prongs after unplugging (if the capacitors are still charged).

It has a line filter to help prevent EMI from affecting the controller or motors. Additionally, all cables will be double-shielded.

For the water cooling, it has a dedicated pump outlet that is triggered by the relay inside the VFD when the spindle is running. That relay also turns on the enclosure fan.

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Excellent plan. I’m following along, adopting as I learn.

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Why not go for the water cooling? I purchased one gallon of antifreeze and a empty clean five gallon bucket, poured in the antifreeze and another two gallons of water, drop in a $15 pump with a 1/4 inch outlet and you are good to go. This makes the motor running so quiet. You have no fan blowing to coil the coils so no noise to deal with.

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Looks great! The only thing I’d add is to put a filter choke on the output of the VFD.

I run an air cooled spindle and the tool cutting and the dust collector far out make noise then my spindle, just sayin.
Pat

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I came upon this thread a short time ago. Did you ever finish the enclosure? If so, did you follow your original wiring plan and overall design? I would like to do something very similar and have it such that the water pump runs when the start button is used, and then it quits at the same time as the stop button is activated.

Hey Bill,

I did finish this enclosure. Disclaimer: I am not an electrician. Refer to this at your own risk.

…but it’s worked great so far for me.

Three changes from the initial plan:

  • 10A Breaker changed to 3A to match the stated limit in the Huanyang manual (different from the rating visible on the physical relay component).
  • Changed from an aquarium pump to a radiator/chiller for a simpler and more effective setup.
  • Changed the enclosure fan to run off 110V in parallel with the chiller rather than constant 220, since the chiller would then be in series with the fan and the chiller would try to power on at all times. Now, the enclosure fan and chiller only run when the spindle is actually spinning (when switched by the relay).

Here are some images:


Simple front panel. On, off, Huanyang Controls.


Wiring turned out near identical to the CAD render. Wire lengths matched almost exactly.


Chiller resides on a shelf behind the VFD box, the switch is left permanently on. Power can then be switched by the Huanyang Relay.


Left to right: 220VAC System Power In, Relay-Activated 110VAC Chiller Out, Digital Control cable, Spindle Cable Out


Updated power diagram.

Cabling is double-shielded. VFD is placed on the opposite side of the machine from the MASSO. No issues with EMI. It works so good I’ve honestly stopped thinking about it.

Let me know if you have any questions. There’s probably a lot of details I’ve missed.

Josh

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Thanks for the quick response and the detailed photos. I have some 12VDC computer fans I will use for cooling the enclosure, and will mount a small DIN rack rower supply for that function. I may even incorporate a thermostat to set an automatic function for the fan activation based on temperature inside the enclosure. I am also planning on a small LED halo light for the spindle, and will also incorporate that into the DC power supply. My spindle cooling system will be basic at this time, using a 110V pond pump. I plan on incorporating a Hall effect flow sensor tied to the Masso. Quick question… what is the digital control cable used for? Thanks for your inspiration. Once I have it all set up I will let you know how I like it.

Bill

The digital control cable lets the Masso automatically start, stop, and control the spindle speed. It also could let the Huanyang VFD communicate error states back to the Masso, but that’s a future project I haven’t worried about just yet. I left an extra lead reserved for it, though.

I went with AC fans to specifically avoid needing an additional power supply, but in your situation DC fans make more sense.

The simplest and probably cheapest route for temperature control would be something like a KSD9700 switch. They have different available trigger temperatures. You might want to look into that. My VFD has a built-in fan that runs all the time, so I only have the enclosure fan run when it’s actually doing real work. I figure there is enough air movement while it sits idle.

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Ah yes, I forgot that there were two cables, one to the spindle and one to the Masso. Thanks for the tip on the KSD0700

Did you ever get your truck? I also ordered a '24, got the pro-access tailgate so it took a few extra months ;(

I did, thanks for noticing. Maverick XL hybrid, because my daily trip to work, 60 miles out 60 miles back, is the big factor. Now, with a pick up truck (already had a trailer) I can move lumber and ply wood!