What is needed to wire up 2.2kw 220v Spindle and VFD?

Spindle/VFD (Aftermarket)
1

Hi everyone, apologies if this has been gone over before - I’ve been searching and reading and can’t seem to find a clear definitive answer - so thought it would be easier to post questions there. Thanks so much for the help - complete newbie here just ordered my Journeyman. I’ve ordered the HUANYANG 2.2kw 220v 80mm spindle and VFD off amazon:

VFD

SPINDLE

So my questions are:

  1. Do I need to order the breakout box off the OneFinity shop to hook this up? (I think yes…)
  2. What cabling/wire do I need from the 220v outlet, to the VFD? (12 guage 220v extension?)
  3. What cabling/wire do I need from the VFD to the spindle?
  4. Is there any other wiring I need, i.e. for the VFD to the Onefinity controller?

Just wrapping my head around this, and want to order the correct stuff the first time - I’ve read some cable needs to be shielded, etc.

Really appreciate the help - have 3 months before my unit arrives, so want to be ready! : )

Best, Peter

2

Hey Peter,

This is a frequently asked question. Unfortunately yet there is no working User’s FAQ in this forum.

Yes, you need one for ModBus/RS-485 communication between CNC Controller and VFD, but if you forgot to order it at Onefinitycnc.com, this an item you can find everywhere. Search for DB-25 breakout adapter at a good electronics supplier.

For this, read the information in your VFD manual and your spindle manual.

Usually you will need 2+PE if your VFD is made for single phase input and for output you will need shielded 3+PE for the three phase spindle. Cables especially made for drag chains are e. g. LAPP ÖLFLEX® CLASSIC FD 810 CY or IGUS chainflex® .

As for choosing the wire’s cross-section area (or diameter aka gauge ), it is dependent on current (i.e., ampères).

In my VFD manual, it says:

Omron_MX2__2-3-6__Determining_Wire_and_Fuse_Sizes_P045_pdf071__cropped_v2
Omron_MX2__2-3-6__Determining_Wire_and_Fuse_Sizes_P045_pdf071__cropped_v2766×845 172 KB

– Source: Omron MX2 User’s Manual

Note that if you use 115 Volts, for the same power (kW/HP) double the amperes than with 230 Volts do flow and therefore you will need wires with the double cross-section area then.

You may also be interested in this, this, this, also this, and see here and here.

The shield of the shielded cable should be clamped to ground (see picture) or grounded with a grounding cable gland.

Omron_EMC_Grounding_Installation
Omron_EMC_Grounding_Installation571×769 76.6 KB

Both earth portions of the shielded cable must be connected to the earth point by cable clamps.

– Source: Omron MX2 User’s Manual

The other day when discussing connection of both ends of shield, Mike @mchoonmaker linked this paper that I can recommend:

PS: Note that the link in the article is broken, the working link is here: Begin with the End in Mind — Proper VFD Cable Termination

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Thanks so much Aiph5u - clearly I’m speaking to the right person! So, I’d love to have everything I need prior to getting the VFD and Spindle (Can’t seem to find any available online manual), so I can be ready. I’ve ordered the breakout box - thanks.

From your chart:

For the 240v wall receptacle (single phase) into the VFD looks like I need 10 gauge, 2 plus ground?

For the VFD to the 220v Spindle (three phase) looks like I need 12 gauge, 3 plus ground?

Sounds like the VFD to Onefinity controller can be just ethernet wire or similar, since they are signal wires, not power cables?

Does it all need to be shielded cable, or just one of the segments above?

4

Hey Peter,

Here is a Huanyang VFD manual at the buildbotics.com site. Usually you would also need to have a spindle manual or datasheet but I know that many cheap chinese no-name spindles have none. But in order to be able to make the right settings for your spindle in your VFD, you need to know at least these spindle data:

  1. Voltage rating (Volts)
  2. Current rating (Ampères)
  3. Number of magnetic poles
  4. Max. Speed (RPM)
  5. Min Speed (RPM)

Usually a spindle datasheet also has the speed/torque and the speed/power diagram, e.g. like shown here and the spindle user’s manual tells you about the run-in procedure, handling and clamping instructions etc.

It’s all written there. The first segment in the table shown above is for single-phase mains electricity VFD models, the second is for three-phase mains (not common in North America) and the third segment is for the 400 V three-phase mains (neither). If your mains wall outlet does neither look like this nor like this then it is unlikely that you have three-phase mains electricity. Usually in North America you have split-phase electric power which means two phases shifted by 180° which give 115 V between one phase and Neutral or 230 V between the two phases. This means single-phase power in any case.

It’s all written there:

The “Power Lines” column applies to inverter input power, output wires to the motor, the earth ground connection, and any other components shown in the “Basic System Description” on page 28.

Omron_MX2__Basic_System_Description__P028_pdf054
Omron_MX2__Basic_System_Description__P028_pdf054624×793 129 KB

– Source: Omron MX2 User’s Manual

So “Power lines” also apply to e.g. the wires to braking resistor.

The “Signal Lines” are all other lines and are recommended to be

18 to 28 AWG / 0.14 to 0.75 mm² shielded wire

Of course for a serial communication twisted pair could be enough, but generally I would use shielded cable for everything.

I would use shielded cable for everything. At least be sure to use shielded power cable for the spindle power cable.

Use shielded cables to avoid electrical interference. Not doing so might
result in unexpected behaviour or the unit.

Use shielded wiring for the motor cable and all analog and digital control
lines.

Allow the effective shield area of these lines to remain as large as possi-
ble; i.e., do not strip away the shield (screen) further away from the cable
end than absolutely necessary.

– Omron MX2 User’s Manual

Only use shielded cables suitable for drag chains with a core cross-section
designed for the rated motor current. The cable shield must be grounded on
both sides.

– Mechatron HFS Series High Frequency Motor Spindle’s Operator’s Handbook

Also it is strongly recommended to use a EMI Filter like shown in the picture above, e.g. I use this one for my 2.2 kW single-phase input VFD.

Usually a VFD is enclosed into a control cabinet because you need a few more things (e.g. Safety Relay wiring, or relays and 24 V DC power supply if you want to make the VFD switch the coolant pump on automatically when spindle is in RUN mode etc.), see here for more information.

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5

Thanks again - I can’t see any label on the spindle, but the VFD should be HY02D223B, output of 11 amps, which would match the general max amp rating of the spindle (2.2kw @ 220v = 10 amps?) Thanks for the lead on the EMI filter, I will check it out. I’m not an engineer or electrician, so I didn’t think this would be so complicated. I can certainly wire it up, but the electrical diagrams don’t mean much to me. When you say “Its all written there” - I’ve looked at the chart and asked to confirm what I think it suggests, in terms of gauge and number of wires - can you confirm that those are correct? 10 gauge from 220v wall to VFD, then 12 gauge from VFD to spindle? I’ll definitely use shielded for everything. I appreciate referencing the Omron manual - but is that just an example of best practice? That is not the VFD or Spindle I’m getting. I’m going to keep things as simple as possible - and just add switches (perhaps with timers) for the various items when I start a cut/carve - timers for the vacuum hold down, cooling pump, dust collection, etc. so I can start a cut while I’m present, but can walk away if needed and the various components will shut down after the cut is complete. Mainly so the vacuum and dust collection don’t overheat. I assume the controller/GCode will turn the spindle on and off?

Really appreciate your tutelage (and your patience) - want to set this up correctly, but don’t want to make it overly complicated. Wiring up relays is not what I had in mind, was just hoping for a reliable On button to power the spindle while the CNC is cutting, LOL…

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6

Hey Peter,

you should be okay for the wire gauges.

VFD Manuals

I linked you to a Huanyang Manual above.

I cannot refer to information in a VFD manual if it is a VFD manual in which the information is missing. I studied VFD manuals from different manufacturers and I found the reason why many people set the parameters in their Huanyang VFD according to settings lists from youtube videos withouth knowing what they mean and become exasperated with advices that contradict other advices. The reason is that the manuals of cheap VFDs do not explain well how such a complicated thing like a VFD works and what you can do with it and what all these settings really mean.

The Omron MX2 or Hitachi WJ200 meet industry standards and have a very good manual in many languages. I recommend downloading and reading it even if you did not buy these VFDs. By reading the Omron MX2 / Hitachi WJ200 manual you can understand what you can do with the different settings in a VFD, which can really help you to guess what different settings in your chinese manual could mean.

But judge yourself, I suggest to compare the manuals:

Huanyang VFD manual vs. Omron MX2 User’s Manual

I already wrote something more detailed on the topic in my comment here.

Wiring a complete VFD installation

Usually the CNC Controller turns on spindle (M3/M4/M5) and the workpiece coolant (M7/M8/M9) and sets spindle speed (S) or initiates tool changes (M6) etc., but the spindle coolant pump is always controlled by the VFD (because the VFD controls the spindle and knows in which state and speed the spindle is, which the CNC Controller does not know). And switching on dust collection the same way is an obvious option. No spindle running, no dust, so can be switched off at the end of program automatically. By the way, there are settings that are timers inside VFD. Usually you can let the spindle coolant pump on for an amount of time longer after spindle was stopped.

I am writing material for a spindle/VFD FAQ.

Sometimes avoiding to set up a good installation makes the use of the machine more complicated than wiring the necessary things can be.

You do not turn the spindle on with a button while the CNC is running. The spindle is controlled by the CNC Controller. Either you have a g-code program running that controls spindle or you enter the G-code commands in the MDI field.

Further Reading

  • You may also be interested in this
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7

Thanks again, I would agree your Omron manual us much more user friendly! I think we are both finding out just how valuable your spindle/VFD FAQ will be - very grateful you are working on that for less technically inclined folks like me. Let me do some more reading and research before taking up any more of your time - then I might have more productive and targeted questions down the line. Aiph5u - thanks again for dealing with my learning curve here - I’m more the designer/artist type, so getting over the technical hurdles is possible, but will be a little more painful from where I sit, LOL. You and this forum are an invaluable resource. Cheers! Best, Peter

2 Likes
8

PS - if you do need any help with photo or video components of your FAQ, as I set up my system, I would be happy to document it or edit something together for you (I do video editing, among other things) if that would be helpful. Least I can do in exchange for the knowledge.

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9

I’m now almost where Peter was in Feb. (I’ve read Aiph5u’s replies, which help a lot). But I still don’t feel confidant about the connections to make, so I’m also interested in that FAQ plan!

I have the Mechatron HFS ER20 (2.2 kw) and Hitachi VFD. Mechatron supplied “Olflex” cable, which seems intended to run from VFD (the already-cut end) to the spindle (connector attached). I suppose that cable is shielded. But the article by Wetzel (of Southwire) says to “shield both ends”. Mechatron sent one (Schaffer Co) “Line Filter” (is that a shield?) but where does it connect?

They also sent the Braking Resistor. Hitachi’s manual describes connecting that to the leads labeled “+” and “PB”. There is apparently no other connection to make there, it’s a parallel device, not series.

There’s a tech supply store near me, and I’ll ask about a DB-25 Breakout Adapter. But how is that connected? What is the event sequence? Here’s my first guess:

  1. User tells the Onefinity controller to execute the file that he sent from V-Carve as a G-code.
    2a. The Breakout Adapter tells the VFD to power up the spindle and adjust speeds as it continues to instruct.
    2b. The Breakout Adapter tells the Coolant Pump to run.
    2c. The Breakout Adapter tells a shop vacuum to run.
  2. On completion of the G-code file, the Breakout Adapter tells everybody to stop.

Where does an emergency stop enter the sequence?

David

10

Hey David,

congratulations, a good choice. Especially purchasing the spindle cable ready-to-use from spindle manufacturer facilitates everything.

So does your VFD manual, ground the shield at both ends. The good thing about you buying a Hitachi WJ200 VFD (which is practically identical to the Omron MX2 VFD), is that you have an excellent manual that has everything in it that you are asking at the moment. That’s a big difference from the cheap VFDs many people buy here.

So if you scroll upwards inside this thread, up to this post, you have the answer on how you ground at both ends. I posted an image there (the second image in that post), which is an excerpt from the manual of the Omron MX2 which also applies to the Hitachi WJ200.

And it also anwers your next question:

No, it’s not a shield, it is an EMI filter. This filter is a “footprint” filter which means, its housing has the same footprint as the VFD itself, so that you can attach the VFD on top of it. Thereby they share an excellent ground connection. How it is attached and wired is shown in the same post above (image 2).

Finally you attach both, the VFD which is attached to the EMI filter, to the mounting plate of your control cabinet.

The thread here contains some relevant citations from the VFD manual. I show them from the Omron MX2 manual, but the Hitachi WJ200 manual is practically identical. So everything that I reported from the Omron MX2 in this forum also applies to the Hitachi WJ200.

This is done by uploading a g-code file (that you have put on a USB thumb drive) via the Onefinity CNC Controller web interface and hitting or clicking the “Run” button in the Auto Tab of the Tabbed section. Unfortunately there is still no hardware button or I/O pin to tell the Onefinity Controller “Run program” or “Pause program”.

2a: Yes, over ModBus serial interface (pins 13 and 14) the Onefinity CNC Controller controls the VFD and starts and stops the spindle and sets its speed.

2b and 2c: This is only done by the CNC Controller via the I/O port if you have a router. If you have a spindle, this is done by the VFD, which has output terminals specifically for this. See your VFD manual.

2d: See 2a.

The 25-pin I/O port of Onefinity and Buildbotics Controller is described here.

Since your VFD manual is excellent and contains everything to lead you to the first test run of your spindle, I suggest that you take it as your weekend lecture. And don’t forget to read the spindle manual too!

This is a topic of its own :slight_smile:

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PS: Even if the content of the Hitachi WJ200 and the Omron MX2 manuals are practically identical, here you can see that the images have a slightly different style, with this WJ200 image which is colored you can better see how the wiring has to be done:

The shield of the shielded cable should be clamped to ground (see picture) or grounded with a grounding cable gland.

Hitachi_WJ200_Manual__D-5__Installation
Hitachi_WJ200_Manual__D-5__Installation713×978 122 KB

Both earth portions of the shielded cable must be connected to the earth point by cable clamps.

– Source: WJ200 Series Inverter Instruction Manual

PS2: Note that the shield cable clamp on the spindle’s end of the cable is already there inside the Phoenix M17 connector of your spindle cable. Here you can see how the cable shield is laid, cut and clamped inside the Phoenix M17 connector to be connected to the metal housing (and that you can be glad that the spindle manufacturer has already done this :slight_smile: ):

Phoenix_M17_Connector_Assembling
Phoenix_M17_Connector_Assembling1491×1045 213 KB

– Source: M17 Cable connector - ST-3ES1N8A8005
1624537 → Downloads → package slip

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Excellent. Who makes a suitable metal plate? Is it simply a sheet of steel from a home center?

The majority of the VFD manual concerns configuration codes and settings, but the last part describes the connections for power to VFD and for VFD to spindle. I understand the relation of EMC filter to VFD, and the manual describes a small circuit to the Brake Resistor (and back again).

The manual also refers to optional pieces that (perhaps) I don’t need? These include:

  • Input Reactor
  • DC Reactor
  • Output filter
  • Output Reactor

They also refer to a Converter for RS485 - RS232. Is that already part of the Onefinity controller?
The VFD doesn’t say much about the link to a controller.

13

Hey David,

The mounting plate is part of a usual control cabinet, as shown and explained here.

I don’t think so. The WJ200 Series Inverter Instruction Manual describes

  • the required stranded wire sizes under 2-16 “Determining Wire and Fuse Sizes” on PDF page 61
  • the ring connectors to be crimped on the wires ends are described on page III / PDF page 4 (see also Assembling cables for VFD and spindle)
  • the screw sizes to be used on the terminals with their required torque on page XIV / PDF page 15.
  • How to wire power to the VFD is described on 2-18 / PDF page 63
  • How to wire the VFD to the spindle is described on 2-22 / PDF page 67
  • Power up test with the mandatory spindle/VFD settings including how to navigate inside the settings with the Keypad from pages 2-23 to 2-36 / PDF pages 68 to 81

Furthermore you find the

  • Example Wiring diagram and description of all Control Logic Signal Terminals from under 4-5 from PDF page 208 on,
  • Using Intelligent Input Terminals under 4-12 from PDF page 215 on
  • Using Intelligent Output Terminals under 4-15 from PDF page 254 on

Of course some basic knowledge of an electrician is required, as explained before, e.g. how to strip a wire or how to crimp a wire end. It is a manual, not a howto for DIY. If you do this for the first time, you could try to search the web for acquiring basic knowledge.

Their purpose is described on page 2-4 / PDF page 49 (or in this other posting above).

Did you get the WJ200 VFD from Mechatron too? If so, then I assume they already made the mandatory settings to match the spindle.

Does the spindle cable from Mechatron already have the ring connectors crimped to it, at the end towards VFD? (I make my spindle cables myself, so I don’t know if they do this)

14

Thanks, I’ll look over that manual too.
Mine isn’t a WJ200 series. It’s an 0130 SFE. There are several dozen pages regarding configuration of the machine, and a tenth as much on very specific wiring instructions.

15

Hey David,

ah okay, you took a Hitachi S1 (standard series). In the Hitachi S1 Series Basic Guide you find nearly the same information as mentioned above, but arranged differently. You find e.g. Standard wiring of main circuit under 4.3, Standard wiring of control circuit under 4.4, and Recommended cable sizes under 12.4.1 and 12.4.2 and Optional peripheral accessories under 12.

Until now I did not know anyone with this VFD, and I think you’re the first in this forum. What did you pay for it?

16

4.3 is clear.
4.4 isn’t clear, but maybe that’s where the Onefinity Controller documents come in? If those instructions refer to labels that are similar to 4.4, then it all will make sense.

“Basic” operation instructions (Chap 5, p. 38-91) are programming steps. It appears that the VFD has to be given instructions on the spindle’s parameters (power, speed, V, A. At the beginning, the speed control has to be set to either SVC or V/F. SVC is used “unless mediocre” performance is required. I assume SVC is preferred, and that requires “Motor Parameter Autotuning”. There are choices to make (Rotary or two kinds of Static Autotuning). That’s just at the start…as I continue, I imagine I’ll have many more options to select, about which I’m ignorant.

17

Hey David,

I took a closer look at the manual for your Hitachi S1. The options you can find in a VFD with SVC are all somehow comparable to those of other manufacturers, and with a little familiarization you can certainly set everything as desired, but the options of the Hitachi S1 are completely different in the numbering from those of the Hitachi WJ200 / Omron MX2. So I was wondering if the Hitachi S1 is supported by the Onefinity CNC controller. A look at the source code says, no. But the Buildbotics controller, from which the Onefinity controller was forked a longer time ago, has evolved quite a bit and includes support for other VFDs that the Onefinity controller unfortunately does not yet support. And there I found the parameters and the ModBus commands that match your VFD. But surprisingly I didn’t find them under ‘Hitachi S1’, but these settings are for the VFD ‘Galt G200’. It seems that its options and its ModBus addresses and instructions are identical to those of your Hitachi S1. See here, the manufacturer’s page for the Galt G200 here, and here is the Galt G200 Series Manual (PDF). If you compare it to your Hitachi S1 Series Basic Guide (PDF), well then it seems that they are practically identical, similarly to how Hitachi WJ200 and Omron MX2 are identical.

You will of course ask, can support for this VFD be backported from Buildbotics firmware to Onefinity firmware? Sure, that should not be too difficult. I often make diffs of the two codebases to see how much work it would be to backport something, and this, compared to what effort it would make to backport other new features, would be rather simple. Question is if Onefinity wants to do that themselves. The other day someone asked for support for Fuling VFD, which is the same situation: The support is there upstream in the recent Buildbotics version, but not yet in the Onefinity firmware. I had a look at the codebase and yes, there is yet no code for the “freq-scaled-set” parameter in the Onefinity codebase, but it is present in the recent Buildbotics codebase.

What you can do easily and at once on your Onefinity Controller is create a custom ModBus VFD in the Tool Configuration Tab. For this we simply look a the code from the buildbotics codebase and take the settings from there:

In buildbotics-firmware/v1.0.4/bbctrl-firmware-master/src/avr/src/vfd_spindle.c we find this:

const vfd_reg_t galt_g200_regs[] PROGMEM = {
  {REG_MAX_FREQ_READ,    0x0003, 0}, // Read max operating frequency in 0.01Hz
  {REG_FREQ_SET,         0x2001, 0}, // Set frequency in 0.01Hz
  {REG_FREQ_READ,        0x3000, 0}, // Read frequency with 0.01Hz
  {REG_FWD_WRITE,        0x2000, 1}, // Run forward
  {REG_REV_WRITE,        0x2000, 2}, // Run reverse
  {REG_STOP_WRITE,       0x2000, 5}, // Stop
  {REG_STATUS_READ,      0x2100, 0}, // Read status
  {REG_DISCONNECT_WRITE, 0x2000, 5}, // Stop on disconnect
  {REG_DISABLED},
};

which translates to the following settings:

CommandAddressValueComment
max-freq-read 3 0 Read max operating frequency in 0.01Hz
freq-set 8193 0 Set frequency in 0.01Hz
freq-read 12288 0 Read frequency with 0.01Hz
fwd-write 8192 1 Run forward
rev-write 8192 2 Run reverse
stop-write 8192 5 Stop
status-read 8448 0 Read status
disconnect-write 8192 5 Stop on disconnect
disable

and then we take this from buildbotics-firmware/v1.0.4/bbctrl-firmware-master/src/pug/templates/settings-tool.pug :

      .notes(v-if="tool_type.startsWith('GALT G200')")
        h2 Notes
        p Set the following using the VFD's front panel.
        table.modbus-regs.fixed-regs
          tr
            th Address
            th Value
            th Meaning
            th Description
          tr
            td.reg-addr P00.01
            td.reg-value 2
            td MODBUS control
            td Run command channel
          tr
            td.reg-addr P00.06
            td.reg-value 8
            td Frequency set by MODBUS
            td Frequency command selection
          tr
            td.reg-addr P14.00
            td.reg-value 1
            td Drive ID
            td Must match #[tt bus-id] above
          tr
            td.reg-addr P14.01
            td.reg-value 3
            td 9600 BAUD rate
            td Must match #[tt baud] above
          tr
            td.reg-addr P14.02
            td.reg-value 3
            td No parity, 8 data bits, 2 stop bits, RTU mode
            td Communication mode
        p
          | Other settings according to the
          |
          a(href="https://buildbotics.com/upload/vfd/galt_g200-vfd.pdf",
            target="_blank") Galt G200 VFD manual

which translates to these additional comments:

Notes

Set the following using the VFD's front panel.

Address Value Meaning Description
P00.01 2 MODBUS control Run command channel
P00.06 8 Frequency set by MODBUS Frequency command selection
P14.00 1 Drive ID Must match #[tt bus-id] above
P14.01 3 9600 BAUD rate Must match #[tt baud] above
P14.02 3 No parity, 8 data bits, 2 stop bits, RTU mode Communication mode

Other settings according to the Galt G200 VFD manual

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18

Hey David,

On the wiring diagram of the control circuit, you see what you can attach to your VFD as input to be controlled or signaled by something, or to act as an output for controlling or signaling something. Also you find the two pins 485+ and 485- there, to which you attach pins 13 and 14 of the Onefinity’s 25-pin I/O port, this is the ModBus serial connection that allows the Onefinity Controller to talk with your VFD.

With the usual functionality that a VFD offers, you can do different things, one important thing that you already mentioned would be to e.g. switch your spindle coolant pump and dust collector on as soon as the spindle runs. This is done by attaching a relay to an open collector or optical coupler output of the VFD, which would be terminals Y1 and COM here, for this you need a small 24 V power supply like the Meanwell MDR or similar which attaches to a DIN rail that you usually have in your control cabinet. You may wonder if you can also use the Relay Outputs RO1A–RO1C for this, but you must consider the specifications of these outputs. These are often internal solid state relays which (unlike mechanical relays) require a relatively high current of at least 50–100 mA to be present by the load, otherwise they do not hold their state safely, on the other hand with 3 A these RO1A-C outputs are not rated high enough to switch your dust collector directly, so you would need an external relay anyway. For the spindle coolant pump and the dust collector, I use Omron G4A relays, but these are for being soldered into a pcb, you will better find some medium-current (30 A) 24 V relay for DIN rail which require no soldering. You could also use a consumer relay like this which also requires no soldering either. However since the open collector / optical coupler output of the VFD by principle does not provide any power, you need the small 24 V power supply anyway to drive relays, even if this consumer relay only needs less than 5 mA to be switched.

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I called the fellow who runs Buildbotics. He didn’t say that he was upset with Onefinity, but I got that sense. He used open-source information from Linux to develop a controller, and that became Onefinity’s controller. He still sells Buildbotics controllers, and has no incentive to help make the Onefinity controller succeed.

His devices have some small innovations that were added after the ancestry of these machines divided. It would cost about $600 to buy a Buildbotics controller and the touch-screen. That would also buy support for the electronics (which still puzzle me). To recap my situation: Mechatron sold me their spindle and a Hitachi S1-series VFD. Mechatron says they already input their spindle’s parameters in the new VFD, but (of course) nothing related to the Onefinity controller has been input.

You pointed out that Onefinity doesn’t support any VFD that matches my Hitachi series, leaving two options: 1. Buy a Buildbotics controller or 2. Change the “firmware” in the Onefinity controller to match the settings to those of a Galt 200 VFD. Option 2 scares me, but Option 1 costs money that I could have saved through better research (embarrassment as well as cost).

My one other asset might be the relative of a relative (“Todd”) who is a “Controls Technician”. When I described a bit of what I’m trying to do, he said, “I never worked with the machines you described, but it sounds like exactly what I do for a living”. (A tip if others on the forum want a work title for people who actually understand this stuff, hoping to buy their services).

So I think I’ll ask Todd to use my Hitachi manual and your post (here) to decide whether the solution is clear. If it isn’t, I’ll buy a Buildbotics controller and the user-support it comes with.

20

Hey David,

as I tried to explain above, to support your Hitachi S1 VFD on your Onefinity Controller, you just need to create a custom ModBus VFD in the Tool Configuration Tab. You insert these settings:

CommandAddressValueComment
max-freq-read 3 0 Read max operating frequency in 0.01Hz
freq-set 8193 0 Set frequency in 0.01Hz
freq-read 12288 0 Read frequency with 0.01Hz
fwd-write 8192 1 Run forward
rev-write 8192 2 Run reverse
stop-write 8192 5 Stop
status-read 8448 0 Read status
disconnect-write 8192 5 Stop on disconnect
disable

and then you check that in your VFD, the settings match the following:

Notes

Set the following using the VFD's front panel.

Address Value Meaning Description
P00.01 2 MODBUS control Run command channel
P00.06 8 Frequency set by MODBUS Frequency command selection
P14.00 1 Drive ID Must match #[tt bus-id] above
P14.01 3 9600 BAUD rate Must match #[tt baud] above
P14.02 3 No parity, 8 data bits, 2 stop bits, RTU mode Communication mode

Other settings according to the Galt G200 VFD manual

and you should be done. After having wired the pin “485+” on your VFD to pin 13 on the Onefinity 25-pin I/O port and pin “485-” to pin 14 using a twisted pair cable, you should get an “OK” on the “ModBus status” field.

Explanation: Every VFD that supports ModBus communication protocol should have a chapter in its technical documentation that describes the addresses and data that it uses to receive commands from the CNC controller over the serial line or to report its condition or errors back in the other direction. In your VFD manual, you find them under “Chapter 9 Communication protocol”. Every VFD should have such a description. Unfortunately, they are not standardized. But with this documentation, you can tell the Onefinity Controller which code is used for let the spindle run, let it stop, set the speed, report the speed, etc., by entering the values found in the VFD documentation. The values in the table I gave you above are the values your VFD uses, they were just translated from hexadecimal to decimal. If you enter them the way it is described under Custom ModBus VFD, your Onefinity Controller will be able to communicate with your VFD.

This is the advantage when buying the VFD from the spindle manufacturer.

This is not necessary since it is the other way around: You don’t tell the VFD about the Onefinity, but you tell the Onefinity about the VFD. You have to tell the Onefinity Controller the ModBus addresses that the VFD uses, and this is what I provided you with the values in the table above.

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