LAPOND SVD-PS Series VFD Inverter VFD Drive 1.5KW 220V 2HP 7A,Variable Frequency Drive for Motor Speed Control

This is a really great little VFD. I bought it to drive an early 50's Rockwell Delta Unisaw that had a 2 HP 3phase motor. Removed the mag switch (you don't want a switch between the VFD and the motor) and wired L1->"U", L2->"V", and L3->"W". In my case, I also had to upgrade my original power cord as it was just too small for what this VFD is rated for. Plugged it in and it spun up! (albeit pretty slow).All I can say is read the manual. Then read it again. Then play with it and read it a third time. The manual is awesome for this kind of part and its origin. It's pretty thick and you think that's due to multiple languages, but nope, it's all english. There's that much coverage of functions in there.So all in all, I was very impressed with the price, function, and documentation. As others have said, the fan noise is pretty loud, but it's quieter then the saw it's running. Would totally buy again if I get another 3 phase machine.

I'm using this drive for my 2.2KW spindle on my DIY CNC Router. Instruction book is extremely detailed but written for technicians/engineers. Way over my head. I emailed the seller with my setup (Mach4 with Ethernet Smooth Stepper) and asked if they could help me setup the drive. Next day I received an easy to understand wiring schematic customized to my system to include programming details. I was blown away. I'd give six stars if I could. Side note- if you order the remote control head (which I did), be aware it does not come with the speed adjust knob. You can just remotely program and turn on/off. The remote head connects with a standard Ethernet cable which I have plenty extra so I did not order the offered cable.

Excellent value for the money. I'm using one of these to drive a 3 hp 3 phase air compressor I picked up for my home shop. I deal with a lot of VFD's in my profession. Automation Direct is the cheapest. This is about half the price. I wouldn't specify it for a critical industrial application yet but for home use it seems to work well. The manual is complex but if you're used to these things, it's all there. I'll try to remember to update this post in about six months.(edit after 10 months): Still working, have not had any issues. I have a vertical mill that I have been running on an antique Altivar vfd, which just died, I'm going to order another one of these for the mill. I still wouldn't use one of these for a critical application but for intermittent/home use they are pretty good.

I ordered the 1.5kw VFD for my Boxford metal lathe. I downloaded the Pdf manual "SVD-p-User-Manual.pdf" (if you copy and paste that file name you will find it) which made things much easier, as the paper one that come with the unit is quite small and not the easiest to read (old age probably). I had already pre wired my lathe and motor for the vfd including the Emergency stop buttons and door safety switches. The VFD install went as expected and I had the lathe up and running in about an hour. After running the lathe and adjusting a few settings, which is quite easy using the Pdf manual and the keypad on the device, I built a remote pendant so I didnt' have to touch the VFD during machining. This has worked very well and again it was quite straight forward to adjust the settings to accommodate the pendant. I have done several machining job on the lathe since the install and so far I am very happy with its performance. I will be buying another one for my second lathe in the near future and also one for my bandsaw.The attached pic was taken during the setting up, the VFD is now in its own vented enclosure with a clear front.

I wanted to incorporate a variable speed capability onto my Laguna 14 SUV bandsaw so that it could be used to cut steel, brass, aluminum, and plastics in addition to wood. Originally, the saw was equipped with a single speed 3hp 220V single phase motor providing blade speed suitable for woods only.I retrofitted the saw with a 3hp three phase 2 pole motor and installed the Lapond SVD-PS2.2GB 2.2kw 220V 3hp Variable Frequency Vector Drive that I purchased through Amazon to provide the variable blade speed capability I wanted. I also purchased an external potentiometer and case to provide higher speed setting resolution than the pot installed on the VFD could provide.The total number of VFD parameters required to be modified for this installation is relatively few as the attached image shows. These modifications include those which provide direct display of motor rpm on the VFD. It should be noted that the value in parameter P7.06 needs to be 0.6 for a 2 pole 3ph motor (3600 rpm at 60Hz), and 0.3 for a 4 pole 3ph motor (1800 rpm at 60Hz). I verified motor rpm versus the displayed value using a hand held tachometer on the motor shaft.Research suggested that a typical 3phase motor can be oversped by about 25% which corresponds to 4500 rpm at a frequency of 75Hz. I opted for some margin and so I set maximum frequency to 72Hz which corresponds to 4320 motor rpm.I did not attach an external start/stop capability as the controls on the VFD are easily accessible and the saw is equipped with a brake/kill switch pedal that controls power being supplied to the VFD in the event of an "emergency". Otherwise, the RUN/STOP buttons on the Lapond VFD panel are friendly to use.With some simple calculations, I generated a plot of blade speed vs motor rpm for my bandsaw which is shown in the attached image. Recommended blade speeds for various materials is shown in the last attached image. Setting the motor rpm, and hence the blade speed, is very simple and precise employing the external high resolution potentiometer.As of now, I am very pleased with the Lapond VFD. The cooling fan is on only when the motor is being driven and even then the fan is very quiet and can't be heard above the noise being generated by the motor and saw/blade system. The VFD brings the blade to a complete stop in about 3 seconds from 4320 motor rpm even though parameter P0.17 is set to 2 seconds. I don't know if the inertia of the 14 inch cast iron wheels and 125 inch long by 1 inch wide Laguna Resaw King blade overwhelms the internal braking system of the VFD, but it definitely takes longer than 2 seconds for the blade to come to a complete stop when the motor rpm is set to 4320 rpm.I did not require technical assistance from Lapond and hence cannot comment on their customer service.I do not know the longevity/reliability of the Lapond VFD yet because I haven't used the saw very much since installing this system. If any issues arise I will update this review.Update: February 20, 2019I installed a braking resistor (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GXHMJF8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), purchased through Amazon, which significantly improves braking performance. The bandsaw with its heavy 14 inch cast iron wheels and substantial blade now stop within the time set by Parameter P0-18. Prior to the installation of the braking resistor it would require upwards of six seconds for the system to come to a stop from 3600 motor RPM. Now it will stop within one second from that speed. With repeated stops from 3600 motor RPM the resistor does become quite warm to the touch.I had not specified in my original review the high resolution potentiometer that I had installed. The potentiometer I purchased from Amazon provides 0 to 5K ohm in about 300 degree rotation of the dial. The pot can be found at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074KCK7X9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. The pins on the potentiometer are labeled 1, 2, and 3. I connected Pin 1 of the pot to GND, Pin 2 to AI1, and Pin 3 to +10V lugs of the Lapond VFD. This provides near 0 frequency at pot position 0 and whatever maximum frequency is specified in P0-08, P0-10, and P0-12 at pot position 100.I installed the potentiometer into a case, also purchased from Amazon, that can be found at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BPQHCH7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. It was necessary to drill the case to accommodate the potentiometer. The case is made from plastic. The cover is transparent and the base of the case is a tan color. I used brad point drill bits with the drill press set to a very slow speed (~200 rpm) and backing blocks of wood to prevent cracking.