Lathe VFD 2: How to Program a VFD for a lathe (Teco-Westinghouse L510) 

You have no idea how much time and frustration this video has saved me. I bought a Chinese VFD to use on my lathe (like yours) with instructions that were apparently written as part of a psy op, or as a mean joke. Why the companies that make and sell these things cannot hire a person able to fluently translate instructions and manuals from language of origin to language of consumer befuddles me. All my complaints aside, thankfully there are people such as yourself able to "translate" what to many is gibberish into usable information...and are willing to share it. THANK YOU!!!

Hey man just gonna put this out there I am an employee who graduated with a diploma as an electrician where the institute I learned from gave me basic knowledge about electricity the type of parallel and series only stuff After that i got hired in a company where everybody is selfish about what he knows and the things that serve his needs only now im in with them for the third year and found this video who helps me alot thanks to you im gonna be thankful to you for all my career working as an electrician i will highly recommend to anyone who struggles in understanding the principles of VFD and motor connections and programming Sincerely a struggler from saudi arabia😂👍🏼

Beware of pwm frequency : the higher the pwm freq, the more "iron losses" there is in the motor. More Iron loss = more heat produced in the motor and less useful power. On the contrary, lower pwm freq = more audible noise and less iron loss. That is the reason why it is shipped with minimal pwm frequency : best mecanichal and electrical situation, but with audible noise (which is a non-factor in industrial applications, there is always noise) Great vid, thanks

Probably the most informative and useful video I've seen on setting up a vfd - well done.

Thanks for sharing that education. I like that you were not talking too fast, rather at a pace for a new learner can follow.

I have previously run my Colchester student using a converter.I have had problems with the contactors burning out,and now the motor has burned out. I have just spent a small fortune having the three phase,three horse power motor rewound,and do not want to burn it out again any time soon. Looking in to alternative power sources,as I only have single phase in my small workshop,I came across your inverter videos,and based on this I have just ordered the TECo inverter.I will be using this video again to help me during set up.Thank you for a clear and concise video.

So, i just drug an old bridgeport into the shop last week and consequently am faced with the problem of powering the beast. Once again, James to the rescue with a full video series that actually TEACHES you what to do, why to do it, and how to do it. As opposed to the other 10,000 “VFD setup” videos on RU-vid that are essentially really just “hey look at my new vfd!” Videos. Thanks James. As a side note, i bought a 30 amp fused disconnect to stick between the VFD and the power source, no idea if that’s a good idea so anybody with knowledge about this sort of thing feel free to offer it please.

just for info- if your having a problem that hasn"t been adressed call teco westinghouse and ask for the drive division. i just watched the most informative lesson on the L510 yet. and 6 months ago i was a whiz on the teco fm-50 series, thanks clough

I cannot tell you how helpful this video was. REALLY well shot, edited, and explained. THANK YOU!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, James. Was pulling my hair out trying to get this VFD to run my Bridgeport 1 hp mill. That is until you showed me parameter 11-02, carrier mode. Changed the default setting to "0". Made all the difference in the world. Did I say thank you, James

Jesus h Christ thank god for you I have been fighting with this controller for a while and customer service was worse then trying to program this thing. But your video has truly helped me getting my system up and running. They should just use your video as customer service. Thanks again

I just installed this unit on my Bridgeport Mill. I followed your instructions and used the owners manual. It worked like a charm. I tried a another VFD which was pure crap. Only the fan motor came on. I sent that piece of crap back to the seller. The seller tried to get me to try and sell it myself instead of accepting the return. I tried 3 times with that other VFD no luck. I set this unit up within an hour and had it running. Great vid.

You, sir, are a life saver. I had the exact same setup in my Teco 510 and could not work it out until I found your video. And not only did I make it work, your tweaks for making it run smoother and quieter are invaluable. Thanks so much for this, it was extremely helpful!

Whilst I’m a very capable tradesmen in boiler making and getting better at machining , when it comes to more than wiring a plug I struggle. Thank you for the clear and straight forward manner that you describe and do your tutorials. I have been wanting to do the same conversion on my lathe but have been put off by my lack of electrical nohow but after your tutorial the fog has cleared.

nice work brotha! I was recently challenged by a client to install a proofer/oven combo unit in his restaurant that he acquired at an auction. only problem is the unit is 3ph and the pub only has 1ph. i have managed to rewire the heating elements to run at 240v but the convection fan motor is 3ph only whtether at 208-230 or 460. luckily he has provided me with a Vevor VFD. thanks to your very informative video on the set-up and installation of a VFD , I am ready to procede to the next stage which is the motor operation. feeling educated... well done!!

As someone who wrote step by step instructions for die setters in an automotive stampings business, I have to say this video is done very well, and thank you for posting this.

Excellent film. I have a Teco Westinghouse VFD on my Harrison M250 lathe. I made a film showing the set up. I struggled to show the way I programmed it and ended up omitting that section of the footage. You have just given a masterclass in how to present such detail. Thank you.

I can't thank you enough. This was instrumental in helping me setup mine... Running a 3-phase Wells-Index 847 in my garage with only 1-phase 220volts. This video was a lifesaver.

I just modified my own lathe, and I found the excact same unit under a different brand name in europe. I followed your setup tweaks and got the same result. Very helpful!

This is my first experience with a 3 phase motor. After getting some grounding on 3 phase motors, it really helped to see single phase power being converted to 3 -phase using a VFD.

I have been asking on a FB page about a vfd, but not one person could give me a straight answer! Instead, they went on a freaking tangent about thermal this and that and all kinds of crap I never asked! Thanks for this tutorial,

John Owen Like many others I found your video extremely useful and informative. I had just installed the L510 and a 3-phase motor on my 10" SB lathe and was having problems with a high-pitched whine coming from the three-phase motor. Much louder than you experienced. Actually TECO were very responsive to my problem and told me which parameters to change but I was somewhat daunted by the process. Your video showed me how to do it in a very clear manner. Thanks. It gave me the confidence to change several other parameters such as acceleration/deceleration times, etc. FYI -- TECO have recently (May 2020) introduced a true remote keypad for this inverter --part # JN5-OP-L01 which completely duplicates the functions of the keypad on the inverter , including the potentiometer and allows you to control the inverter from several meters away. It connects with a CAT 5 cable and you need to change a parameter to install it. Others could find that useful.

Awesome information. I have the SAME LATHE, but made by WHolesale Tool. And as mine is nearly 20 years old.. the motor finally died. I purchased a motor and VFD, and was searching for wiring before I start.. and came across you clips. Enjoying the detail and reasoning behind them. Excellent. Excited to finish them and then see the other videos you have once I get mine back up. Thanks for the hard work.

Good, clear explanation for a viewer at a moderate DIYer level. Much clearer than the RU-vid competition. Probably means I’ll buy a TECO for my 3-phase Tablesaw, so I can just sort of follow along (with some settings different of course). I would only add that the Relay connections you’ve used are more generally used to energize a relay that then turns on/off some other potentially high current draw auxiliary device, but since your “auxiliary device” is just a very low current/low voltage draw cooling fan its perfectly OK to use Relay terminal to directly drive it.

That is how any setup video should be done. Thinking of the requirements, setting parameters, observing outcomes and modifying settings accordingly then finally accepting the setup. That was truly satisfying, thanks 👌

Brilliant demonstration on setting up the Westinhouse VFD. I wish there were some standards amongst the makers of VFDs for nomenclature The one I purchased some time ago for a previous job was a nightmare to set up, mainly, I suspect, due to the ability of the translator of Chinese into English and possibly lax editing.

I wish I had found this guy earlier. All your videos are a joy to watch with just the right amount of technical information. Thanks a million

Can't thank you enough for producing these videos. They are so well thought out and executed. Not to mention easy to follow and understand. I've got a 3 phase Bridgeport coming in a couple months, and currently trying to sort out which VFD to purchase, how I'll install it, and program when it's in. Your videos alleviate the trepidation that knots my stomach from these expensive and complicated endeavors.

I like this video , NO bs around ! No extra words Straight to busines! A proper tutorial! Well esplained ! Keep up the good work Sr.

This is time saving valuable service that you provide to people who want to upgrade their G0602 and other machines. Thank you for your clear and concise explanation and the enthusiasm you bring to all of us who love machining!!!

Thanks man, I enjoyed this. I have a VFD that died and I am replacing it with a new model which has many different control wire terminals. I think this will get me in the ball park to get my lathe running.

Thanks for taking a long winded manual and turning it in to an easy to follow "real world" setup.. I did mine via the manual and missed the SLV setting... ughhhh... major miss for me.. While not really complicated, just a lot of variables that do not need changed.. you hit the ones that do.. excellent video..

anyone who didnt find this vid informative.. relative.. complete ...concise only watched it to complain i understood it well forever great full you have cleared the doubts from my mind about this .... enjoyed and very very well done

so glad to find this! i just ordered the same vfd for my antique belt drive wood lathe!

have the 1/2 hp version of this [ L510-1P5-H1-U ], 120V input 208 3ph output - the tips helped immensely! Runs silent, will overclock without issue. I am working on setting the incremental steps for up/down speeds (5 Hz step) Thank you for the info!! Going on my 1935 9" South Bend Workshop 415

By far the best, simplest and easiest to follow vfd set up I have seen. Thank you 👍🏽

I just bought a 3ph motor and a Teco VFD for my mill. This is the best series I've found on setup for this combo. Brilliant and thanks for a great series.

When I bought my lathe the VFD was missing. Toshiba matched a VFD with the motor and sent me a new one. I'll need to hire or enlist someone to set it up. I'm hoping they can watch this series before they start. Thank You for this.

Thank you for your clear explanation of how to set up a VFD. The best I,ve found so far.

Thanks James, I’m bringing another machine back to operation, and needed to refresh my fuzzy memory on this VFD. 👍

Had the same hesitation on my belt grinder, same VFD. Changing the 00-00 setting to 1 (SLV) mode fixed it. THANKS!

Merci beaucoup enfin quelqu'un qui me donne les bonnes info pour programmé mon VFD et l'idée du fan est génial!

Great job of describing the connections I will be making today!

This is friggin’ cool. Reminder to self: someone out there has probably already made whatever thing you want, and made it well. Look for those things before inventing something new, unless your motivation for inventing is the fun of the process. :)

Really good!! I'm a Machinist not and Electrician but my new job requires some Electronics so with the help of your Videos, I'm gettin' there!! Well presented, clearly spoken... awesome!!

Thank you. I keep learning what you are providing us-Good lecturer

Finally finally finally a complete video explaining the whole upgrade in detail. I can’t thank you enough.

Hi Honestly, this video tells much more information about setting up basic paramemeter in very clear way to understand for many of like me who needs practical information as shown in video. thanks for sharing knowledge and useful info.

well you never know when a new viewer comes on board, so here I am! I'm just going to be setting up a little vfd on my mill which has a horizontal and vertical cutter! Also I have a large that will probably get this treatment too! So your video will work for me also, and here it is over a year later! keep it up, you're very articulate about your information!

The best video on this drive. settings in the video were near what I needed. teco should link to this

I learned so much from these two videos

Update I did buy a TECO L150-203-H1-U. Your video was so helpful in hooking up VFD to my motor. I am running at 22V 1PH input and 460 V 3PH output on a 3HP motor, the motor is a WEG W22 00318ET3E182T-W22. I bought it used for $50.00. The motor I am running has a PWM VFD 1000:1 VT and if I understood how to calculate from your video. Divide 60hz by 1000 and that comes to 16.16 Hz (min) on my motor. Set the braking and acceleration also. Thank you so much, you are age awesome teacher. You can mark my purchase to TECO for the VFD I bought a direct result of your video. I think they need to know that.

James, probably you don’t have an idea how much or many of us, are grateful for taking the time to teach us, all the wonderful knowledge, that The Creator of all good things granted you, these great videos, take time and planning, but to share your knowledge, is a very noble cause, and you are a blessed man, though, I don’t own a Lathe nor mill, I am planning to buy both of them, for simple things that may come around, on my wood shop, (including Router bases similar to the ones Pat Warner R.I.P), though many months will go by until I will have the funds for that, haven´t decide which company to pick Grizzly or Weiss, but a VFD for my drill press , is a must (delta and craftman). One question, what if I want to add a remote RPM display on (my remote panel), how to do it? Can I wire it from the 510L VFD? Please advice…. Again thank you very much…I ‘ll keep in touch…

Thanks for the great video, I used it to day to setup the VFD for my Bridgeport. Very well done with plenty of details to get it configured. I am going to use the relay switch to turn on the enclosure fan while the motor is running rather than have it run all of the time.

I had to fight my VFD I got with my lathe today... I finally figured out how to get to the programming mode and i put in the code to do a factory reset.... to go back to the factory settings.... and what do you know...nothing worked but the display..... I fought it for hours trying to understand why the heck the motor wasn't turning.... came in here and looked on the net and found your video on youtube (thank God !) and I wondered if my VFD reset to default values was like yours set to use external switches ! and sure enough it was.... I set each parameter to the on board switches... and son of a gun it started working ! I was so relieved ! .... I started this because I wanted to get rid of the slow start and the slow stop it is very annoying to have to wait for the motor to spool up ! ...looks cool, but that's all....so after I set the time to 2 instead of 10.... I was quite happy I too want to put external switches on my lathe and hide the VFD.... out of the hail of metal chips ! thank you for this video ! you saved my ass today ! thank you very much ! Bob..........

perfectly put together video....a huge help to a new vfd owner...

thank you so much for the vid! i am connecting my L510 to a belt sander and i am new to motors and VFD's. Your video has helped me immensely!

Wow thats a really powerful controller with an unusually nice manual. Great teaching video, I look forward to seeing the rest of the videos so I can adapt this knowledge to my ShopSmith tools...I am just going to need larger HP versions.

Thanks for the tutorial! My L510 came with the same parameter settings as yours. You saved me a ton of time going over the set up in such detail. Really well done!

Excellent instruction on setting up the Teco Westinghouse L510 VFD! Thank you!

Thank you for making this video. I use this exact VFD on lathes and milling machines. On one of the lathes I have decided to add a foot pedal potentiometer and got out the TECO manual. Then I thought to myself, let's check RU-vid, maybe somebody has done a video. :^) Yes, you did. Thanks again. Great vid. My VFD is no longer in factory presets … that are … as you noted not what the manual says. In fact, I don't think the factory defaults have been consistent across the years that I have used the L510. etc etc.

Thanks James, you made it easy for me to get my L510 up & running quickly and properly. By the end, I understood how to program, vs the manual. You are an inspiration!

Thank you very much for this video. I was struggling to figure out how to use this VFD. I didn't see anywhere that you had to press and hold the Enter button in order for changes to me made. Works much better now ;)

Fabtastic video, I learned a lot. I would never have thought about rasing the frequenz to double, making it running twice as fast, this gives me a great idea for my lathe :-)

Great video. There are so many options on VFDs and the defaults are often with all the bells and whistles turned off.

Great video. Wanted a VFD for my 1963 Powermatic drill press and bought the same one because of this video, (and the reasonable price tag.) Maybe I could have figured it out, maybe not. Whatever, if I did it would have taken a really long time. Thanks.

Thank you so much for the video series. I'm am amazed and appreciative at the amount of effort you put in to these videos and how useful they are. Thanks, Mike

This is the best video I had seen about VFD

I could not have done this without your video. Thx

Thank you so much for this instructional video. I've been running my lathe with the factory settings. I have tuned it with your expertise.

I bought the same device today and your vid helps me a lot. Thanks for sharing sir!

Great video. I just purchased a copy of this particular VFD from Radionics (RS). Having watched your video i can add that mine was not setup either as per the defaults in the manual. Im looking forward to setting it up on ny Colchester Student lathe. The task will be a whole lot easier thanks to your very easy to follow "how to". Thank you from Ireland, Tommy

Brilliant explanation thank you sir very much! This device is also marketed here in Europe as an RS Pro RS 510 its identical in every way apart from one small difference in that the COM is marked +24V which if you look in the manual is the alternative name for this connector anyhow.

You have taken a lot of time to film then edit and then produce this video which is of excellent quality in technique of filming, editing and content. Really appreciate you doing this. Thank you!

Hands down the best VFD setup VIDEOz I have seen yet. Very clear and simple wiring and setup to get you up and working fast. Thanks for making this it’s been very helpful. Thanks 🙏 Only question I had was how did you determine what resistance was required for the potentiometer? I can’t imagine just any would work unless you can set the resistance in the VFD

My gosh this has been absolutely amazing. I want to connect my Mitsubishi vid 220 1ph input to 220 3ph output to a 1.5 motor. Going to install it in a dl40 delta wood lathe. The wiring for both looked daunting and I understand the household wiring and respect it but the extra wires in motor, which are all just that wires with labels but I don’t know which ones to connect together. I can only hope that the vid will be easy to program like yours. Thanks a bunch bud. Beautifully done video.

Thank you for sharing, I just wish if I have seen you awesome video few month a go. I modify my G4000 with a servo motor, it is working fine but your project it is a lot better. Thank you and have a nice day.

Very nicely done - excellent tutorial. I would never use a programmable output to drive a cooling fan in preference of a fault indicator, unless the drive has another output that can be programmed.

calmly and clearly explained, too easy. love your work man

Hi James, Really enjoying this guide to setting up a VFD. Thanks so Much!!

Beautiful work and agree with Pete Ip, best VFD setup. Great explanation and real world work-up. Excellent!!

Tam olarak aradım buydu. Çok teşekkürler

I've just watched the first two videos. You are really clearing things up for me. I plan on finishing the series. Thanks you are going to save me alot of frustration and money

Thanks for the programming help! The motor settled right down using your parameters!

Most usefull video on these controllers I have found. Thank You.

Man this was EXCELLENT! Exactly what I was looking for as I start to configure my VFD for the lathe. Thanks!

thats a ton of useful info. thanks clough42, keep em coming. can't wait to see it mounted on the lathe.

Very informative thanks I watch it over and over

Amazing videos, simple easy-busy! Like it alot!!!!!!!!

Why does my keypad potentiometer work fine to set acceleration but it won't control deceleration? The frequency shows when turning it up but it won't do anything when turning it back down. The frequency and motor just stays wherever it was last set on the acceleration that it was dialed to. I cannot find any information on this. Your videos are extremely well done and extremely helpful. Thank you very much!

What a fantastic series of videos. I am new to this channel but it is already my favorite! Thanks Clough42 for this treasure trove.

Thank you for sharing, the motor on my G4000 just had his last day, I purchased a Servo-motor and I am adapting it to work in place of the old one. Will let you know how it works, have a good day.

Thanks for the awesome Vids. Found the VFD elsewhere originally but I'm buying it through your Amazon link to help you get paid. Read another comment from someone who mentioned your affiliate links. Didn't realize you had those. Glad I hadn't bought the VFD yet! Also probably buying the enclosure you linked on another video. It's the least I could do. I hope other people use your affiliate links, even if they find it a few dollars cheaper. We have a gun store and I absolutely hate when customers use my information for free and then go online to buy somewhere else even just to save the sales tax. It's as if my work and knowledge isn't worth anything even though they took 30 minutes of my time and I saved them a fortune in mistakes. You might also consider doing a Patreon page. I don't know much about it except the guys with gun videos use them a lot because RU-vid has demonatized their videos which take many hours to make and edit. Best wishes.

Very informative, thanks. Just fitted a different VFD to a milling machine. Seems most VFDs has about the same sets of parameters, so your comments helped. One question, what happens with the fan when running reverse? Not a big problem on a lathe, only time I run the lathe backwards is when threading.

What a majestic video!!! Thanks 🙏🏼 you so much for the time dedicated to do this and share it!!Bless you!❤

Very nice explanation and tutorial! It helped me a lot, understanding how I can take full advantage of my own VFD 😁👍

Tremendous tutorial. Thanks very much.

Incredibly helpful!!

Brilliantly portrayed. Explained everything needed. Thank you

Awesome Job Sir, I just found this channel last week and been binge watching, Well Done