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Vega 2600 Bowl Lathe VFD Replacement

Emiliano Achaval

Emiliano Achaval

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hawaiiankoaturner.com
The Maui Woodturners Association got its Vega lathe back. I tested it today, and it's not working. It has the original Toshiba Vf-S11 Vfd and a Toshiba 2hp motor. tiny red light comes on, but nothing else. We are trying to buy a replacement, but do not know where to start. We need a combo, plug and play, dummy proof set up. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
 
Have you tried contacting Vega? I recently purchased a used Vega lathe and they were very helpful when I called with questions. One of our discussions was about replacement parts and I think they mentioned the VFD is an easily replaceable part. I'd suggest giving them a call and see where that leads.
 
I had heard that Vega was out of business, but don't know. If you have any electrical supply place where you are friends with them, they could probably help. I found it far cheaper to buy locally than to buy from the company...

robo hippy
 
I hate to ask the obvious, but did you make sure that the emergency stop button isn't pushed in? I am not familiar with that lathe. There may also be a safety switch somewhere that is not making contact. My oneway has one on the pully access door. If it is open or misaligned, it will not start.
 
I have lathes and other machinery that I have retrofitted VFDs to both provide 3 phase power from a 1 phase line and also variable speed. One of the companies I worked with is "Automation Direct" and they seamed to have good customer support so you may be able to contact them and get a VFD set up as you need it.
 
First thing I did was to contact Vega. They told they do not make lathes anymore, to call an electrician. There is no emergency stop. VFD is dead, won’t light up. Thank you, keep the suggestions coming please, still looking for options.
 
It looks like Toshiba still makes the drive. Maybe try contacting them. They may still have a record of the parameters to program a new one. Their first question will probably be if you verified correct voltage at the drive. Maybe see if anyone in your club has any electrical experience and can check it out before going any further.
 
Kevin Jesequel said:
It looks like Toshiba still makes the drive. Maybe try contacting them. They may still have a record of the parameters to program a new one. Their first question will probably be if you verified correct voltage at the drive. Maybe see if anyone in your club has any electrical experience and can check it out before going any further.
Click to expand...
A quick search yesterday only gave me the manual for the VFD. Do you remember where you saw it available, that would be my first option, to purchase the same unit! Thanks for your help.
 
I just Google "Toshiba VF-S11" and saw several under the "shopping" tab. It looks like there is more to the part number and there are several different ones, so you will need more info to buy the right one. Also, it is unlikely it will be "plug and play". You will need to find out the correct parameters to program it for optimal performance. Was it working before it was moved? I would check all connections, blow any dust out of all the controls and verify power is getting to the A/C terminals on the drive before doing anything else. In 20 years as an electrician, I've learned that when complex equipment fails, it is often because of something simple.
 

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Kevin Jesequel said:
I just Google "Toshiba VF-S11" and saw several under the "shopping" tab. It looks like there is more to the part number and there are several different ones, so you will need more info to buy the right one. Also, it is unlikely it will be "plug and play". You will need to find out the correct parameters to program it for optimal performance. Was it working before it was moved? I would check all connections, blow any dust out of all the controls and verify power is getting to the A/C terminals on the drive before doing anything else. In 20 years as an electrician, I've learned that when complex equipment fails, it is often because of something simple.
Click to expand...
Note: VFDs are like a commodity meaning the technology is pretty well set and just about any manufacturer can supply a drive.
I looked up Automation Direct just know and got a price for a basic drive that will except a 230Volt single phase input to drive a standard 3 phase 230 volt 2 hp induction motor their model GS21-22P0 for $188.00. The software to configure parameters is a free download and will run on a standard PC. The controlling inputs can be digital or contact based switches and a standard potentiometer for speed settings. If you can get a wiring diagram of the existing machine we could probably create a new diagram for whatever drive you choose.
 
The last time I worked on an Allen Bradley VFD they still had a 24/7 customer support phone number to help with any program or troubleshooting issues. When you pay a higher price for a big name product you are also paying for the support that comes along with the name. If you know what you need for a simple VFD application you can get by with a cheap offshore import, the critical part is having the interface or software to program the parameters on the VFD. A full featured VFD will have a keypad and display that allows the user to program the VFD using the keypad and display. You can also purchase VFD's that have no keypad or display but use a HIMM as a means of interfacing with the VFD to set the parameters. You can also purchase VFD's that have no interface except a cable jack that can communicate with a computer that is used to read the parameter settings on the VFD and input parameter settings to the VFD. The prices will vary greatly depending on what you need and the support you desire from the factory. A typical lathe program only requires a handful of parameters to operate so you can get by with just about any VFD that is available in the marketplace. There are a number of YouTube videos that show the process of converting a lathe or any other woodworking machine over to a VFD application or replacing an older VFD controller with the new VFD's available. Fifteen years later and you need to work on your old VFD and your computer is no longer compatible with your twenty year old software, that is the drawback to not having a keypad on the VFD, we have a number of VFD's still in operation that we can no longer get factory HIMM interfaces from the factory anymore these are the devices that have the display and keypad contained in the interface module, we are forced to use a good HIMM interface and move it to different VFD's if we desire to make any parameter changes or view any settings on the various VFD's of that series. You get what you pay for.
 
Well this concerns me if Vega is out of the lathe business. I had the vfd go out on my 10' Vega duplicator. There was a bit of miscommunication, but once things came together they quickly sent me a new preprogrammed VFD. It was truly plug and play. This was around three years ago, approximately.
It sort of sounds like Vega has little interest in supporting their old lathes.
 
Timothy Hoyt said:
Well this concerns me if Vega is out of the lathe business. I had the vfd go out on my 10' Vega duplicator. There was a bit of miscommunication, but once things came together they quickly sent me a new preprogrammed VFD. It was truly plug and play. This was around three years ago, approximately.
It sort of sounds like Vega has little interest in supporting their old lathes.
Click to expand...
I was very disappointed. How hard could have been to let me know who their supplier was? Zero interest in helping.
 
I decided to go with. a unit sold by Jack Forsberg <jack@jforsberg.ca> He was recommended by a forum member here. I called Jack, asked lots of questions. A VFD with a pendant, plus unlimited help to set up and program it, with shipping, was $289 US.
 
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