WEG CFW300 VFD a Great Value from AutomationDirect

The WEG CFW300 family of Variable Frequency Drives from AutomationDirect has: four single phase 120 VAC input models from a quarter to one and a half horse power, five single phase 240VAC input models from a quarter to 2 horse power, six three phase 240VAC input models from a quarter to 5 horsepower, and one 240VAC drive that does either single or three-phase at 3 horsepower. The base drives are budget friendly high performance VFDs that are easy to setup and use and are ideal for Centrifugal Pumps, Fans, Blowers, Blenders, Mixers, Centrifuges, Compressors, Conveyors, Roller Tables, Granulators, Commercial Dryers, Rotary Filters, etc. Because, they come in two compact frame sizes and can be mounted with zero clearance between the drives and can be mounted on either DIN rail or a flat surface with these convenient mounting tabs. And I really love that the power lines enter one side and exit the other like a contactor. The drives can be operated in either Vector or Scalar modes and even have a built-in SoftPLC, Dynamic Braking, Multi-Speed, PID and Fire mode functions. The internal circuit boards are even conformally coated to ensure greater protection for environments with corrosive chemicals. These are all the kinds of features you would expect in a high-performance drive. The front panel LCD display is a model of efficiency – everything you need at a glance with minimal clutter. You can display two different parameters numerically or via a bar graph. Press P to get to the parameters, select the parameter, enter a value. Intuitive and minimal key stokes. You can also use the FREE WEG Programming Software to configure the drive, monitor the drive and program the SoftPLC and it can even be used to manage multiple drives or systems. You can download that right now for Free from automationdirect.com. The basic drives don’t come with any communications capability to keep costs down, but there are a number of communications modules that are inexpensive and easy to add on by plugging into the slot under this cover. The USB module is just for configuring and monitoring the drive. The RS 232 and 485 modules can also be used for networking and the 485 module has an extra port on it that you can connect an optional remote HMI to which is ideal for panel mounting. And since the Remote HMI is just hanging off the 485 network, it also gives you access terminals to the RS485 pins and termination resistors that can be turned on and off. The lower slot is for adding more I/O via the optional I/O modules. So without an option module installed the drive has 4 Digital Inputs, and Analog current input or an analog voltage input – you can only use one or the other so it’s still just one analog input –a Digital Relay output and a 10 volt reference to use with a potentiometer on the analog input. This optional module adds an analog input, an analog output, 3 Relay outputs and a 10-volt reference for the analog inputs. This one adds 4 digital inputs and 3 relay outputs. This one adds an analog input, 2 analog outputs an input for incremental encoders, a 5-volt reference for the encoder and a 10 volt reference for the analog input. This one adds a Thermal couple input, 3 relay outputs, a 1 input for an infrared sensor. Now keep in mind there is only one slot for I/O modules, so your total I/O Is the base drive I/O plus any one of these modules. The optional flash memory module makes is easy to quickly transfer parameters to drives. You just connected it to the dedicated port on top of the drive via the provided cable and transfer the parameters. One word of caution – this flash memory module connector looks like a mini USB connector. It isn’t and plugging a USB device into this connector can damage your USB device and the drive, so please don’t plug any USB devices into this connector. The optional RFI emissions filters simply plug right onto the single-phase drives to help keep the noise generated by those drives from getting back out into your system. And there are even replaceable fans which just snap right into place. The CFW300 Drives have a 65 thousand-amp SCCR rating when used in combination with a Class J fuse or a WEG MPW40 motor protector! Of course, you can get those Class J fuses at AutomationDirect.com. This is a sweet little affordable drive that is UL listed in the US and Canada is a very capable and has enough expansion accessories to adapt as your needs grow. We just touched on the feature set in this video so click here to learn more about the CFW300 Family of Drives. Click here to learn about AutomationDirect’s free award-winning support options and click here to subscribe to our YouTube Channel so you’ll be notified when we publish new videos.