230V 1-phase to 230V 3-phase converstion + Neutral

Hi All!

I have a temporary art installation I’m doing technical support for. This installation includes a robot arm by a well-known supplier. The arm requires 3L+N 200-600VAC. I’ve bought a Schneider Electric ATV12HU15M2, thinking I could use this VFD for this specific purpose, but unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a way to include a neutral in the output. I haven’t connected or tested it yet, just from the documentation I don’t see this working.

Can you see any way of accomplishing what I need with the given VFD, or another product? Rotary Phase convertors seem like an option, but they seem very difficult to find in The Netherlands and prohibitively expensive.

Hello @twjdeboer,

The Schneider ATV12HU15M2 has a single-phase 220 VAC input. It is designed to drive a three-phase motor 2 HP (1.5 kw).

The VFD is designed for motor control not as a replacement for three-phase utility power:

  • Chopped output depends on motor inductance for current smoothing

  • Not ground referenced. In fact, the center is likely a high DC voltage, specifically half of the internal DC voltage that feed the IGBT output. Attempt to add a ground will likely cause a fault.

Bottom line, the VFD is not a single to three-phase converter. There is real potential to damage the robot.

The rotary converter or a modern solid-state converter could be an option. Even then, I strongly recommend you contact the arm’s OEM to determine the best option to power the arm.

Sincerely,

APDahlen

Thank you for confirming my suspicions. It seems I was a bit naïve. I will contact the manufacturer today.

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