Does anyone happen to know why the PCNC1100 control board requires replacement as part of the VFD upgrade? I have a series 1 mill with the original analog vfd that needs to be upgraded. I’m trying to understand why I need the $900 kit from Tormach when I can buy a used Emmerson VFD for $200 on ebay. The replacement VFD takes an analog input like the original, so I’m not sure why I couldn’t just use the original board. Any ideas? Thanks.
There are a few board changes from my understanding. Along with this, there would be no programming on the VFD you would buy from eBay. A brake resistor is also needed, as part of the kit.
I’m thinking that in order to stay within the Tormach product line they require their parts. I upgraded my series 1 mill, serial 248 to the latest version and later purchased their chucking lathe equipment. The upgraded vfd takes a “key” that allows it to know if it’s running the mill or the lathe. Plug and play. You can certainly change to any vfd you are comfortable with however you may run into issues in the future with other Tormach accessories. Not really a wrong answer here; what are you comfortable with?
As an aside I feel that I got much value for my money with Tormach’s upgrade. Easy and quick to do and I was making parts again quickly. Much easier with the PathPilot software.
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