Hello Guest it is March 28, 2024, 07:26:50 AM

Author Topic: Has anyone used Granite devices VSD-E sevro drives?  (Read 11506 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline simpson36

*
  •  1,369 1,369
    • View Profile
Has anyone used Granite devices VSD-E sevro drives?
« on: August 04, 2009, 08:25:32 AM »

There is a very interesting read on the CNCforum that follows the development of this product. It is the 'swiss army knife' of servo drives, apparently.

People (including myself) have expressed an interest in reading a review, and I can find none so far on the web.

So I am considering doing a review of this, and in the initial research phase, I have found quite a bit of stuff, but not people usiing it with MACH3 so much. Nice to start with some feedback from users if possible. I'm also finding what seem to be rumors about the drive supporting two motors and there is one Youtube vdeo showind it drivng a stepper to 9,000 ROM. Yet these things are not documented officially.

I find that many product reviews are unreliable because the reviewers ask for 'loaners' thereby tipping off the vendor to the review. They get 'special' versions of the products and special treatment and access to tech support and development teams than no average customer would get. I buy the product, record my experience as I go thru the process, and then if I like it I keep it and if not, I try to return it. That's the only way to really know what to expect from the vendor and the product.

Has anyone been using thses drives with Mach3 successfully?

Offline Hood

*
  •  25,835 25,835
  • Carnoustie, Scotland
    • View Profile
Re: Has anyone used Granite devices VSD-E sevro drives?
« Reply #1 on: August 04, 2009, 11:26:01 AM »
Simpson
 try posting on the Mach Yahoo, I am sure I remember some people saying they use them, not sure if its the same model however.
Hood

Offline simpson36

*
  •  1,369 1,369
    • View Profile
Re: Has anyone used Granite devices VSD-E sevro drives?
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2009, 01:34:01 PM »
Thx Hood,

Already read all of that stuff, CNC zone also.

Looking for MACH3 specific comment.

Offline Hood

*
  •  25,835 25,835
  • Carnoustie, Scotland
    • View Profile
Re: Has anyone used Granite devices VSD-E sevro drives?
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2009, 02:24:47 PM »
I am meaning Mach3 Yahoo group just in case you were thinking I was meaning some other yahoo group. Also search on Yahoo is crap and often comes up a blank when you know for certain there is that keyword in the messages. so the only way to get info is to post.

Hood

Offline simpson36

*
  •  1,369 1,369
    • View Profile
Re: Has anyone used Granite devices VSD-E sevro drives?
« Reply #4 on: August 05, 2009, 09:06:12 AM »
Frankly, I find the Yahoo groups to be so awkward and slow as to be unusable. I've posted to the Rutex area and had it take a week for the post to actually show up. I have no plans to use the Yahoo groups other than to read what is already there.

I'm collecting info from a number of sources. From this posting, I'm just looking for Mach3 specific comments if anyone is using the drives.

If there are no responses in a specific venue, that is also meaningful.

Offline Hood

*
  •  25,835 25,835
  • Carnoustie, Scotland
    • View Profile
Re: Has anyone used Granite devices VSD-E sevro drives?
« Reply #5 on: August 05, 2009, 09:12:19 AM »
I too dislike Yahoo but it is the only place some people post though so might be the only place you will get info, your call, no skin off my nose ;)

Hood

vmax549

*
Re: Has anyone used Granite devices VSD-E sevro drives?
« Reply #6 on: August 05, 2009, 08:24:49 PM »
There won't be any difference running it on EMC ,MACH,USBCNC or any other controller. If it works good on one it works good on all.

(;-) TP

Offline simpson36

*
  •  1,369 1,369
    • View Profile
Re: Has anyone used Granite devices VSD-E sevro drives?
« Reply #7 on: August 06, 2009, 04:58:52 AM »
Hood:  I agree with you, but the reality is that I just have limited time (and patience) and I really can't get involved with another forum. You know how it is, once you start posting, you get caught up in threads and then you get e-mail notices of activity,  . . next thing you know more hours are burned. So for a lurker, there are good reads over there about the Granite and others, most seem to be using the drives with much larger and higher end stuff than would be typical for Mach users. I have no way of testing with anything but Mach and one small and one large (relatively speaking) DC brush servo.

vmax; Exactly, The VSD-E is sort of on the border between 'commercial' and 'DIY'. My thinking is that the products you mentioned would all be reasonably represented by the servo drive's step/dir performance in Mach using a typical inexpensive DC brush motor. This would address the 'DIY' side, which is also the limit of what I can test anyway.

The general lack of response from the Mach forum on this drive, together with it's cost, complexity, capabilities  and position as an 'entry level commercial' drive,  have me thinking that it may not be worth while to review it for use with MACH since there are products at half the price that are suitable for what a typical Mach user (if there is such a thing) would be interested in. Perhaps drives in this category are better reviewed by people with big machines using commercial controllers and high voltage DCBL or AC servos, which is really what the VSD-E is aimed at. The 'unstallable' stepper is an interesting creature, but It seems counterproductive to spend big on a VSD-E for the purpose of using a cheap stepper motor as an AC servo. It is an interesting topic, that for sure.

Offline simpson36

*
  •  1,369 1,369
    • View Profile
Re: Has anyone used Granite devices VSD-E sevro drives?
« Reply #8 on: August 15, 2009, 08:54:11 AM »
I may not be reviewing the Granite drive. It has very impressive specs and many kudos, but it is also very expensive and that extra cost goes to features that I would not use in my application. The Granite drive was the only offering I knew of that would meet all of my requirements, and I was about to buy one when I found what may be a suitable alternative.

Thanks to Hood's nagging, I spent (read - suffered thru) more time researching on the Yahoo group and the fellow who seems to be the head Guru there mentioned CNCdrives. I looked into that and discovered two new products (that are not on their web site), and if they perform to spec, these will be the solution I have been looking for and at least $100 less than the Granite drive.

I've purchase both their mid range Whale3 drive and their high end Dugong drive, both of which shipped to me yesterday.

The Dugong has two of the most attractive features of the Granite; namely and built in automatic brake resistor circuit and the ability to flash firmware updates. The reputation of both Rutex and Viper to burn out seems to be caused by BEMF. The Dugong drive will eliminate this possibility . . . . again, IF it performs as advertised.

We shall see. I will be reviewing these drives next.

Offline simpson36

*
  •  1,369 1,369
    • View Profile
Re: Has anyone used Granite devices VSD-E sevro drives?
« Reply #9 on: September 09, 2009, 08:55:52 AM »
Granite has posted on their website officially that their drive can control two separate servo motors. This changes the landscape considerably.

EDIT: note that this is accomplished thur a user installable firmware update!

The product went from most expensive to least expensive in one step. I have a little homework to do on it, but it looks like I will be reviewing the drive since it is now definitely priced competitively.

I am about done with the CNCdrive product reviews (Dugong and Whale3), but I have sold the 4th axis prototype and will be making a new one from scratch which will take a while with my current schedule. The servo drives are targeted at the 4th axis, so until I have the next prototype built, there is no sense in reviewing a drive for it. Stay tuned though.