[pilotarix]

Hello all,

here comes the probably dumbest question in this section ever ...

Anyhow, I am not an electrician and to make it even more complicated, I am from a 230V country. For heavy machinery we use three phase alternating current with 380V and there is only one plug design.
Recently I bought a 2.2 kW china spindle with a VFD 220V which is still in route. Meanwhile I had asked an electrician to install 220V power outlet to run the spindle. When he was done I found out that he had installed the line but no receptacle and he told me, that he can't install a receptacle as long as he doesn't know what amperage the machine would need and walked away.
OK this was the moment when I realized that there seem to be a plethora of plugs and receptacles for 220V in this country . Looking somewhat closer I found out that they basically differentiate from each other, except for the design, by the allowed amperage. Unfortunately that doesn't make it much easier to choose the right one because l have no idea what amperage I have to choose, nor if a special design which would be preferred.
I would certainly appreciate if somebody could help with some information in this aspect, I am pretty sure that for most of you this is a no brainer.

Thank you
Chris

[Andreiir]

U need max 16 amps for that spindle , he is rated at about 9 amps in full load .

[pilotarix]

Hello
thanks for your reply!

So I will get a receptacle with 20 amps I guess.

[CNCMAN172]

You need a 20A service the receptical type does not matter as long as you have a matching plug. You will need to make the AC cable that goes from the receptical to the VFD or to a switch if you have one in line to disconnect the power from the VFD without removing the plug.

Russ

[mactec54]

Hello all,

here comes the probably dumbest question in this section ever ...

Anyhow, I am not an electrician and to make it even more complicated, I am from a 230V country. For heavy machinery we use three phase alternating current with 380V and there is only one plug design.
Recently I bought a 2.2 kW china spindle with a VFD 220V which is still in route. Meanwhile I had asked an electrician to install 220V power outlet to run the spindle. When he was done I found out that he had installed the line but no receptacle and he told me, that he can't install a receptacle as long as he doesn't know what amperage the machine would need and walked away.
OK this was the moment when I realized that there seem to be a plethora of plugs and receptacles for 220V in this country . Looking somewhat closer I found out that they basically differentiate from each other, except for the design, by the allowed amperage. Unfortunately that doesn't make it much easier to choose the right one because l have no idea what amperage I have to choose, nor if a special design which would be preferred.
I would certainly appreciate if somebody could help with some information in this aspect, I am pretty sure that for most of you this is a no brainer.

Thank you
Chris

It does sound like the electrician was not licensed or he would of done the complete job, always ask to see there license, or ask if they are licensed

What you have installed may not be suitable, to run your machine you will need a 3 wire and Ground, 2 Hots a Natural and Ground, the reason for this is your whole machine may not be all run form 240V, if you have a Natural then you can split the same supply to 120v for your other machine needs, you can not run your machine from ( 2 ) different outlets, as this will cause a Ground loop and you don't want to do that

The line/cable will tell what it's max amp rating is plus the Circuit Breaker that will be in the Electrical Box, normally for a machine like this you will have 20 Amp to 25 Amp supply, that means the Circuit Breaker will be this size and the Cable needs to match, types of wall outlets, locking type plugs are best for a reliable connection, you can get these at Home depot, or similar to the photos

[pilotarix]

Thanks guys, that is good reassurance that I am on the right track, I will get a 20 Amp receptacle and the according power plug with cable from the machine to the receptacle.

@Matec54
No worries, the electrician was licenced and basically he did a good job, I think. It was an "official" job with application to the township and inspection. However he refused to install any receptacles as long as I don't have the device. He did a complete new light installation with fluorescent lamps and a bunch of 115 V receptacles, switches and two 220 V lines. I checked the breaker box today and found that he had installed two 30 amp breaker for the 230V lines.

[mactec54]

Thanks guys, that is good reassurance that I am on the right track, I will get a 20 Amp receptacle and the according power plug with cable from the machine to the receptacle.

@Matec54
No worries, the electrician was licenced and basically he did a good job, I think. It was an "official" job with application to the township and inspection. However he refused to install any receptacles as long as I don't have the device. He did a complete new light installation with fluorescent lamps and a bunch of 115 V receptacles, switches and two 220 V lines. I checked the breaker box today and found that he had installed two 30 amp breaker for the 230V lines.

Sounds good, is each 30 amp breaker double pole, better still just take a photo of the installed breakers

Then if he installed 30 Amp Breakers then you should have the receptacle to suit, the thing is did he do a 4 wire or just 3, if just 3 then you need to see what your needs are for your machine, a 4 wire will give you 240 v and 120 v supply, which if you have a hobby machine that is what you will need

[CNCMAN172]

You say your are " I am from a 230V country", that could be the USA or Europe...and many other places in the world.

As Machtec54 shared most machines use different voltages for different aspects of the machine. Most machines use a VFD to control the spindle which is normally the only thing that requires 230V. The VFD can be fed either single phase 230 volts or three phase 230 volts. Most people only have 230 single phase available at home, since most three phase service is very expensive any mostly found in commercial environments. Most CNC controller operate on 120VAC, as well as their monitors, etc. In Europe you will find 230V in many houses as the standard service they don't have 120VAC available. In those cases you need to have a machine that can run directly from 230VAC. In most of those machines they have a transformer inside the machine that steps the voltage down to the lower voltage required for other aspects of the machine. Since you are having this wired by an electrician, you should have Two hots, Neutral, and Ground as Mactech54 stated. This is the USA standard. I like the four pin plugs, many use the three pin plugs. Post some pictures.

Russ

[Al_The_Man]

For a 1 phase 220/230 v outlet for VFD you do not need the neutral,, but I suspect that if Not in N.A. then you will have 230v 1 ph and neutral which requires 3 conductors L1, N, and Earth.
You show USA however so you can obtain 30a outlets that are L1, L2, and Earth. Home Depot sell them Leviton $5.00.
What size cable did the electrician run?
If he installed 30amp breakers then the cable should be rated likewise.
Al.

[pilotarix]

Hi all,

thank you for your input and help!

I am actually from Germany so used to have the 230V as a standard rather than the 120V. I remember that my father had 3 phase alternating current (380V) in his shop to run this bigger machines like table saw, table router and so on. The plugs were standard, means no different plugs, just one design which might be why I am now a little confused...
Anyhow, here are pictures from what they have installed.

Attachment 329438

Attachment 329440

two 30 amp breakers and two power outlets the one for the CNC is shown in the picture and has a 4 conductor cable. The end of the cable was covered with tape and I only took it off for the picture, I put new tape on and put it back in the housing afterwards.

I don't really know the cable size, maybe I can find this information somewhere.

Thanks
Chris

[Al_The_Man]

You show your loc as USA which was confusing, The gauge may be on the cable insulation otherwise either ask the electrician or measure one of the strands and count No of conductors.
I would expect Germany to have the same as most of the world with a single phase and grounded neutral for 230v.
In which case you would not normally have two breakers, but one.
Not sure of the wire gauge measure used, probably metric.
Here 10g would be rated at an ampacity of 30amps.
My electricians license does not cover Germany :-).
Al.

[mactec54]

Hi all,

thank you for your input and help!

I am actually from Germany so used to have the 230V as a standard rather than the 120V. I remember that my father had 3 phase alternating current (380V) in his shop to run this bigger machines like table saw, table router and so on. The plugs were standard, means no different plugs, just one design which might be why I am now a little confused...
Anyhow, here are pictures from what they have installed.

Attachment 329438

Attachment 329440

two 30 amp breakers and two power outlets the one for the CNC is shown in the picture and has a 4 conductor cable. The end of the cable was covered with tape and I only took it off for the picture, I put new tape on and put it back in the housing afterwards.

I don't really know the cable size, maybe I can find this information somewhere.

Thanks
Chris

Looking at the color of the cable it would be rated for the same as the Breakers , get the receptacle Twist lock type rated at the same as the Breaker 30 amp to suit for the 4 wires

You have not said what you have for a machine that you need to wire too

[Al_The_Man]

I am actually from Germany so used to have the 230V as a standard
Anyhow, here are pictures from what they have installed.
Chris

Do you have an electrical hardware store you can visit and ask a few questions on the local code etc, from my time growing up in Europe I seem to remember that Germany only had 3 pin outlets for residential use, including power appliances.
Al.

[pilotarix]

OK ...
sorry sorry I apologize causing confusion here.
I am from Germany but live and work here in the US (central PA) for almost 8 years now.
So you are looking at a NA breaker box and power line.

@Al
you should be good with your license
And yes that is correct Germany has basically one "design" with three pins, we call it "PLUS - MINUS - GROUND", there are only a few devices that come without "GROUND" so the plug is different but goes into the three pin receptacle.

OK back to the North American situation, sorry again that I have caused some confusion here.

@mactec54
The Machine will be a China Spindle, better the VFD coming with a china spindle (2.2kW 230V), to be exact, this one:

https://buildyourcnc.com/item/spindl...kw-spindle-vfd

thanks
Chris

[Al_The_Man]

Then all you need is the 3 pin 30amp socket and a matching plug.
Your link shows this 3 wire hook up but instead of neutral (white) it will be black or red.
If he has ran a neutral it will not be used and can be capped off in the outlet box.
Al.

[mactec54]

The Machine will be a China Spindle, better the VFD coming with a china spindle (2.2kW 230V), to be exact, this one:

https://buildyourcnc.com/item/spindl...kw-spindle-vfd

I know that you have brought the 2.2Kw spindle and VFD that's what you wanted the 240v power for, But what are you going fit the spindle too,, it's not of much use without a machine to mount it on, if you need power for the machine also, then a lot of things will change, more information needed before you move forward with your wiring of the plug

[mactec54]

Then all you need is the 3 pin 30amp socket and a matching plug.
Your link shows this 3 wire hook up but instead of neutral (white) it will be black or red.
If he has ran a neutral it will not be used and can be capped off in the outlet box.
Al.

You are confusing the issue here, if he is going to be running a machine as well as the VFD he will most likely need the Neutral wire in his cable

He can not have ( 2 ) separate connections to his machine, so he will need all his power coming from ( 1 ) source

He has not said what he is going to do with the spindle or what it is going to be mounted on, his whole machine may be 240v which is the only time that he does not need to use the Neutral wire in NA

The electrician run a 4 wire for a reason

[pilotarix]

Hello all,

the spindle will be hooked up to a hobby CNC router. The CNC stuff is running with 120V and separate from the spindle. There is currently a Bosch router spindle working on this machine but will be replaced soon by the China spindle.... hopefully ...

Thanks
Chris

[mactec54]

Hello all,

the spindle will be hooked up to a hobby CNC router. The CNC stuff is running with 120V and separate from the spindle. There is currently a Bosch router spindle working on this machine but will be replaced soon by the China spindle.... hopefully ...

Thanks
Chris

It can not be separate from the spindle, that is why the electrician installed a 4 wire cable, so that you would have 120v & the 240v all from one Source this is the important part One Supply to your Machine

So this is as I said from the start, you will have to use all 4 wires, this will run to your electrical Box, there it will be split into 120v for the other part of your machine and the 240v will go to the VFD, you may want to get your electrician to do this part of the wiring, as it seems he knows what he is doing, if he does not know about wiring a VFD , I can post what he needs to do

You will need a Terminal Block in your Machine Electrical Box where the 120v and the 240v can be split up

[Al_The_Man]

The first thing on the machine entry should be a D.P. disconnect, followed by the supply entering a fuse block for each circuit in use.
.Al.