WEG Variable Frequency Drive Tutorials - PID Overview and Game Plan

Our goal is to use the PID in a WEG Variable Frequency Drive built-in PID function to automatically maintain a constant pressure regardless of load. We’ll use a CFW300 drive to control a jet pump motor. And keep in mind everything we do here will transfer directly over to a CFW100 drive. The motor will drive a centrifugal pump which will pump water out to a series of valves. If the motor speed doesn’t change, the pressure will drop as each valve is opened.

00:28 - A pressure sensor will tell the drive the current process pressure, so the drive can adjust the motor speed accordingly and maintain a constant pressure of 6 psi. With over 60 parameters to configure, setting up a variable frequency drive to do PID can be intimidating. So, we are going to break it down into bite sized chunks to make it easier to understand. This is the overview video where we map out the overall game plan. Then we’ll then do a quick start to get you up and running as fast as possible.

00:56 - Part A will be the hardware overview where we will take a close look at the hardware used and more importantly we’ll manually run some tests on the hardware to see what it can do and make sure it is up to the task we have planned for it. That’s a crucial step. You need to make sure your hardware can do what you want. PID won’t make your system do something it isn’t capable of. It will just help it fail faster. Quick Start Part B is where we’ll learn an easy way to keep track of and enter all the parameters and then we’re gonna try it to see if PID can actually maintain the 6 psi regardless of load. If you are already familiar with PID then this quick run-through will probably be all you need to get up and running.

01:36 - If you need a better understanding of any part of the PID configuration process, these focused topic videos are meant for you. Each one does a deep dive into that particular aspect of the WEG Variable Frequency Drives PID operation explaining how it works and all the options you have available. Those focused topic videos will give you a really good appreciation for just how incredibly powerful this little inexpensive drive is! This is a huge topic, but it is very manageable if you take it one step at a time. Go get a cup of coffee, take a deep breath and just dive in. Before you know it, this whole PID thing won’t seem so overwhelming.

02:15 - Click here to see all the videos in this series. Click here to learn about AutomationDirect’s free award-winning support options and click here to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you will be notified when we publish new videos. .