Proto Himbo European

Big Edit: Solved! Thanks to everyone who helped me with critical information about this very little thing that doesn't affect any of you in a direct way. I am very grateful.

Original post-------------------

Question for #electronics people, #engineer people, etc.: What are these used for?
These are labeled (FB marketplace pic) as Woods XFC-2001 0B micro-inverters. What kinds of applications do they have?

Edit: The internet search engines are eager to tell me what the brand and model of these are (which I already know), but I'm coming up short trying to find what they're used for.

Edit 2: Welp, since somebody has 4 of them for sale, $10 each, half an hour from my house, I guess I'll own four of them if all goes well :)

Edit 3: Guess who's got two thumbs (currently) and four micro-inverter VFDs! This guy!

#question #whatfor

Mar 1 at 10:29pmWeb
Show threadCharles J Gervasi ⚡🛡️🥥Mar 1
@guyjantic I think they're variable frequency drives (VFDs). I worked near people who worked on them at Motortronics in the 90s. My understanding is they produce the AC at variable frequencies to drive motors at different speeds. I worked on a different product and never got into the details.
Show threadProto Himbo EuropeanMar 1
@cgervasi Thanks! That's more than I understood. I mean, I basically know what an inverter is, but that semi-knowledge wasn't helping me at all.
Show threadSkean Harshly KC1WKVMar 1
@cgervasi @guyjantic i haven't seen these particular ones, but VFD controllers was the first thing that came to mind when i saw them. Used to work at asphalt plants - had VFDs running the conveyor and air handling systems.
Show threadProto Himbo EuropeanMar 1
@dandrumheller @cgervasi They're super cheap, apparently in working condition, and close by, so I think I'll have them running some motors at some point :)
Show threadProto Himbo EuropeanMar 2
@dandrumheller @cgervasi I just bought these. The guy said they came from a conveyor system of a company that shut down in the early 2000s.
Show threadCharles J Gervasi ⚡🛡️🥥Mar 2
@guyjantic @dandrumheller This product was probably a competitor to the products my colleagues at Phasetronics were working on. Does your VFD require 3-phase power and a 3-phase motor?
Show threadBill Plein🌶Mar 1
@guyjantic Thy are used to start and power AC motors. https://www.artisantg.com/info/TB_Woods_XFC2000_5A_Datasheet_2019716121538.pdf
Show threadProto Himbo EuropeanMar 1
@bplein Oh, it's simpler than I thought! I saw another (possibly not same brand?) data sheet and it had lots of tech details but in my scanning I was not seeing anything about powering motors. I'm guessing this is maybe a hardcore, industrial version of the PWM controllers I've used on a couple of Raspberry Pi projects (though apparently for AC not DC motors).
Show threadBill Plein🌶Mar 1
@guyjantic Similar concept. Think industrial motors. I was looking through this datasheet and saw they are tunable across a wide variety of frequencies. Cool stuff.
Show threadProto Himbo EuropeanMar 1
@bplein I have some large(ish) AC motors (e.g., 0.5 - 2 HP), so I'm hoping I can use these. If not... I'll need to get new motors. And a reason to have them. :)
Show threadBill Plein🌶Mar 2
@guyjantic 🤣
Show threadJohnS_AZMar 1
@guyjantic https://www.precision-elec.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/VFD-Electric-Motor-Control-%E2%80%93-A-Comprehensive-Technical-Guide.pdf
Show threadProto Himbo EuropeanMar 1
@JohnS_AZ This is great! Thanks.
Show threadRue MohrMar 1
@guyjantic I think they are battery-bank to AC power converters, they look more like motor controllers (VFD) tho...
Show threadPaul LalondeMar 1
@guyjantic Made to drive 3-phase motors by producing those three phases at different frequencies.
I use them to drive larger stationary tools that can use variable speed: band saw, power hammer, sander/grinder.
Show threadProto Himbo EuropeanMar 2
@Flux Oh, excellent! And now I have four of them, so I'd best buy two more motors.
Show threadCaptMorganMar 2
@guyjantic They convert to DC output. They should have an output lead if you hook up the input to AC power you can measure the voltage of the output
Show threadProto Himbo EuropeanMar 2
@CaptMorgan Ah, this is helpful. I was getting ready to dive into the datasheet, and this will help that endeavor (datasheets are half gibberish to me, who is not an engineer).
Show threadfelixmüdeMar 2

@guyjantic
Typically an inverter could be used to drive 3-ph motors at variable speeds.
I seem to recognize labels for phases L1-3 and motor phases M1-3
Maybe this helps.
https://de.scribd.com/document/445787051/TB-Woods-XFC-Series-datasheet1-177469416-pdf

Good luck with keeping those thumbs!

TB Woods XFC Series Datasheet1 177469416 PDF | PDF | Electric Motor | Horsepower

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Show threadProto Himbo EuropeanMar 2
@KflexK Oh, it definitely helps. Someone else posted more or less the same datasheet, but your explanation adds some details.
Show threadArduinadasMar 3

@guyjantic As others have already said, they are variable frequency drives (VFD).

An VDF is an electronic device used to control the speed and torque of an electric motor by varying the frequency and voltage of its power supply.

The control panel is quite similar to those of another manufacturer: Berges. At the factory where I work we have several of that brand, to control the motors of Heesemann grinding machines.

https://search.pcgaldo.com/search?q=berges%20inverter&language=all&time_range=&safesearch=0&categories=images

Show threadArduinadasMar 3

@guyjantic I think this is the manual:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/Icarus/DOCUMENTS/TBWoods_Manuals_1484.pdf

The E-trAC XFC Series VFD offers:

Speed via analog signal (0-10V, 4-20mA) or keypad.
Up to 8 preset speeds.
Adjustable acceleration/deceleration ramps.
Configurable V/Hz patterns and torque boost/limits.

Show threadArduinadasMar 3
@guyjantic It seems that at that time both brands made a similar model, based on the technology of the Finnish Vacon, today belonging to Danfoss.