steamer wrote:
--Looking for a variable frequency drive, A/C but I don't need a
huge one. The application is to drive something other than a huge motor (I'm
fooling around with frequency-controlled color change of electroluminescent
wire) so something that can drive a small motor is all I need. Anyone got a
recommendation?

A VFD is probably a bad choice. They typically work at a fundamental
frequency higher than 60 Hz, switching that wave on and off in various
fashions (i.e. PWM or PCM) to emulate the lower frequencies. The motor
load filters out the higher frequencies.

Since the EL wire responds to frequencies up to 5 kHz, you might find
that the switching frequency of the VFD is dominant. So no matter how
you dial the frequency setting on the VFD, the EL wire may act the same.
You could add a big inductor to the circuit to filter out the high
frequencies, and the EL wire might work as advertised.

I left a lot of stuff out, so my explanation is probably not
crystal-clear. But I'd advise against investing in a VFD unless you can
try it with your EL wire first.

--
Dave
dvt at psu dot edu

Everyone confesses that exertion which brings out all the powers of body
and mind is the best thing for us; but most people do all they can to
get rid of it, and as a general rule nobody does much more than
circumstances drive them to do. -Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionist and
novelist (1811-1896)