Can VFD Cables Really Eliminate Noise?
You may have heard us talking about using VFD
cable in your installations and wondered if this is really worth it or just
some new form of snake oil. So, we setup a test in our shop to prove this
out.
For a baseline test, we used standard 600v SOOW cord, just like everyone uses. You can see on the scope that there is noise emitted from the cable. This is a small amount of radiated noise, but we are only running a 480v 1/2hp motor with no load, so the current is very small. If this were a larger motor, this noise level would be much higher. This noise could affect sensitive electronics and sensors in proximity to the cable.
Now we am testing this same setup but using SAB’s VFD Lean cable and SAB EMC rated cord grip. We have wired the cable to the variable frequency drive per the drive manual. As you can see, we still have the same noise at the drive terminal. But once we cross the shield and grounding strap, the noise is eliminated. Wouldn’t you know it, a Faraday cage actually works!
We hope this demonstration shed some light on what seems to be a little known fact. If you have any questions on this, or would like more information, give us a call, we’d be happy to help.