Is this better than the 800Watt version?

2.2 KWatt

The one below is what I received today, but I can return it and get the above version. The difference in price is not an issue.

Check out this thread, it has all the info you can possibly want to make a choice between 800kW, 1.5kW, and 2.2kW depending on your needs:

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It just depends. Obviously, if you paid for the more powerful one, you should get that one from the seller. @gmack could comment better if it makes much of an actual difference. It just depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to mill aluminum, you may notice it, although you’ll probably run into rigidity problems first.

Make sure you research and understand the 110v option.

I wouldn’t go there, personally. But, I do not (yet) have a 2.2 spindle. But, when I do, it will definitely be 220v.

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@Griff I don’t see any problem being 110V or 220v. the output power is the result of multiplying the voltage by the amperage. So, for 2.2 KWatt, the 110Volts version will be using more amperage than the 220Volts, the result is the same. So please explain what do you mean when you say “I wouldn’t go there”?

@Julien Why would I need to upgrade my X-axis carriage? the size of the 2.2KWatt spindle is a little taller than the 800Watt, but both have the same diameter, as, for the weight, the difference is very small. My understanding is that the motors that come with the Shapeoko are powerful enough to handle it.

@The_real_janderson Can you please explain what rigidity problems I might run into?

@ispot most professionalls will go with 220v 100% of the time vs 110v. This is due to lower amperage draw.

Say if I run a 1000w appliance on 110v.
It draws 9 amps.
If I run the same appliance on 220v.
It draws 4.5 amps.

This in turn means electricity has to work twice as hard on a 110v system thus creating twice the heat, which will make your coolant system work twice as hard

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@Luke first, I want to thank you for the HDZ, I think it’s worth every penny and it takes my XXL to a much higher level of machinery. Second, I would love to hear your thoughts about my concerns. Should I just stay with what I got, the 800Watt package? or should I return it and get the 2.2KWatt version, as it’s only $40 for much more power?

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@mjmike6988 Thank you for the detailed explanation. My background is electronica & computer science, so, I understand exactly what you’re saying, but I don’t think I should worry much about the heat issue as the spindle is water-cooled with a decent pump. My worries regarding the 220Volts are I don’t know how to get the 220Volts connected to my house? And Also, my understanding is the main reason to look for 220Volts would be to upgrade from a single-phase to a dual-phase or triple-phase which I don’t think I need for a small desktop machine as the Shapeoko.

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If you live in North America, your electrical main to your house and your panel should be 240V for residential power. To get the 240 to your Shapeoko workstation, you need to add a 2 pole breaker to your panel and run your wire (of the proper gauge according to your local code) to your workstation. However, based on your comments, I would suggest that you ask a licensed electrician to do the job.

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What I’m interested in is finding if the 1.5kW spindle/VFD is a suitable option or is it a dead duck i.e.: not much more power and all inconvenience of a larger spindle.

Exactly. Also, I’ve read enough over the past year to convince me that operating any spindle above .8kw on 110v is sub-optimum.

Again, this is just me, my opinion based on my research.

Also, running in 220v circuit to your garage is not difficult, lots of advice out there. Or, have an electrician do it.

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Where did you see that the weight difference is very small ? I did not find the spindle weight info on this Amazon page you linked, only the total package weight, and you can see there is ~5 pounds difference between the 0.8KW version and the 2.2kW version.
Anyway this is irrelevant since I see you will be using the HDZ that can handle even the heavyweight 2.2KW version.

@luc.onthego I live in the NE part of the USA, and the electrical main to my house, and to most residential buildings as I understand, is 110Volts and not 220Volts.

Contact your power company to verify. If its up to code That doesn’t make sense to me. All electrical appliances/ stoves, dryers, water heaters all take 220v power. Not everyone uses gas. So 220v is standard building code. Your main outlets will be 110v, but your house is still 220v. If that makes sense.
You only use one pole for 110v vs using 2 poles for 220v.
Call your electrical supplier

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Yep, like @mjmike6988 said, you absolutely have 240V capability in your house. Electric stoves and driers run off 240V. How they do this is by wiring two “hot” 120V wires together to form a one-phase 240V circuit. This uses two breaker slots and is a piece of cake to have an electrician wire up for you.

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Open up electrical panel. Turn mains off. Remove cover panel from from circuit breakers. Keeping fingers away from everything (there is still power to the back side of the mains) peek inside. You should be able to see two, large copper busses (bars) in the back of the cabinet. Each of those busses carry 110 volts. The circuit breakers alternate contact to one or the other bus to carry power into your home. A 220 circuit will use both, thus 110+110=220.

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Based on the video provided in this post, you’d likely be happier with one of the Jianken (high-end Chinese) spindles “discussed” previously in the thread. Personally I’d opt for the 1100W Italian Technomotor because it supports ER20 collets and should have more than enough power for the Shapeokos. You’d need 220V for it (and most other spindles), but as others have pointed out you probably already have it somewhere (at least at your service entrance panel/meter).

As you know a 15 Amp 110V circuit is capable of providing 1650 Watts, more than twice the power of the 800 Watt spindle - so don’t sweat that. In fact, the VFD would produce less EMI at the lower voltage. The better 220V VFDs have EMI power filters because of that. Note that the Shopbot Desktop Max uses a “1 HP” Italian HSD spindle powered by 110 V.

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Totally your call, over here 2.2kw works really well as we have 240v as standard.

If you can use one, I would :slight_smile:

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It appears that you developed the HDZ at least partially to support heavier spindles, right? The OP reportedly has a HDZ on a XXL machine. Has it been determined that the added weight of the spindle/mount and HDZ are compatible with the standard X and Y Axis drives on the XXL (or even the small machine)?
In contrast, the OP here said that the 800 W spindle “The OEM Z axis will work fine with the spindle motor, weight is very similar and spindle will fit into OEM mouting system with the Makita shim that comes with the Shapeoko.”

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