Installing A VFD/VSD On A Drill Press

[schuylergrace]

When I was looking into VFDs I did not see any with single phase outputs. Someone else may correct me, but as far as I know these are either single or 3 phase in, and only 3 phase out.

Yes, that's generally the case that most are 1ph or 3ph in and 3ph out. I have never done it, but I assume you could somehow run a universal motor off of a VFD. I imagine that would not be very good thing for either the motor or the VFD, nor the best way to vary the speed of single phase motor.

Here's a good video explaining the operation of a VFD. It covers a few of the basics of electronics (what diodes do, for example), so it's a good lesson even if you aren't electrically savvy. It still goes into a good bit of detail, though, so it's useful even for guys with oscilloscopes on their benches.