220V → 380V phase converter: when to take it, when better swap the motor
Customers come with a typical job: only single-phase 220 V is available on site, the motor is 3-phase 380 V (old Soviet pump, USSR-era machine tool, compressor). No off-the-shelf 380 V supply, requesting 3-phase from the utility takes months and costs. This is where a 1x220 → 3x380 VFD is the answer. It doubles the voltage internally through the DC link and outputs 3-phase 380 V. Typical customer this year: farmers with a 1.5-2.2 kW borehole pump motor, country-house owners with a compressor, small repair shops with a Soviet machine tool, field service crews.
Hard limit: 1x220 → 3x380 models exist only up to 2.2 kW. Beyond that physics says no: single-phase 220 V with a 25-32 A breaker delivers a maximum of 5-6 kW active power, and inside the VFD there are 20-30% losses on the DC boost stage. If the motor is 4 kW or more, two options: install a 1x220 → 3x220 VFD and rewire the motor to delta (with a 1.7x power derating), or get proper 3-phase from the grid. Note: do not confuse this with 1x220 → 3x220 VFDs; their output is 220 V, not 380 V.
Which models we ship in 9 out of 10 cases
From real stock: Hitachi NES1 and WJ200 at 0.7, 1.5, and 2.2 kW. NES1-007SBE, NES1-015SBE, NES1-022SBE: economy line, basic V/f control, enough for a pump or fan. WJ200-007SF, WJ200-015SF, WJ200-022SF: sensorless-vector series with extra IO, encoder support, better for a machine tool or shock-load compressor. 2-year warranty, usually in stock; worst case 7-10 days from the European warehouse. Please ask before paying, the SKU is rare and stock can be empty.
Before paying we clarify. First: exact motor power and nameplate current. A 2.2 kW motor with Imax 5 A is fine, at 7 A we already ship a 3 kW VFD with margin. Second: customer mains. Single-phase 220 V with at least a 25 A C-curve breaker, 4 mm² copper cable. With a 16 A breaker a 2.2 kW VFD will sag the mains at start. Third: load type. Pump or fan is easier; shock-load compressor is on the edge. 1-3 day delivery from our Kyiv warehouse, 2-year warranty.
Manufacturers in our stock
- Hitachi (NES1, WJ200): the only true 1x220 → 3x380 line in our catalog
- Alternative: 1x220 → 3x220 from Veichi (AC10, AC01) and INVT (GD10, GD20, GD27) with motor rewired to delta
