To all thread replies: I truly appreciate your efforts, and I honestly do appreciate people trying to help one another out. However, with that being said, and with utmost respect to our older ones in the community, I feel I must give a reply.
When I said I am a newbie to electronics, I meant a newbie to electronics. I work with million dollar devices (Heat wheels, cooling towers, high and low pressure chillers, MUA's, boilers, generators, etc), operate millions of btu boilers and generators, work on devices that operate with thousands of pounds of refrigerant, diagnose and actively work on 4160 V chillers. I have been flown across Canada for my expertise in controls, and I have aided in the design of large scale commercial control systems. There are less that 20 people across Canada that hold my licenses. I would however, like to learn about electronics. Let us review my initial scope of work. I feel I was quite clear. Specifically, I am asking for help in determining the specifications required for an oscilloscope to work on a 600/3/60 system. KeepItSimpleStupid aided, and I appreciate his help. I have not asked for safety guides (and definitely not 6 layers of them). I am honestly disappointed in those comments specifically. I will not go into detail as I do not think it would be appropriate.
However, I am quite surprised by the responses. We do understand that there are companies that make, test, and repair these VFD's, right? The ones who made the equipment (MGI, Armstrong, Vacon, etc) definitely would. Therefore, they would need equipment to do so. I have asked what type of equipment they would use.
Further to my surprise, not a single person commented on the distortion comment. I am shocked there was not a comment regarding the frequencies of the triplens in the harmonics, and the requirements on the scope in order to do so.
Disregarding the lack of satisfying answers directly related to the thread and the questions directly asked, I feel comfortable to jump to the overwhelming concerns regarding safety. As for ground reference, a true isolation transformer, with a wye secondary and the tie point obviously grounded, we would eliminate the ground concern. Further to this, the thread was asking about testing a VFD, not the motor. A simple replacement of the motor leads at the ouput of the switching circuit, say with any known load that would draw .5 amps on a known voltage, would eliminate high currents and would still allow me to test the VFD, assuming it was the VFD at fault. And, as stated in the very first paragraph of the thread, the goal was clearly stated to test the three main components of the board without removing them from the PCB. A additional goal, as stated if possible, would have been to see and diagnose harmonics.
This is a thread from Yokogawa (A VFD manufacturer)

. In the video, they show an oscilloscope. I will look up the manufacturers datasheet regarding the specs of the device, and read a book regarding what those specs mean, and then determine what I need.
Besides KeepItSimple's comments, I have found this forum quite frustrating, and I'm truly disappointed in these responses considering how much I've enjoyed this website's tutorials. It will be my aim to remove myself as a member.

 

To all thread replies: I truly appreciate your efforts, and I honestly do appreciate people trying to help one another out. However, with that being said, and with utmost respect to our older ones in the community, I feel I must give a reply.
When I said I am a newbie to electronics, I meant a newbie to electronics. I work with million dollar devices (Heat wheels, cooling towers, high and low pressure chillers, MUA's, boilers, generators, etc), operate millions of btu boilers and generators, work on devices that operate with thousands of pounds of refrigerant, diagnose and actively work on 4160 V chillers. I have been flown across Canada for my expertise in controls, and I have aided in the design of large scale commercial control systems. There are less that 20 people across Canada that hold my licenses. I would however, like to learn about electronics. Let us review my initial scope of work. I feel I was quite clear. Specifically, I am asking for help in determining the specifications required for an oscilloscope to work on a 600/3/60 system. KeepItSimpleStupid aided, and I appreciate his help. I have not asked for safety guides (and definitely not 6 layers of them). I am honestly disappointed in those comments specifically. I will not go into detail as I do not think it would be appropriate.
However, I am quite surprised by the responses. We do understand that there are companies that make, test, and repair these VFD's, right? The ones who made the equipment (MGI, Armstrong, Vacon, etc) definitely would. Therefore, they would need equipment to do so. I have asked what type of equipment they would use.
Further to my surprise, not a single person commented on the distortion comment. I am shocked there was not a comment regarding the frequencies of the triplens in the harmonics, and the requirements on the scope in order to do so.
Disregarding the lack of satisfying answers directly related to the thread and the questions directly asked, I feel comfortable to jump to the overwhelming concerns regarding safety. As for ground reference, a true isolation transformer, with a wye secondary and the tie point obviously grounded, we would eliminate the ground concern. Further to this, the thread was asking about testing a VFD, not the motor. A simple replacement of the motor leads at the ouput of the switching circuit, say with any known load that would draw .5 amps on a known voltage, would eliminate high currents and would still allow me to test the VFD, assuming it was the VFD at fault. And, as stated in the very first paragraph of the thread, the goal was clearly stated to test the three main components of the board without removing them from the PCB. A additional goal, as stated if possible, would have been to see and diagnose harmonics.
This is a thread from Yokogawa (A VFD manufacturer)

. In the video, they show an oscilloscope. I will look up the manufacturers datasheet regarding the specs of the device, and read a book regarding what those specs mean, and then determine what I need.
Besides KeepItSimple's comments, I have found this forum quite frustrating, and I'm truly disappointed in these responses considering how much I've enjoyed this website's tutorials. It will be my aim to remove myself as a member.

It is unfortunate that you have been surprised by the responses. Vast majority of people here are either hobbyist, students or technicians, there are a few engineers. I put myself into the tech category, I have actually installed VFD and wired it to motors, but the highest I have done is 480/3/60 and those motors were .5 to 1.5 HP. The current job that I am involved in has 3 10-20 HP motors 480/3/60, they are driven by AB PowerFlex 525 motor controllers. So while I have installed the VFD, I have never actually troubleshooted/repaired one. It seems to me that this area if fairly specific and there is not a lot of people who practice it.

 

You come to a forum where 99% of the questions are from students and recent grads.
You ask a simple question about a special use for an Oscope
Then act offended when you get answers that assume you are inexperienced.
Bite me boss man. You got exactly the answers your first question inspired. If all that "I've got a license only 20 other people have" stuff was really needed for us to know before answering your question you should have told us.

 

Hi all. Newbie here, but love electronics. I wouldn't be able to replace a single component that would affect the IGBT firing, mostly it's too complicated for me at this point, Again, I feel limited at this time, just because I'm a newbie!

I always try to address the poster on the level from which he seems to be operating. You presented yourself as a beginner and were given answers that were appropriate for a beginner. Now you complain? That sounds less like beginner and more like Troll.

 

This worries me. It sounds like you are saying that buying a lower voltage rating on the scope will reduce the voltage on the motors.
Another thing that worries me is the fact that 440V will vaporize a screwdriver and 600 VAC is even scarier.
I'm an old fart, so I would use my 20 MHz analog scope as if I expect a motor drive has no need to get to even 1 MHz.
What I wouldn't do is stick a scope probe into 600 to 900 volts.
I'm really afraid you are going to be dead before the year is finished.

Ha ha, see my recent post re Am i out of touch.....