[How do I?] Need some help reversing a motor

Maddogmech1

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I didn’t want to hijack someone else’s thread so started a new one. I’m no stranger to messing around with electric motors, but have more experience with 3ph, and dc, which is not helping here.

I acquired a nice unit out of a scrap bin, it’s a single phase, 1hp, hazardous location motor. A.L. Claret is the manufacturer (France). I have a need to run the motor opposite it’s current rotation. Done some reading the past couple nights and it’s sounds easy enough, reverse the polarity of the start winding. Problem is, there are two capacitors wired into this motor, along with some kind of sensor/switch in the bottom under the centrifugal switch (guessing thermal overload switch). So before I go swapping wires around and burning something up, I figured I’d get some opinions from you fine people. IMG_4395.JPG58363166712__EDF9BA95-1616-459D-BFF4-DEAB19A745A4.JPG

I won’t need to change direction of the motor as it’s running a saw, so just need to permanently change direction.


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The nameplate normally explains how to reverse. Is there a nameplate?
 
This is a WAG but on the left side picture showing the 5 wires, I believe swapping the black and white would reverse it- I could be wrong
Do all those white wires from the caps end up joining together as they enter the motor housing? If you could draw up a sketch of the cap/start switch wiring it would help
Mark
ps I worked with a french guy for years, their engineering is "unique":rolleyes:
pss if you swap the run winding that will also reverse it- possibly blue and brown?
 
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This is a WAG but on the left side picture showing the 5 wires, I believe swapping the black and white would reverse it- I could be wrong
Do all those white wires from the caps end up joining together as they enter the motor housing? If you could draw up a sketch of the cap/start switch wiring it would help
Mark
ps I worked with a french guy for years, their engineering is "unique":rolleyes:
pss if you swap the run winding that will also reverse it- possibly blue and brown?

Totally agree on French design, I have several French made machines at work and they always have quite strange ways of doing things. Anyway, here’s my “drawing” lol, obviously I’ve never been to electrician schoolIMG_4399.JPG


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Good drawing. It looks like a toughie, the winding you need access to is inside the "rotor" circle and not easily accessed. Are you willing to either open up the motor further and/or do some testing with a ohmmeter? You would need a meter that has a low ohms range like X1 or similar- even a cheap Radio Shack one would suffice probably
Let me do a quick sketch, give me a sec...
 
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Good drawing. It looks like a toughie, the winding you need access to is inside the "rotor" circle and not easily accessed. Are you willing to either open up the motor further and/or do some testing with a ohmmeter? You would need a meter that has a low ohms range like X1 or similar- even a cheap Radio Shack one would suffice probably

No problems there, I’ve had this motor torn down completely already as the shaft was bent when I got it, had to press back straight. Let me know what info you need, I will meter things out tomorrow after work.

I do appreciate the help


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Here is what I believe you have:
Your mission, if you decide to accept it, is to locate and swap either the run or start winding ends.
(I'm not sure about the brown and green from the thermal button, you may find the brown may go to the run and green to the caps) but the run and start windings are surely tied together and you need to separate them. You may not even need a meter to do this.
Claretmot.jpeg
(The centrifugal switch is normally closed when the motor is at rest)
 
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