- Joined
- Nov 8, 2012
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- 783
When I was in school learning about electricity and motors, there was a saying: "ELI the ICE man".
What this referred to was the difference in Inductive (L) circuits and Capacitive (C) circuits in that Voltage (E) leads Current (I) in an inductive circuit and Current (I) leads Voltage (E) in a capacitive circuit.
In a motor, voltage is basically the force that results in the "PUSH/PULL" capability of the motor. So in an Alternating Current (AC) circuit, voltage builds to a maximum, returns to zero, then builds to a minimum, and returns to zero.
By adding a "Starting Winding" with a capacitor in the circuit, the voltage downstream of the capacitor builds slower than in the "Run" winding circuit. This, in effect, turns your power supply into 2 phases instead of 1.
To picture this, think of riding a tricycle or a bicycle where the pedals are connected directly to the wheel. Think of your legs as the voltage. Now think of trying to start peddling starting on an uphill slope (representing starting load). Now imagine trying to peddle using only one leg.
You can see that if you started on an even slope (no load) or downhill slope (already spinning), this could be possible depending where the peddle was positioned when you started to push. If the peddle started in the down position, you can push all you want, but won't go anywhere.
Now we add the second leg (starting winding), and now we can get going. Once in motion, we can use just the one leg to keep moving.
Yes, on a bicycle, using both legs all the time is easier, but think about it if the peddles were just a few degrees apart instead of 180 degrees apart. That's why the starting winding cuts out once the motor is close to full speed.
This is why a 3 phase motor doesn't require a starting capacitor. In the example, think of 3 peddles 60 degrees apart and three legs doing the peddling. Regardless of where the peddles start out, at least 2 of the legs are able to get it going.
What this referred to was the difference in Inductive (L) circuits and Capacitive (C) circuits in that Voltage (E) leads Current (I) in an inductive circuit and Current (I) leads Voltage (E) in a capacitive circuit.
In a motor, voltage is basically the force that results in the "PUSH/PULL" capability of the motor. So in an Alternating Current (AC) circuit, voltage builds to a maximum, returns to zero, then builds to a minimum, and returns to zero.
By adding a "Starting Winding" with a capacitor in the circuit, the voltage downstream of the capacitor builds slower than in the "Run" winding circuit. This, in effect, turns your power supply into 2 phases instead of 1.
To picture this, think of riding a tricycle or a bicycle where the pedals are connected directly to the wheel. Think of your legs as the voltage. Now think of trying to start peddling starting on an uphill slope (representing starting load). Now imagine trying to peddle using only one leg.
You can see that if you started on an even slope (no load) or downhill slope (already spinning), this could be possible depending where the peddle was positioned when you started to push. If the peddle started in the down position, you can push all you want, but won't go anywhere.
Now we add the second leg (starting winding), and now we can get going. Once in motion, we can use just the one leg to keep moving.
Yes, on a bicycle, using both legs all the time is easier, but think about it if the peddles were just a few degrees apart instead of 180 degrees apart. That's why the starting winding cuts out once the motor is close to full speed.
This is why a 3 phase motor doesn't require a starting capacitor. In the example, think of 3 peddles 60 degrees apart and three legs doing the peddling. Regardless of where the peddles start out, at least 2 of the legs are able to get it going.