I have a 1/4hp, 4.5amp AC motor. I was wondering if it would be possible to add a speed control. Having scoured the internet for an answer to this question, I've become pretty lost. I understand enough about electricity to stay alive but don't get much of the technical jargon. Is there a product with some sort of knob that can be plugged in, then wired to the motor to control its speed?
Single Phase Motor Speed Control
That would work for a little motor like a ceiling fan or a universal motor. For capacitor type motors you would need a variable frequency drive. A variable speed belt drive might be a lot cheaper for your relatively small motor.
This Site Might Help You. RE: How do you change the speed of a 115v AC single phase motor? I have a 1/4hp, 4.5amp AC motor. I was wondering if it would be possible to add a speed control. Having scoured the internet for an answer to this question, I've become pretty lost. I understand enough about electricity to stay alive but don't get much of the technical jargon. Is there...
One way - the crudest - is to install a Resistance in between the origin and the end (series). Other more intelligent ways include transforming the cycle of the AC (120 Volts, 60 cycles) via Capacitors (this will chage the relationship between the Current (I in Amperes) and E (Voltage, in volts). For instance: if they use a big Capacitor in series with the feed of the motor, the Current will increment instantaneously, making the E (voltage to drop considerable). This will change the relationship (the more Amperes) the Less voltage. This will be fed to a circuit that will trigger (let go the charge of the Capacitor, discharging it rapidly and stopping the process in the way), generating a blow, a hit to the motor, that will last a mere fraction of the time interval, but creating enough torque for the motor to continue strong. Then the next pulse, and so forth, hundreds of times a minute. second or whatever. They were originally (they modified them again and again, many times, creating new things all the time!) called pulse motors, then, micro motors, etc Some may suggest to add more poles, but that would debilitate the motor output: more poles, less torque. You need more current, less voltage. This is called the Cosine Phi in this relation. When you change it, you generate torque (strength). All IS a relationship. The latest is brushless AC motors used in the industry to move heavy elements very rapidly and accurately.
