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Motor running problems

Max Hill

Jun 8, 2015
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Firstly, hi, my names Max, im 16 and living in the uk. Im new to this forum. It looks great
Secondly, I recently dismantled a washing machine and salvaged a motor, I was able to backtrack from the 6 wires leaving the motor and figure out which ones I needed to supply current to and got the spindle spinning. However it has very low torque and I can't figure out why.
I thought that it could be I was not supplying enough power. My supply is one I got from school when they upgraded, its maximum is about 13v and 8.5 amps.
So, any suggestions?
Thanks
Max :)
 

Martaine2005

May 12, 2015
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I think your power supply is a little short on the voltage side.
It is probably a 240v motor.

Is there a label on it giving the specifications?
Tinkering is great but you have to be extremely careful.

Better to 'play' with a 9v or 12v motor on your supply.

EDIT; how rude of me.. Sorry, Hi Max.
 
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Max Hill

Jun 8, 2015
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yeah, i suspected as much.
i must admit i'm rather fearful of anything requiring much more power than my supply can deliver as my experience is relatively limited on that front.
Ill have to dig around on the internet and see if i can find something that delivers slightly more power, where i can maybe find a use for the motor in other aspects of my future projects. ( i also enjoy wood/metal working so maybe it'll come in handy for something else to do with that)
thanks for the help
max:)
 

Martaine2005

May 12, 2015
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Hi Max, you sound very talented.
I am a carpenter and love to tinker too.
I really think your supply is sufficient for most electronic purposes. You don't need more power at all.
You need to play/tinker with things that wont injure you or worse!

If you really want to play with that big motor, take it apart and keep all the copper windings to make small coils for transmitters or spy bugs etc.
Much better to 'play' safe and stay 'safe'

PS that motor hooked up properly could throw an 8x4 sheet of wood 10 meters.
Probably a little exageration, but you get the picture..

All the best and see you around on the forum.
Martin.
 

Minder

Apr 24, 2015
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There has been three kinds of washing machine motors over the years, 1ph induction, Universal and currently a common motor is a Fischer - Paykel BLDC motor which are electronically commutated, IOW the have a dedicated controller to program the RPM.
http://www.fp.fisherpaykel.com/direct-drive-motors/
These are similar in design to the HVAC ECM motors currently in use.
The first two can be hooked up directly to the AC supply.
M.
 
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Max Hill

Jun 8, 2015
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thanks for the kind comments :)
i think i will leave all these high power gadgets alone for a few years as i certainly don't want to zap myself!
its a good idea to dismantle it as well, i will definitely do so, it has a big spindle with two of the biggest bearings i have ever seen on it!
thanks for the wise words
max :)
 

Martaine2005

May 12, 2015
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Not only talented but very wise too!!
Glad to hear it..
Those bearings might come in handy for a metal work project.
 

Minder

Apr 24, 2015
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its a good idea to dismantle it as well, i will definitely do so, it has a big spindle with two of the biggest bearings i have ever seen on it!

max :)

Did you compare it to the Fischer Paykel motor link I posted?
They enable a direct drive system, it does away with the old washing Machine gear box system, they are fairly large in diameter.
M.
 

Max Hill

Jun 8, 2015
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yeah, i think the one i found was one of the single phase induction variety, however i think ill dismantle it for parts
thanks for the great help and wise words guys, a great introduction to the welcoming nature and kindness of the forum and its members!!
 

hevans1944

Hop - AC8NS
Jun 21, 2012
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I don't know how they do it in Great Britain, but here in the states the washing machine motors are generally reversible. One way to agitate, the other way to spin, and usually at least two speeds too. Some sort of one-way sprag clutch mechanism does the gear shift when rotation reverses. Mechanical and electrical nightmare.

I just purchased last year a new washer when the one I had been using for twenty-something years quit working. I didn't really want to work on it. But after the new one was installed I flipped the old one over and discovered one of two drive belts was worn out and slipping. Would spin up okay but the slipping resulted in almost no torque on the agitator. My wife eventually complained that she had to run clothes through at least three wash and rinse cycles, and even then they didn't really come out clean. So we went out and bought a new washer. The next weekend I bought replacement drive belts (seems you can always get parts for Maytag washers!) and replaced the old ones. The old washer now sits in the garage, still as good as the day I purchased it, ready to step in if the new one fails. No electronics on either washer: a mechanical timer and cam-operated switches to control the wash and spin cycles.

If you know nothing about motors and mains wiring, it is excellent advice to take your motor apart and save whatever parts look like they might be useful. This is also pretty good advice if you know everything there is worth knowing about motors and mains wiring. Save your dirty hands for working in the garden. It's much more productive, and safer too.
 

Minder

Apr 24, 2015
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I don't know how they do it in Great Britain, but here in the states the washing machine motors are generally reversible. One way to agitate, the other way to spin, and usually at least two speeds too. Some sort of one-way sprag clutch mechanism does the gear shift when rotation reverses. Mechanical and electrical nightmare.

Unless you buy the very basic models, the N.A. appliances now use a version of the F-P, electronically commutated motor, we just bought a new G.E. pair it is super quiet in operation.
M.
 

Martaine2005

May 12, 2015
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No electronics on either washer

Hi Hop
That seems like a great way for another long life washer..
The computerised all singing all dancing machines ' appear ' to be programmed to break down a week after the warranty expires. THEN, a new board costs the same price as a new washer, dryer, microwave, fridge and led tv !!!!
 

hevans1944

Hop - AC8NS
Jun 21, 2012
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It's really hard to avoid shoddy electronics appliances these days. It used to be if something broke during the warranty period you could take it back to the seller for replacement or repair. Not anymore. You have to jump through all sorts of hoops to get warranty "service" nowadays. Easier to buy another appliance, and learn from your mistake not to buy that particular model or brand again.

A year or so ago we bought a GE Profile "Inverter Technology" microwave oven. 1200 watts, motorized turntable, lots of different heating modes, all-electronic touch controls and numeric display... what's not to like? It worked faultlessly up until one day it wouldn't start. Jiggling the door handle up and down while it was closed (poor hinge design) sometimes got it going again until one day no amount of jiggling would get it to run. My wife was all in favor of pitching it at the local electronics re-cycling dump and purchasing a different brand. Instead I opened it up to discover that the two door interlock switches were mounted on such flimsy sheet-metal strips that the switches had been pushed out of position by the two door-latching prongs that actuate (or in my case, didn't actuate) the switches. Solution? Wedge in a stiff metal strip to force the switch assemblies' mounting strip back into position. Voila! Microwave works like new. Lately the no-start malfunction has been re-asserted, except now the door handle jiggling seems to more or less reliably work. A real PITA though if all you want to do is re-heat a cup of coffee or nuke a hotdog for thirty seconds. Probably one of the strips has become bent and I need to revisit my solution.

The strip I used to kludge up a "repair" is commonly found on desktop PCs and is used to cover slots in the PC case when there is no circuit board installed at that position. I just hack-sawed off the little "L"-shaped end and filed the remainder to fit the length required to push the switches back into position to make the interlock switches work again. For some reason the door-latch prongs require a substantial force on an internal lever (said lever also operating the interlock switch) to latch the door closed. The added metal strip stiffens the switch mounting bracket to allow it to resist this excessive force. Bad mechanical design on the part of GE, but it probably saved them a few cents on the production cost of each microwave oven.

Will I ever buy this product from this manufacturer again? Probably not. I rate it right down there with the GE "blue" light bulbs that are supposed to provide a more "realistic" incandescent illumination, but instead feature short life and a tendency to explode when mounted in an overhead ceiling fan... at least in my kitchen. Maybe my kitchen "doesn't like" GE products.:rolleyes:
 

Minder

Apr 24, 2015
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. Maybe my kitchen "doesn't like" GE products.:rolleyes:

You may have a problem finding a manufacturer using unique parts.
When sourcing parts for appliances in the past, I found many parts that covered different makes and models.;)
M.
 
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