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by Bob
Perrin
Start
• A Few Words on Words
• The DC Motor • Polyphase
AC Motors • Single-Phase
AC Motors • Winding Down
• Sources and PDF
WINDING DOWN
So there you have it,
a brief introduction to motor technology. I hope
this article inspires you to acquire one or more
of the references listed at the end of this article
and delve a little further into the fascinating
topic of motors.
I do my best learning
by doing. Reading books on a topic is great, but
things really gel for me when I get my hands on
something physical. I highly recommend going out
and getting a half dozen motors and tearing them
down.
Besides just being
a fun thing to do, you’ll see firsthand how motor
construction is truly an art. Every time I look
at one of the stators I have laying around my desk,
I’m amazed at the ingenuity that went into its conception
and fabrication.
Fifty years ago, the
majority of electrical engineers could, if asked,
speak coherently about motor construction and operation.
They could discuss the various tradeoffs associated
with motor design. Today, we find motors in everything
from automobile mirrors to wristwatches, but when
many of today’s engineers are asked about how motors
operate, they can only mumble a few incoherent words
and try to quickly change the subject.
A technology as matured
and ubiquitous as motor theory demands more than
a passing nod from today’s electrical engineers.
After all, the world still expects the average engineer
to be nothing less than a jack-of-all-trades.
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MOTORS:
A LOST ART