Brushless Motors

Spring 2007

1. Introduction

2. Brushless DC Motor Characteristics

3. Experimental Procedures

4. Report

  1. Experimental Part

a)Connect the driver circuit to the motor as shown in the diagram below.

Be very careful that the sensor leads and the motor leads are correctly connected. You must have your connections checked by the instructor before proceeding. The 50-Ω rheostat, R1, must initially be set to maximum resistance. R2 should remain at 50 Ω throughout the experiments.∂

______

∂ The “A” student will have noted the absence of an Equipment List. By now you should be able to collect a reasonable set of experimental tools with but minimal coaching.

b)We will first view the waveforms of the voltages that are applied to the motor power leads. With the DC wall voltage at 40 VDC as measured by VM1, apply power to the circuit. Adjust R1 to obtain a steady speed of 3000 rpm. Obtain printouts of the voltages between points A, B, C, and chassis ground; also obtain printouts of the A-to-B and A-to-C line-to-line voltages. In both cases, note the relative time displacements and magnitudes of the waveforms.

c)Next we will verify that the no-load motor speed is proportional to applied voltage. Vary the voltage to the motor in 5 volt steps from 0 to 30 volts by using several settings of R1. Record the motor speeds and the VM2 voltages.

d)Finally, we will measure the motor’s speed-torque characteristic. With R1 initially set at 50 Ω, adjust R1 to keep VM2 = 15 VDC as you load the motor with the dynamometer. Record motor speed, torque, VM1, VM2, armature current I, and power for armature currents from minimum to 5 Amps. Do not exceed 5 A. Repeat for VM2 = 30 VDC.

e)With all power connections removed, measure all 3 DC line-to-line motor resistances.

  1. Report

a)Present graphs of the waveforms that you observed in part 3b. Explicitly indicate the relative time displacement and voltage magnitude at each point on the waveform where it makes a significant change. Comment cogently.

b)Present in tabular form the data from part 3c with no-load speed in rpm. Using the data in this table, plot no-load speed (rpm) versus applied voltage. From this plot/data deduce, an approximate functional interrelationship between no-load speed and applied voltage.

c)From the data taken for part 3d, plot the torque (ft-lb) vs. speed (rpm) for the motor with 15 VDC applied. On the same axes, plot also the data for 30 VDC applied. Infer the stall torque of the motor and the no-load speed at both voltages. Comment on their characteristics. Do the graphs match theoretical expectations? A simple “yes” or “no” answer here does not suffice.

d)How would you reverse the direction of rotation of this motor?

e)Calculate the number of magnetic poles that this motor has.

Appendix A

Notes:

  1. Set S4:S1 to [On On OFF On] to put it in Open Loop, 120 degree phase on sensors and Test Mode.
  2. Turn Pot4 all the way counter clockwise. This sets the duty cycle to the maximum.
  3. Short P1-4 to P1-5 and P1-6 to P1-7 to zero out the other inputs to the summing amp.
  4. Run the motor up to 6.2 A and tweak the current limit to reduce the current to 6A. See Datasheet for B15A8 Brushless Servo Amplifier from Advanced Motion Controls for more information.

Brushless Motor --1