Home-made electrical motor not running

[S_Noakes]

Ok , so I think you should redesign your motor somewhat, first of all why need the nuts in the first place ? If you mean to stop axial movement then I suggest simply buy some small ball bearings like the guy in the video , they will give you much less friction and also work as axial stops.

As for the commutator I'll give you a hint see if you can figure it out, it should be oriented in such a way so that the current goes in the coils and the coil S pole is attracted to the stator magnet N pole and coil N pole is attracted to stator magnet S pole, the moment your rotor has turned to the position where it's S pole is directly towards stator N pole and vice versa the current should stop, because as the rotor will try to move past this position due to inertia you don't want the current to still be applied in the same direction as that would pull the rotor back to the position is already was in.

So you want your current ON when the rotor is 90 degrees away from your stator pole and you want it OFF when it has reached the stator pole and is exactly at it , then the inertia moves the rotor further where it again reaches the position of being 90 degrees away from stator poles and now your current is applied in opposite direction and the rotor again moves in place, the current shuts off once more and the cycle repeats from starting position.

I wanted to use ball bearings, but couldn’t really find any locally, and shipping for most of these parts takes upwards of two weeks to reach my location.

I think I understand what your saying about the commutator, I’ll look at it and see what I can do.

 

[artis]

Also the commutator contacts don't need to be as long , they can have more insulation distance between them , this way you will make sure the current is supplied only at the right moment and the current feeding wires don't overlap on both plates during each rotation which brings a moment of short circuit.

 

[S_Noakes]

Also the commutator contacts don't need to be as long , they can have more insulation distance between them , this way you will make sure the current is supplied only at the right moment and the current feeding wires don't overlap on both plates during each rotation which brings a moment of short circuit.

thanks for the advice.

I’m using copper wire for the contacts, and have them touching the commutator at 180 degrees apart.

 

[artis]

@S_Noakes ok let me make this simpler for you , your magnets are horizontally placed, take your rotor and place it so that the bolt and coils are situated vertically , which would mean 90 degrees away from your horizontal magnets. Now in this position apply the commutator plates in such a way that the current wires touch the plates only at the beginning of this moment when the rotor is in the vertical position, then make the plates only as long so that the wires touch them until the rotor moves 90 degrees and the bolts are matching the horizontal magnets, at this moment the current wires should stop touching the plates, then there should be a moment where the wires are not touching the plates and they should begin to touch them only after the rotor has moved 90 degrees more and is again in the vertical position.

see the simple paint file i attached, the brown wires are your current wires , the commutator is the green part, magnets red squares.

 

[S_Noakes]

@S_Noakes ok let me make this simpler for you , your magnets are horizontally placed, take your rotor and place it so that the bolt and coils are situated vertically , which would mean 90 degrees away from your horizontal magnets. Now in this position apply the commutator plates in such a way that the current wires touch the plates only at the beginning of this moment when the rotor is in the vertical position, then make the plates only as long so that the wires touch them until the rotor moves 90 degrees and the bolts are matching the horizontal magnets, at this moment the current wires should stop touching the plates, then there should be a moment where the wires are not touching the plates and they should begin to touch them only after the rotor has moved 90 degrees more and is again in the vertical position.

see the simple paint file i attached, the brown wires are your current wires , the commutator is the green part, magnets red squares.View attachment 291198

Thanks!

The picture helps. My commutator “cuts” are aligned with the coils. If I understand correctly, my commutator needs to be rotated so that they can operate in the manner above. I think the commutator halves need to be smaller as well

Sorry about this. This is all kind of new to me.

Below is how my motor is currently set up. I’ll make changes like a new bolt and adjust the commutator, and then get back to you all.

thanks for all the help!

 

[artis]

Yup @S_Noakes your drawing of the commutator shows it's wrong. as it turns and reaches the horizontal magnets the metal plates are still connected , so now your motor becomes an electromagnet , the poles just stick to the magnets and stay there because the current doesn't end ,
well it might end on a second thought but that depends on the speed of the rotor , if the plates are too close , they might short circuit the wires.

 

[S_Noakes]

Yup @S_Noakes your drawing of the commutator shows it's wrong. as it turns and reaches the horizontal magnets the metal plates are still connected , so now your motor becomes and electromagnet , the poles just stick to the magnets and stay there because the current doesn't end , is not switched off at that moment.

Do you see your own mistake ?

Yes, I do. Thanks. That explains what my motor has been doing. I'll make the changes. Thanks for walking me through that.

 

[artis]

@S_Noakes on a second thought you don;t have to completely redo the whole thing, you can leave it almot as in your drawing but make the plates shorter at first , so there is more gap of insulation and the wires don't arc through.
Also position them such that the moment the rotor pole reaches exactly at the stator magnet the current is switched off , then a little bit of dead time/ insulation and only then the current switches on again to pull the rotor further.

The moment the rotor pole reaches the stator magnet is crucial because if the current stays ON for even a bit longer then it drags the rotor back and this is like "one step forward, half step back" kind of situation.

 

[Averagesupernova]

I built an electric motor similar to the one in question in this thread. My commutator plated were positioned exactly as the ones in this motor. It ran fine.

 

[S_Noakes]

I built an electric motor similar to the one in question in this thread. My commutator plated were positioned exactly as the ones in this motor. It ran fine.

Were there any other major differences between my motor and your motor?

 

[Rive]

I think this stainless thing is a dead end. In this configuration even a wood stick should work - to be honest, it should work better than real magnetic material.
Check/switch the polarity of the contacts.

 

[S_Noakes]

I think this stainless thing is a dead end. In this configuration even a wood stick should work - to be honest, it should work better than real magnetic material.
Check/switch the polarity of the contacts.

Switching polarity through the contacts has no discernible effect. The magnets will vibrate slightly and the motor will get hot. That’s it.

 

[Rive]

Without current running, how much force is needed to turn the rotor from horizontal to vertical?
Also,by any chance do you have the usual stuff (iron dust and paper) to actually check/display magnetic fields?

 

[S_Noakes]

Without current running, how much force is needed to turn the rotor from horizontal to vertical?
Also,by any chance do you have the usual stuff (iron dust and paper) to actually check/display magnetic fields?

Almost no resistance unmoving the rotor from horizontal to vertical.

no, I don’t have iron dust. Where would I get some?

 

[Rive]

Practically everything what can be a problem was already mentioned. So maybe it's time to actually see those lines.
My bet is on your rotor, though. Something is fishy there...

 

[Averagesupernova]

Were there any other major differences between my motor and your motor?

My motor had a wound field. .75 inch wide x .25 inch thick bent in a U shape wound with doorbell wire. The field was wound in such a way as to be continuous windings in the same direction. However, I skipped winding on the base of the U in order to run screws through it for mounting. Armature was a dowel with a hole drilled and a .25 inch bolt driven through the hole. It was also wound continuously in one direction. It's still around, I'll dig for it.

 

[tech99]

I have had a lot of difficulty making model motors, but the following link shows a design which is simple and easy to make.

 

[Averagesupernova]

Switching polarity through the contacts has no discernible effect. The magnets will vibrate slightly and the motor will get hot. That’s it.

At one point you mentioned a 9V battery. You also mentioned using a wal-wart. Vibration indicates you are using an AC source.

 

[Baluncore]

Switching polarity through the contacts has no discernible effect. The magnets will vibrate slightly and the motor will get hot. That’s it.

When not rotating, the armature gets hot because the current is limited only by the wire resistance and supply source resistance. When rotating, the current and therefore the magnetic field through the armature is alternated by the commutator, so armature inductance then limits the current.
The magnetic iron core is needed to increase the inductance of the rotating armature.

You will need a better armature, or better bearings and a lower voltage.

The silly RPM readings in the video are probably due to six reflections per revolution of the armature, two from the bolt ends and four from the hexagon sides. There are too many possibilities for errors there.

 

[Averagesupernova]

Collected a bit of dust over the years but you should get the idea. I didn't really have much to go by when I built this, I just tried it in a way I thought it should work and it did. 6 volt lantern battery gets it moving fast enough. Not balanced all that well so it wasn't something to just let run. Series wound so it will over speed easily.

 

[artis]

@Averagesupernova wow I like your motor, the dusty looks of it and the wooden shaft it just seems like a museum example from the time of Nikola Tesla. It almost has that feel that it was found by archeologists.
#Iron age electronics
Was that a school project from long ago?

Switching polarity through the contacts has no discernible effect. The magnets will vibrate slightly and the motor will get hot. That’s it.

If this type of motor does that - vibrates without ever turning a single rotation then it can only be because you applied AC instead of DC to it. Check whether your power supply that you mentioned is DC output or AC.

 

[Averagesupernova]

@Averagesupernova wow I like your motor, the dusty looks of it and the wooden shaft it just seems like a museum example from the time of Nikola Tesla. It almost has that feel that it was found by archeologists.
#Iron age electronics
Was that a school project from long ago?

I've felt 'old' for a while now, but your comment makes me feel really old. Lol. I was very interested in electricity as a kid and it was just a project I wanted to do. I modified several world book encyclopedia projects and this is the result.

 

[artis]

I've felt 'old' for a while now, but your comment makes me feel really old. Lol. I was very interested in electricity as a kid and it was just a project I wanted to do. I modified several world book encyclopedia projects and this is the result.

I'm sorry for making you feel old, I meant just a nice humor, but hey don't worry we all will get there.
Anyway the wooden shaft probably made the whole thing vibrate like an "earthquake machine"

 

[Averagesupernova]

I'm sorry for making you feel old, I meant just a nice humor, but hey don't worry we all will get there.
Anyway the wooden shaft probably made the whole thing vibrate like an "earthquake machine"

Don't worry about making me feel old. Every now and then we all need a reminder. It didn't move across the table as it ran but the small nails driven into the ends of the shaft are a concern for loosening up when it gets up to speed.

 

[Shane Kennedy]

Summary:: For school, I am trying to make an electric motor. When I try to apply power across the commutator however, it will either twitch a little bit or do nothing at all.

Here are the details. I started with a nut and bolt, and drilled a hole down the center of it. I inverted and glued into place a carbon fiber rod in the hole. I glued a bit on the end of the bolt. I wrapped magnet wire around the bolt on each side of the rod 400 times. I made a commutator using brass, and soldered one end of the wire to each side. The separation in the commutator is lined up the the bolt head and nut.

For magnets, I am using two small (but strong) magnets per side.

For power, I am using a 9-volt battery with copper wires connected to it. I’m touching the copper wires against the commutator 180 degrees apart.

The structure is made out of aluminum, if that matters.

What am I doing wrong? Am I missing anything obvious?

let me know if you want more info or pictures.

View attachment 291165
View attachment 291166View attachment 291167

 

[sophiecentaur]

I expect the cheapest soft iron bolt

I wouldn't have a clue where to get hold of one of them. The only soft iron you can get hold of easily is the laminations in a transformer kit and real horse shoe nails, which are extremely bendy (from craft shops as well as farriers, I think). Mild steel is what hardware and DIY shops sell and will do just as well so the OP needn't be chasing all over to get Iron.

It's staggering what problems that 'beginners' projects present when wound components are involved. It's so often either down to open or short circuits. It wasn't a problem in my childhood when the available wire was cotton covered.

I remember when I was teaching secondary Science, there were some truly horrible 'Electric Motor Kits' which the kids were expected to wind, assemble and run. A real nightmare and it used to involve me leaning over each group of kids and manually holding wires to a naff commutator arrangement to get each motor to turn. I bet other UK teachers will recognise my experience with those pesky motor kits.

 

[StandardsGuy]

Summary:: For school, I am trying to make an electric motor. When I try to apply power across the commutator however, it will either twitch a little bit or do nothing at all.

Here are the details. I started with a nut and bolt, and drilled a hole down the center of it. I inverted and glued into place a carbon fiber rod in the hole. I glued a bit on the end of the bolt. I wrapped magnet wire around the bolt on each side of the rod 400 times. I made a commutator using brass, and soldered one end of the wire to each side. The separation in the commutator is lined up the the bolt head and nut.

For magnets, I am using two small (but strong) magnets per side.

For power, I am using a 9-volt battery with copper wires connected to it. I’m touching the copper wires against the commutator 180 degrees apart.

The structure is made out of aluminum, if that matters.

What am I doing wrong? Am I missing anything obvious?

let me know if you want more info or pictures.

View attachment 291165
View attachment 291166View attachment 291167

I don't see any brush contacts. You haven't finished it yet.

 

[Baluncore]

Mild steel is what hardware and DIY shops sell and will do just as well so the OP needn't be chasing all over to get Iron.

One manufacturer who wanted to make the best electromagnets purchased 100 tonne of electrical steel for the first production run. Their first magnets would not turn off because of hysteresis in the steel. When they used the much cheaper (and easier to machine) mild steel, (as originally specified), the problem was resolved. That was a good example of management thinking more expensive material would be better, when the converse was true.

In the case for this OP motor, the 304 stainless steel bolt seemed like a good idea at the time. At least it was easier to drill the hole through the shank than it would have been with a 316 SS bolt. But a mild steel bolt would have been easier still. Unfortunately the cheapest black bolts are no longer available in hardware stores, they are all plated with zinc, which is conductive, reduces AC magnet efficiency, and slows the magnetisation. Maybe experiment later with a dip in an acid (such as rust converter), to remove the zinc, might make a difference.

Horseshoe nails were once cut with a cold chisel from wrought iron, which was the closest thing to pure iron. Wrought iron could be forge welded with a hammer, but was more expensive than mild steel. Now that electric welding is used for fabrication, wrought iron has faded into history, and cheaper mild steel products are stronger for the same weight. Electric welding also replaced soft iron rivets in about 1940, doing away with another source of magnet core.

It's staggering what problems that 'beginners' projects present when wound components are involved. It's so often either down to open or short circuits. It wasn't a problem in my childhood when the available wire was cotton covered.

It was for me. I wound my first unsuccessful electromagnet with double strength button thread, because it was the closest I could find to DCC. Later I met a technician who, while following the same book, had done exactly the same thing.

 

[sophiecentaur]

It was for me. I wound my first unsuccessful electromagnet with double strength button thread, because it was the closest I could find to DCC. Later I met a technician who, while following the same book, had done exactly the same thing.

It's amazing how this sort of error is not always spotted by people who should know better. I used to find that my fellow (by no means dumb) Science teachers were really rubbish at fault finding and getting experiments to work. At least we had two Lab Techs who could usually dig them out.