Simple Tests To Assure Proper DC Motor Performance
polarity, brushholder spacing, setting
By Tom Bishop, P.E.
EASA Technical Support Specialist
Editor’s Note: Following is the first
of a two-part article that describes
several simple tests to perform that can
help make sure a DC motor operates
properly. To learn more on this subject,
EASA’s “Fundamentals of DC
Operation and Repair Tips” seminar
includes dozens of other tests and tips.
This seminar will be offered next
March 18-19 in Denver. Watch
upcoming issues of CURRENTS for
more details.
***
There are many tests that can be
performed on a DC motor to verify
the integrity of windings, correct coil
polarities and proper running perfor-
mance. What we will address in this
article are a select few simple tests
that can help assure a motor operates
properly when the customer applies it.
Our intent is not to oversimplify and
suggest that performing these tests
alone is all that is required for an
effective repair. Rather, the intent is to
highlight some tests that give a
maximum return for the time invested
in testing.
The tests we will cover are drop
testing fields, checking interpole
polarity, checking compound field
shorted. However, variations in the
neutral and two-way run testing. All
of these tests can usually be per-
formed with the motor assembled,
although in some cases the end
bracket on the commutator end may
need to be removed to access the field
lead connections.
Drop Testing Fields (Shunt,
Series, Interpoles)
Shorted shunt fields can cause the
motor to operate erratically, vary in
speed, or may cause armature current
and/or speed to increase. Shorted
series fields may cause the motor
speed to vary more than normal; and
shorted interpoles often cause
sparking (sometimes severe) at the
brushes. The most common test to
detect shorted fields is the drop test.
The drop test can be performed
using AC or DC voltage. For an AC
drop test, the tolerance is that the coils
be balanced within 10% of the
average. For the DC drop test, the
tolerance is reduced to +/- 5% of the
average. The drawback to the DC drop
test is that it relies on Ohms Law to
detect shorted turns. With a tolerance
of +/- 5%, a coil with 1000 turns could
have a short between two turns less
than 50 turns apart, and still be within
tolerance (50/1000 = 0.05, or 5%).
The AC drop test is more suitable
than the DC drop test in probing for
shorted coil turns. Shorted turns in a
coil act like a closed secondary on a
transformer. The voltage drop
variation with shorted coils is often
quite dramatic, typically much greater
than the acceptance judgment value.
That makes the AC test the preferred
drop test method. Typically 120 (or
240) volts AC is applied to the shunt
field circuit and the voltage drop
across each coil is measured. A
variation from average of greater than
10% is an indicator that a coil is
EASA CURRENTS ■ May 2004
magnetic circuit can lead to unequal
drop test voltages even though the
coils are sound.
If a coil tests shorted by the AC
drop test method, it should be
removed from the pole piece, if
possible, and comparison tested to
another removed coil that has tested
satisfactory and is also separate from
its pole piece. The reason for this is
that iron differences, such as a split in
the frame or even a terminal box
opening, can affect the AC drop test.
Some other examples that illustrate
iron differences are:
• Coils placed flat on a concrete floor
may be affected by the proximity of
reinforcing rod in the floor.
• Coils placed on a steel frame table
may be affected by the proximity
of the steel framework.
• Field coils placed side-by-side for
testing may indicate a difference in
the coils at each end, since they do
not have the same amount of iron
on both sides.
• Sometimes, a shorted coil will
cause a lower test value for the
coils immediately adjacent to it.
AC voltage drop testing of
interpoles, series or compensating
windings can be done using an AC
welder if the service center test panel
can not supply the low voltage
necessary to limit the current to below
rated amperes. Typically, the voltage
needed is less than 120 volts. The
voltage drop test with lower voltage
uses the same acceptance criteria as
higher voltage; however, the lower
coil voltage values must be measured
more precisely.
Because many of these high
current coils have relatively few turns,
a coil-to-coil resistance comparison
may also reveal shorted turns. The
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 Simple Tests To Assure Proper DC Motor Performance
Continued From Page 1
resistance to be measured is very low,
typically requiring a digital low
resistance ohmmeter (DLRO) capable
of reading into the milli- or micro-ohm
range. A variation in excess of 5%
from average for any one coil is an
indicator of either a short or a high-
resistance connection. A coil resistance
that is too low indicates a short, and if
too high, a poor connection (e.g., a
“cold solder joint”).
A variation of the AC drop test is
the impedance test. AC voltage is
applied to a single coil, and the exact
voltage and current recorded. The
exact same voltage is applied to each
of the other coils, and the currents are
compared. Impedance is the ratio of
voltage to current, and by keeping the
voltage constant, any change in
current directly reflects a change in
impedance. Being an AC drop test,
the tolerance for acceptable imped-
ance variation is 10%. As with the AC
drop test, the proximity of other iron
will affect the results. Table 1
summarizes the tolerance values for
both AC and DC drop tests.
Table 1: Tolerance values for
AC and DC drop tests.
Drop Test Tolerance
AC +/- 10% of the average
voltage drop
DC +/- 5% of the average
voltage drop
If 120 volts is applied to 4 coils, the
average voltage drop should be 30 volts.
Deviation should be within the stated
tolerance from that average.
Interpole Polarity
Interpole polarity should be such
that the interpoles oppose the magnetic
flux of the armature. If the interpole
polarity is incorrect, severe sparking at
the brushes typically results. In some
cases, reversed interpole polarity can
lead to flashover.
2 EASA CURRENTS
If the brushholder leads are
accidentally swapped, the polarity of
the armature relative to the interpoles
will be reversed. Depending on the
design, the brushes may not arc until
the motor is loaded. The arcing tends
to be proportional to the load, and
arcing at full load can be severe
enough to cause a flashover. This is
one of the most common repair
problems experienced unless the
technician follows the procedure to
confirm interpole polarity.
Low voltage AC, typically 30-60
volts, can be applied to the armature
and interpole circuit to verify correct
interpole polarity. The voltage is
applied on two brushholders of
opposite polarity, and the output
voltage is measured on the A1 and A2
leads in the terminal box. The output
voltage will be less than the input
voltage if the interpole polarity is
correct. The principle at work here is
that the interpole opposition of
armature flux is like a “buck”
autotransformer; correct polarity
results in lower combined armature
and interpole circuit output voltage.
The typical output voltage of correct
polarity interpoles is about 1/2 to 2/3
of the input voltage. If the output
voltage is higher than the input,
reverse the interpole leads. If the
voltages are the same, either the
interpoles are disconnected, or an
equal number of them are opposing
each other. Therefore, check for
incorrect polarity. Motors with
compensating (pole-face) windings
will typically develop a very low
A.C. Input ARM A.C. Output
Interpoles
Figure 1: Interpole polarity test.
■ www.easa.com
output voltage. Figure 1 illustrates the
interpole polarity test circuit.
Compound (Series-to-Shunt)
Field Polarity
The series and shunt field coil
polarities should almost always be the
same as each other; that is, cumulative
compound. Because of their instability,
there are almost no real-world applica-
tions for differential compound motors.
Differential compounding is the
condition where the series field coil
polarity opposes that of the associated
shunt field coils.
In almost all cases, if a differentially
connected motor is operated with load,
sparking at the brushes will occur due
to increased armature current. Output
power or torque is a function of field
strength multiplied by armature current.
The formula that relates this is:
Torque = k F I; where k is a constant,
F is field flux (strength) and I is
armature current. The armature
current must increase to compensate
for the weakened field with a differ-
ential connection.
To verify series-to-shunt field
polarity, connect an analog DC
voltmeter (no more than 3 volts scale)
to the series field leads, with the
positive meter lead on S1. Using a 12-
24 volt DC supply, flash (briefly
contact and immediately disconnect)
the shunt field, applying positive
voltage to the F1 lead, and observe
the deflection on the voltmeter.
If the meter indication is upscale
(positive), the fields are cumulative
compound, which is almost always
the correct relationship.
If the meter deflects downscale
(negative) the fields are differentially
compounded and probably incorrect.
In Part II next month, we will
learn about these DC motor tests:
brushholder spacing, setting
neutral and two-way run testing.