ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades How to sell washing machines?

Here they are, thanks to digital photography and photobucket.

The 42 pole motor is wound for 3 phases with a starpoint as clearly visible.

The outer circle has 14 very strong magnets.
I know because i broke nearly my finger when the magnets "sucked" the armature in. Not today, but the day i took it out of a discarded washing machine.

https://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o298/RODALCO/42PolemotorFP2.jpg

https://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o298/RODALCO/42PolemotorFP.jpg

https://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o298/RODALCO/DSC02553.jpg

Kind regards, Raymond

Ray

That is the same motor I have from the LG machine in my shop.

It sure looks three phase. Though how many houses have a three-phase supply?
Here domestic supply is only single phase. So if we input supply on the outer two connections we would get full spin speed and to get half spin speed we would put our supply across one outer connection and the inner connection.

The motor in my shop, leaked water onto the circuit board in your photo the resultant short, charred the insulation on the poles near it. I was thinking of trying to repair the motor and turn it into a generator.

You are probably right when you say it is a 6-pole machine. That makes more sense to me anyway

I have found the difference between US machines and European machines is that the US consumer prefers top loaders where as Europeans prefer side-loading machines. It takes more initial effort to start side loaders than top loaders so you can get away with lighter motors in top loaders. The universal motor (the one with the brushes) has a higher stating torque than an induction motor.

DC motors run more efficiently than AC motors. Due to losses in power becouse AC changes frequency. Where as DC does not change frequency from + to - there is no losses.
Imagine the sine wave of both AC and DC voltage. Now take the AC sine wave and flick the bottom half up so you have a series of peaks and troughs in a row. Because AC takes time to go from the 0 up to max voltage and back to 0 we loose some useful power. To work out how much we have lost we multiply our peak voltage by 0.707 this now gives us our useful AC voltage (known as RMS)

Try this

300Watts @ 120 volts = 2.5 Amps
300Watts @ (120 volts x 0.707) =?
Therefore 300Watts @ 84.84 Volts = 3.5 Amps

So you can see (I hope) that when using AC power we need to draw more current to do the same work as DC power. Higher current means what class?

Kenbo,

This motor is from a 1 Ø washing machine.

In it is a complicated AC/DC/3Ø driver circuit which drives the motor forward and reversed.

It also provides a higher frequency to drive the drum at the very high speed required for the spinning stages of the washing programme.

I see if i can find the driver board somewhere in my very untidy workshop and will post a photo later, not today but in the next week or so.

Cheers
Raymond RF.

Well i have a similar idea to use that motor for a experimental wind alternator.

It is more in the "things to do one day but" not enough time stage at the moment.

The magnets are very powerfull !!

Ray

I would appreciate that. (Rest of my machine bined or I would have gone and looked)I have only ever come across this type of motor recently.

I know you can change the speed by the formula. RPM = (120 x Frequency) / Poles

So I just assumed that by changing the number of poles you change the speed. I did not think about changing the frequency.

Just goes to show you learn something new every day.

Hi Kenbo,

I found those parts and some photo links are attached thanks to Photobucket again.

In detail is visible a standard 230 Volts SMPS.
On the Watercooled heatsink there are 10 power devices.
The 6 powerdrivers on the RHS are for the 3Ø conversion from the DC bus. referred to as HVDC link at the back of the cct board.
From the other 4, two are voltage regulators, two I'm not too sure, could be the driver transistor for the brake resistor which is also mounted atop of the watercooled heatsink, connected to the yellow and orange wires.

On the board is also referred to 110 Volts supply by changing links so the option for the USA is available too.

As electronics is prone to corrosion, certainly in damp and soapy washing machines, some corrosion traces are visible at the rear side of the cct board.

https://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o298/RODALCO/DSC02569.jpg

https://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o298/RODALCO/DSC02571.jpg

https://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o298/RODALCO/DSC02570.jpg

https://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o298/RODALCO/CCTboardFP2573.jpg

Regards, Raymond

I know this posting has gone a bit off topic but I am enjoying the exchange of information.

The use of induction motors in washingmachines is not common here in the UK

I asked the experts at UK Whitegoods about speed control and this is the answer I got. intresting

Ray

Looked at my motor today and though the same configuration as yours it is not exactly the same. I will get some photos and post them (forgot to take them today)
Hope to pick up an old exercise bike that was getting scraped tomorrow so starting to get things together.

I will make a photo journal of the generators construction.

Singed up for photobucket yesterday

Ray, I think that motor would make an excellent generator for a wind machine. About two years ago I was in contact with an English retired Engineer in Bordeaux, France, on this very subject. The multipoles and the permanent magnets are almost exactly how he envisaged the ideal wind type generator- self exiting, slow speed, flat voltage curves after rectification. Now you need a prop, some slip rings to fetch power down the pole and a device to shut her down in high winds, plus your voltage control and storage. There's a wealth of DYI stuff on the web on this subject, so don't re-invent the wheel. Go for it!