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Washing machine motor

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  • 25-03-2021 11:19pm
    #1
    Hedgecutter
    Registered Users Posts: 1,041 ✭✭✭


    What type of control would control the speed of a washing machine.

    I have an old motor and want to use it for something.


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    #2
    Vestiapx
    Registered Users Posts: 1,003 ✭✭✭Vestiapx


    Hedgecutter wrote: »
    What type of control would control the speed of a washing machine.

    I have an old motor and want to use it for something.

    You running it AC or DC?


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    #3
    Hedgecutter
    Registered Users Posts: 1,041 ✭✭✭Hedgecutter


    Vestiapx wrote: »
    You running it AC or DC?


    Not sure. Thought they were universal. Must check that out.


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    #4
    1874
    Registered Users Posts: 2,400 ✭✭✭1874


    Motor may be brushed or brushless,
    I havent been looking but Id have thought most are brushless now, what you thinking of doing with it?
    Its been a while since looking at the theory,

    if you alter the frequency in a brushless motor you can alter the speed, in brushed DC you alter other things


    Web search motor (speed?) control, for brushed/brushless AC motors? that might give a start, might be able to buy an off the shelf controller.


    There must be something like that in a washing machine control (PCB) as they can rotate in both directions and at different speeds, but set (limited) by the design/build of the electronics and what they are built to do.


    I just chucked out (recycled) a motor from an old washing machine that I never had time to play about with.

    Some kind of PWM (pulse width modulation) control, to control speed or direction of rotation,
    frequency controllers are used to control motor (speed), I think just speed but not sure if direction.

    Just did a quick google and didnt read fully the linked page
    https://www.n-redc.co.jp/en/faq/014.html
    You could probably get something cheap online for practicing what you want, or more pricey versions (online or elsewhere)


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    #5
    The Red Ace
    Registered Users Posts: 1,377 ✭✭✭The Red Ace


    Most washing machine motors nowadays are with armature and brushes . Depending on its final drum speed it will have either 6 or 7 connections on the block. Two connections to the brushes , to to the tacho and either two or three to the field coils. The tacho is the little coil with the magnet at the end of the motor. These can be eliminated. To run the motor at full speed with phase and neutral you loop a brush connection with a field coil, find the slower speed among the field coils. Then you connect the mains to the other two remaining brush/ field coil connections and motor will run full speed, to reverse rotation change over the brush/ coil connections. To control speed you will need a potentiometer


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    #6
    1874
    Registered Users Posts: 2,400 ✭✭✭1874


    The Red Ace wrote: »
    Most washing machine motors nowadays are with armature and brushes . Depending on its final drum speed it will have either 6 or 7 connections on the block. Two connections to the brushes , to to the tacho and either two or three to the field coils. The tacho is the little coil with the magnet at the end of the motor. These can be eliminated. To run the motor at full speed with phase and neutral you loop a brush connection with a field coil, find the slower speed among the field coils. Then you connect the mains to the other two remaining brush/ field coil connections and motor will run full speed, to reverse rotation change over the brush/ coil connections. To control speed you will need a potentiometer


    Are they? I replaced brushes on an old washing machine (candy) motor maybe 15 years ago, long since been replaced for some other reason. On a different newer washing machine (zanussi), I had cause to be looking at the back (belt had come off) and looking at the motor as it was visible, my recollection was that it appeared to be an induction motor (brushless).
    Not much to go on, but I interpreted that, that newer washing machines may have moved to using brushless motors.


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    #7
    The Red Ace
    Registered Users Posts: 1,377 ✭✭✭The Red Ace


    1874 wrote: »
    Are they? I replaced brushes on an old washing machine (candy) motor maybe 15 years ago, long since been replaced for some other reason. On a different newer washing machine (zanussi), I had cause to be looking at the back (belt had come off) and looking at the motor as it was visible, my recollection was that it appeared to be an induction motor (brushless).
    Not much to go on, but I interpreted that, that newer washing machines may have moved to using brushless motors.

    You are correct, but as I said most are still with c/bs, brushless is getting more common with the added extra of dc converters to go faulty, the Orientals mostly dont even use a belt they mount the windings where the drum pulley would be attached giving direct drive, all grand until a coin or nail etc puts a crack on the tub allowing it to leak onto the windings, then finito.


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