How to read motor nameplate?

[strumke]

Can anyone help me understand this motor name plate?

I can pick this up for pretty cheap and I wanted to use it as a milling motor at the 136 RPM listed, but I don't know what it means when there are 2 RPMs (136/3420)?

I want to drive the mill directly without using pulleys. Can I do it with this?

 

[SilverZero]

I may be wrong, but I think the 3420 is a more standard RPM for a motor like that. I can't imagine you'd plug that in and watch it turn at 136rpm - that's just a bit over 2 revolutions every second. You could almost hand-crank at that speed.

 

[jfrizzell]

It's possible this is a dual winding motor. There would be two sets of leads out of the motor. One set for high speed and one set for low speed.

 

[DeafSmith]

I may be wrong, but I think the 3420 is a more standard RPM for a motor like that. I can't imagine you'd plug that in and watch it turn at 136rpm - that's just a bit over 2 revolutions every second. You could almost hand-crank at that speed.

It must be a gear motor to run at that speed; i.e., a motor and gearbox combination, in which case it might have enough torque to drive the mill directly.
Unfortunately, the box labeled Nm (presumably Newton meters) where I would expect to see a torque rating is blank, so no way to tell except to try it.

 

[strumke]

It's possible this is a dual winding motor. There would be two sets of leads out of the motor. One set for high speed and one set for low speed.

It must be a gear motor to run at that speed; i.e., a motor and gearbox combination, in which case it might have enough torque to drive the mill directly.
Unfortunately, the box labeled Nm (presumably Newton meters) where I would expect to see a torque rating is blank, so no way to tell except to try it.

For $50, I'll probably pick it up and try it out.

Assuming there are 2 sets of leads to run at the various speeds, it is simply just a matter of connecting the wires to a plug and sticking it in a regular 110 outlet (or am I just looking at a quick way to blow something up)?

It's 1.5hp, came from an industrial shredder, so I'm assuming it's got some decent torque to rip through some grain.

Anything else I should consider here?

 

[jfrizzell]

For $50, I'll probably pick it up and try it out.

Assuming there are 2 sets of leads to run at the various speeds, it is simply just a matter of connecting the wires to a plug and sticking it in a regular 110 outlet (or am I just looking at a quick way to blow something up)?

It's 1.5hp, came from an industrial shredder, so I'm assuming it's got some decent torque to rip through some grain.

Anything else I should consider here?

The motor nameplate does not list the voltage. I would confirm it is in fact a 110V, single phase motor before you buy it. Since it came off industrial equipment, it is possible it is a 3 phase motor. Knowing that it came off a shredder, it is likely there is a gearbox to run it at the lower speed.

 

[kellzey]

The motor nameplate does not list the voltage. I would confirm it is in fact a 110V, single phase motor before you buy it. Since it came off industrial equipment, it is possible it is a 3 phase motor. Knowing that it came off a shredder, it is likely there is a gearbox to run it at the lower speed.

Sure it does. 4th row from the bottom

115V 60 Hz


Make sure whatever you use (wiring, extension cord) is rated for at least 30 amps.

 

[jfrizzell]

Sure it does. 4th row from the bottom

115V 60 Hz


Make sure whatever you use (wiring, extension cord) is rated for at least 30 amps.

My bad...I was looking at the "V" in the last line.

 

[strumke]

Just spoke to the guy, it had enough torque to snap a 1/2" drive train and weighs about 50lbs... overkill for a MM-2? For $50, I can't see it being a bad thing to have around to build a milling table, even if I don't use it right away.

For the wiring... there are about 6 wires coming off of this thing, any way to know which ones do what (aside from trial and error)?
Since it was made in West Germany, and came off of another piece of equipment I'm guessing there is no manual to be found.

There's a photo of the same model in this listing:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SCHLEICHER-ELECTRIC-MOTOR-1-5-HP-115V-3420-RPM-MODEL-F585412-/310408749159

5th picture over shows the wiring.

 

[Phyrst]

3420 rpm is pretty fast. I would think you would want something more in the 1200 rpm range for a mill.

 

[kellzey]

Come on dudes. He wants to mill 20 lbs of grain in 1.387 seconds. 3420 RPM is perfect. LOL

 

[Phyrst]

Just spoke to the guy, it had enough torque to snap a 1/2" drive train and weighs about 50lbs... overkill for a MM-2? For $50, I can't see it being a bad thing to have around to build a milling table, even if I don't use it right away.

For the wiring... there are about 6 wires coming off of this thing, any way to know which ones do what (aside from trial and error)?
Since it was made in West Germany, and came off of another piece of equipment I'm guessing there is no manual to be found.

There's a photo of the same model in this listing:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SCHLEICHER-ELECTRIC-MOTOR-1-5-HP-115V-3420-RPM-MODEL-F585412-/310408749159

5th picture over shows the wiring.

For the leads, I'm not really sure. Sometimes motors have case heaters, or they have RTDs to measure the bearing or winding temperature. But this is what they call a "throw away" motor. A new one off the shelf probably costs less than $500 so they don't bother installing all those bells and whistles. Cheaper to just buy a spare motor and put it on the shelf.

 

[Phyrst]

This is interesting. Apparently shredder motors tend to overheat, so they do measure the temperature of the winding to "rest" the motor when it gets too hot. So those are probably the extra wires.

http://www.paper-shredders.org.uk/Shredder_Motors_Explained.html

You're so lucky I'm bored at work. LOL

 

[mredge73]

Nice find, I like that giant gearbox.
I would bet that it is a capacitor start motor. Most single phase motors that size are.
Does he have the rest of the shredder that so you can scavenge the starter circuit from?

 

[strumke]

Holy s-... So he had the machine still all together without the casing. It seems that the shredder part had seized so he was parting it out.

He gave me the motor/gearbox, and all of the electrical connections already set up (kill switch, reverse switch, on/off, etc). The 2 starter capacitors on this thing are 6" tall by 1.5" in diameter. This thing is a 50lb beast and it's ready to roll. He plugged it in (it's already got the original shredder plug on it), and it hummed along at 136RPM. No idea about the 3420RPM marking on the plate, but who cares.

He also showed me what the torque did and why he's selling it off... it snapped through a 1/2" drive chain which was set up side by side with the motor, tore the link in half (he tried to force the shredder blades free and the motor broke the chain).

The plug is a 20 amp, any issue with running this on a normal 15A circuit (I'd change the plug)? It's not like I'll have all of the appliances running at once in the house, and it'll only be 5-10 minutes to eat through the grain.

Pictures to come later.

 

[mredge73]

excellent!
The motor says 14.3A so that will be the max current at max torque; so 15A should be just fine. You will never run this thing at max torque with your mill.
Start current will be higher but modern household breakers are not fast blow and should take it. Congratulations!

 

[DeafSmith]

...and it hummed along at 136RPM. No idea about the 3420RPM marking on the plate, but who cares.

The 3420 RPM is the motor speed. It is geared down through the gear box to 136 RPM, which is why it has so much torque.

 

[strumke]

The 3420 RPM is the motor speed. It is geared down through the gear box to 136 RPM, which is why it has so much torque.

Ah, that makes sense, thank you.

 

[strumke]

Some photos of the purchase:

(look at the size of those capacitors!)