finding the right voltage for a dc motor

Dec 14, 2005 2 Replies

Hi, I was given two small dc motors. However, I have no idea if these are 12v or 24v or anything else. I was thinking about trying it with 6, then 12 then 18...but how do I know when to stop? Is there a way to find out without risking burning the motors?



Many thanks


Normand

I'd measure the stall current. The max effciency operation will be the voltage that gives half the stall current when operating with a load. Max voltage would be twice the operating voltage, to give some headroom.

I suppose I should add measure the stall current at some low voltage that doesnt cause the motor to get too hot. Then the working and max voltage mentioned above can be found. Sorry about the confusion. Need to be able to go back and edit this stuff somehow.

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