Idler Motor question

[Neal Flatley]

Hi guys

I'm trying to build a Rotary Phase converter to start a 5 HP motor. I dont have any 10 or 15 HP motors to use as an idler. Is it possible to use multiple lower HP motors, like 3 - 5HP units, to simulate a 15 HP idler so I can start the 5HP machine. I ask this because I seem to have 5 HP motors in spades, but none larger.

I hope I made some sense here.

Thank You

Neal

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I am betting that it is not. Besides you'd burn lots of power driving them.
Go to a junk yard that has industrial scrap. Most of the 3 phase motors there have nothing more than bad bearings wrong and that's a cheap fix. You can get 'em for scrap metal prices.

[Rick Christopherson]

You don't need a 15 hp converter for a 5 hp tool motor. A 5 hp idler will power a 5 hp tool motor, and the only risk is that the current through the generated winding will overheat the idler motor. Even though I've never considered it before, you should be able to run parallel idler motors to increase the capacity of the generated leg.