Your Name/Student No

Holy Angel University

School of Engineering and Architecture

Mechanical Engineering Program

DCACMACHL
Laboratory Experiment #1
THE DIRECT CURRENT MOTOR/GENERATOR

Your Name here Date Performed here

Section here Schedule here

Partner’s Name

Engr. Elmer Perez

Instructor

DCACMACHL Experiment No. 1: The Direct Current Motor/Generator 1-1

 Your Name/Student No
LABORATORY EXPERIMENT NO. 1
DCACMACH Laboratory

THE DIRECT CURRENT MOTOR/GENERATOR

OBJECTIVES

1. To examine the construction of a DC motor/generator.

2. To measure the resistance of its windings.
3. To study the nominal current capabilities of the various windings.

INTRODUCTION

Direct current motors are unsurpassed for adjustable-speed applications, and for applications with
severe torque requirements. Uncounted millions of fractional horsepower DC motors are used by the
transportation industries in automobiles, trains and aircraft where they drive fans and blowers for air
conditioners, heaters and defrosters; they operate windshield wipers and raise and lower seats and windows.
One of their most useful functions is for the starting of gasoline and Diesel engines in autos, trucks, buses,
tractors and boats.
The DC motor contains a stator and a rotor, the latter being more commonly called an armature. The
stator contains one or more windings per pole, all of which are designed to carry direct current, thereby
setting up a magnetic field.
The armature and its winding are located in the path of this magnetic field, and when the winding
also carries a current, a torque is developed, causing the motor to turn.
A commutator associated with the armature winding is actually a mechanical device, to assure that
the armature current under any given stator pole will always circulated in the same direction irrespective of
position. If a commutator were not used, the motor could not make more than a fraction of a turn, before
coming to a halt.

For supplementary video, you may view this URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI-O9FCDqmg

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED

DC Motor/Generator Module
EMS 8211 Power Supply Module (0-120Vdc)
EMS 8821 Yellow and Red Multi-meters

PROCEDURE

Caution: High voltages are present in this Laboratory Experiment! Do not make any connections
with the power on! The power should be turned off after completing each individual
measurement!

1. Examine the construction of the DC Motor Generator Module, EMS 8211 using your LVSIM
paying particular attention to the motor, rheostat, connection terminals and wiring. Note that the motor
housing has been designed to allow you to view the internal construction. Most commercial motors do
not have this open construction.

DCACMACHL Experiment No. 1: The Direct Current Motor/Generator 1-2

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LVSIM

Actual Module
DCACMACHL Experiment No. 1: The Direct Current Motor/Generator 1-3
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2. Viewing the front face of the module:

a) The shunt field winding (many turns of fine wire) is connected to terminals and _.
b) The series field winding (fewer turns of heavier wire) is connected to terminals and
_ ___.
c) The current rating for each winding is marked on the face of the module. Can you answer (a) and (b)
having only this information?
________Explain_______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
d) The brushes (commutator segments and armature winding) are connected to terminals
and .

3. The rheostat, mounted on the module face, is designed to control (and safely carry) the shunt field current.
a) It is connected to terminals ________ and ________.
b) What is its rated resistance value? 

4. You will now measure the resistance of each of the motor windings using the voltmeter-ammeter method.
With this information you will calculate the power losses for each of the windings. Using your EMS Power
Supply, DC Metering and DC Motor / Generator Modules, connect the circuit shown in Fig. 1-1.

Figure 1-1

Attach Screenshot

5. Turn on the power supply.

a) Slowly increase the dc voltage until the shunt field winding is carrying 0.3A of current as indicated by
the 0-500mAdc meter (this is the nominal current value for the shunt field winding).
b) Measure and record the voltage across the shunt field winding.

E(shunt field) = Vdc

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c) Return the voltage to zero and turn off the power supply.
d) Calculate the resistance of the shunt field winding.

R(shunt field) = E/I = / = 

e) Calculate the I2R (power) losses of the shunt field winding.

P(shunt field) = I2R = x = W

6. Connect the circuit shown in Fig. 1-2.

a) This is the same circuit as shown in Fig. 1-1 except that the series field winding has replaced the shunt
field winding and that the 5Adc meter has replaced the 500mAdc meter.

Figure 1-2

Attach Screenshot

b) Turn on the power supply. Slowly increase the dc voltage until the series field winding is carrying 3A of
current as indicated by the 5Adc meter, (this is the nominal current value for the series field winding).
Warning! This only requires a few volts so advance the voltage control slowly.
c) Measure and record the voltage across the series field winding.

E(series field) = Vdc

d) Return the voltage to zero and turn off the power supply.
e) Calculate the resistance of the series field winding.

R(series field) = E/I / = 

f) Calculated the I2R losses of the series field winding.

P(series field) = I2R = x = W

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7. Connect the circuit shown in Fig. 1-3.

a) This is the same circuit shown in Fig. 1-2 except that the armature winding (plus the brushes) has
replaced the series field winding.

Figure 1-3

Attach Screenshot

b) Turn on the power supply. Slowly increase the dc voltage until the armature winding is
carrying 3A of current as indicated by the 5Adc meter (this is the nominal current value for the armature
winding).
c) Measure and record the voltage across the armature winding (plus brushes).

E(armature) = ______ Vdc

d) Return the voltage to zero and turn off the power supply.
e) Calculated the resistance of the armature winding (plus brushes).

R(armature) = E/I = _ / = 

f) Calculate the I2R losses of the armature (plus brushes).

P(armature) =I2R = x = W

DCMACHL Experiment No. 12: The Alternator Synchronization 12-6

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REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What would be the shunt field current of your motor if the shunt field winding is excited by 120Vdc?
2. If a current of 3Adc flows in the series field winding of your motor, what would the resultant voltage
drop be?
3. If the rheostat were connected in series with the shunt field winding and the combination placed
across a 120Vdc line, what shunt field current variations could be obtained from your motor?
Iminimum = Adc Imaximum = Adc
4. All of the windings and even the commutator of your motor are made of copper. Why?
5. Why are the brushes of your motor made of carbon rather than copper?
6. If the series field winding of your motor was connected directly across the 120Vdc supply:
a) What current would flow?
b) What would the power loss be (in watts)?
c) Is this power loss entirely given up as heat?
d) What do you think would happen to the winding if the current were sustained for a few
minutes?
7. What is meant by a “nominal current” or “nominal voltage”?
8. If the armature winding and the series field winding of your motor were connected in series across
a 120Vdc source, what would the starting current be?
9. In your motor, is the armature (plus brushes) resistance substantially the same for every rotational
position of the armature? Explain your answer.

ATTACH SCREENSHOT OF YOUR PARTNERSHIP/ACTIVITY

DCMACHL Experiment No. 12: The Alternator Synchronization 12-7