Motor Connections

Puppyjump

100 W
Joined
Sep 3, 2008
Messages
190
My ZAP has a DC motor with 4 cables feeding it from its Curtis controller. Anyone have a block diagram as to what these connections are? Is the motor two windings? How does the Curtis direct energy to the windings?
 
three phase motor! :D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-phase_electric_power
 
Puppyjump said:
My ZAP has a DC motor with 4 cables feeding it from its Curtis controller. Anyone have a block diagram as to what these connections are? Is the motor two windings? How does the Curtis direct energy to the windings?

It seems probable that it's a 3-phase motor and that three cables supply power, while a fourth cable might be for the hall-sensors - Does one of the cables have a connector that looks like it has at least 2 or more holes?
 
Puppyjump said:
My ZAP has a DC motor with 4 cables feeding it from its Curtis controller. Anyone have a block diagram as to what these connections are? Is the motor two windings? How does the Curtis direct energy to the windings?

Is that like the old DX friction drive? Is it a singe motor or two motors?

As far as I know it's a brushed motor with 4 brushes. Two red wires go together and two black wires go together.

What color are the wires?
 
Perhaps a sep-ex configuration... two armature connections and two field connections.

If you can get a pic of the controller connections, we may be able to tell.
 
fechter said:
Puppyjump said:
My ZAP has a DC motor with 4 cables feeding it from its Curtis controller. Anyone have a block diagram as to what these connections are? Is the motor two windings? How does the Curtis direct energy to the windings?

Is that like the old DX friction drive? Is it a singe motor or two motors?

As far as I know it's a brushed motor with 4 brushes. Two red wires go together and two black wires go together.

What color are the wires?

Yes it's a brushed DC motor. 4 AWG2 cables attach to it from the Curtis. They did not color code them. All cables are red. There are no other small signal wires at the motor so it is not advanced tech like our bike hub motors with hall sensors and such, it's more like a golf cart setup. So either the motor has two windings, or it has 3 windings with one common. Since it has two or more windings, how does the Curtis apply power? does it engage one winding at a time based on load? Does it switch the windings from series to parallel based on load?
 
Given that the four wires actually attach to the controller, it sounds like a sepex. Seems weird that the stator wires would be the same gauge as the rotor wires, though, since they don't take as much current...

Most definite way to be check is to open up the motor, though. :D

Can you tell us the controller's model number?
 
Link said:
Given that the four wires actually attach to the controller, it sounds like a sepex. Seems weird that the stator wires would be the same gauge as the rotor wires, though, since they don't take as much current...

Most definite way to be check is to open up the motor, though. :D

Can you tell us the controller's model number?

CORRECTION: The Curtis only has 3 heavy wires connected. The motor has 4 heavy wires. The Curtis diagram below shows only two wires going to the DC motor. I still need to find out why my motor has 4 wires

It's a Curtis Model EVC255-8002
PN CC25585002
80V, 350A
DC Controller

I found the data sheet
http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/QDsrSs...YH00SDS5bHabdz0SMvrVHYKS-4G3mpVqsu/EVC255.pdf
[attachment=0]ZAP Motor.JPG
 

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Hmm...since it's a DC controller, it's could be either a 4-brush PMDC or a series motor. Checking the resistance between the wires should tell you which. If there's two pairs of wires that are electrically isolated from each other and both have similar, low resistance values, it's probably a series. If they all conduct to each other with various resistances, it's likely a PMDC.

I'd just take it apart, though. shouldn't have to do more than take off one of the end plates or whatever. :?
 
Puppyjump said:
I still need to find out why my motor has 4 wires
Looks like a typical traction motor, with two lugs for the brushes and two for the field windings.
Here is your typical hookup:
curtis1231C_wiring.jpg

http://www.ev-power.com.au/IMG/jpg/curtis1231C_wiring.jpg

Note the four connections at the motor.

IIRC, Curtice prefers ADC motors... your motor is blue; common for ADC. You might check the ADC site for info.
 
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