www.easa.

com July 2002

(Correctly) Interpreting The DC Nameplate

By Chuck Yung first field current rating
EASA Technical Support Specialist and the first rpm corre-
spond to the high field
voltage rating.
If you have ever tried to figure out the field re-
sistance from the information on a DC motor What’s The Logic?
nameplate, you probably wonder what in the heck DC coil strength is
the manufacturer was thinking! You know Ohms reported in ampere-
Law, but the nameplate information just doesn’t turns: Field current x
seem to follow it. turns per coil. Field
Ohm’s Law: R = E/I I = E/R weakening, by reducing
the voltage applied to the fields, also reduces
RI = E
Where R = resistance E the current carried by the field conductors (I =
E/R). Since the turns remain constant, a change
E = voltage I R in field current causes a corresponding change
I = current
in field strength. As the shunt fields are weak-
For those accustomed to the format of the AC
ened, the motor speed increases.
motor nameplate, DC nameplate information can
The first rpm listed on the nameplate is the
seem confusing – even misleading. Misinterpret the
base speed at full load. The second number, if
field voltage / field current / rpm information, and a
there are 2 speeds given, is the field-weakened
technician is liable to conclude that something is
speed or the maximum safe speed. This may be
wrong with the motor. A customer may even ques-
limited by the construction of the armature —
tion whether a repair was done correctly.
or it could represent the limit for stable speed
The most confusing case is the DC motor with
control. It provides a warning to the end user to
dual voltage fields and field-weakening capabili-
limit the speed.
ties. An example will help to illustrate the problem:
Attempting to run a DC motor beyond that
Field voltage: 150 / 300 speed limit could result in the rapid accelera-
Field amps: 3.2 / 1.2 tion associated with field loss; the motor “runs
RPM: 1750 / 2500 away” or accelerates so quickly that cata-
strophic failure is almost certain. Those who
RI
C AL APPAR

D. C. MACHINE have tried to dodge flying commutator bars

T

AT
ELEC

U S

EA SA
know how important it is not to exceed the
SER

MOTOR GENERATOR
N

IC
O

TI
V

E A
S SOCI A

MFR. ENCL. TYPE/CATALOG NO.

maximum safe speed.
FR. INS. WINDING MODEL/STYLE/SPEC.
In the example above, 3.2 field amps should
150/300 produce the rated base speed (1750 rpm) at full
SER.NO./I.D. PWR CODE ¡C AMB DUTY FLD. VOLTS FLD W @ 25¡C

H.P. K.W. R.P.M. ARM. VOLTS ARM. AMPS FLD. AMPS load. The second field current rating (1.2 amps)
1750/2500 3.2/1.2
is the lowest safe current when field-weakening
is used, and should result in a speed increase to
D.E.BRG. OPP.D.E.BRG.
2500 rpm. That 2500 rpm (in this example) is
BRUSH MFGR. PART NO./SIZE/GRADE QTY
the maximum safe speed – the highest rpm at
which the motor should be run.
Field Current (Amps)
Note: We’ve used bold type to highlight these ratings,
The field current on the nameplate is based
though an actual nameplate would not do so.
on the field being at full operating temperature,
DC Nameplate typically under full load conditions. In other
words the fields are “hot.” Conversely, the
With an AC nameplate, it would be natural to nameplate field ohms are typically given for
assume that the 150 volt, 3.2 amp and 1750 RPM ambient conditions with the machine not yet
ratings go together, with the 300 volts, 1.2 amp and operating, i.e., “cold.” The temperature used is
2500 rpm ratings also related. That assumption is typically 25 degrees C (68F).
wrong, unfortunately. On the DC nameplate, the Continued On Page 2

1
EASA CURRENTS
DC Nameplate . . . Continued From Page 1
Since the nameplate field current refers to
“hot amps,” and the resistance we are after is
“cold” resistance, it’s necessary to adjust the re-
sistance in order to apply Ohm’s Law. A “rule of
thumb” multiplier of roughly 1.2 to 1.3 permits a
quick estimate; the table below gives accurate
multipliers for each insulation class if the fields
operate at the listed temperature. Multiply the
nameplate current times 1.2 to get a ballpark value
for cold amps, then use that value to estimate field
resistance.
Example: Nameplate rating:
250 volts, 2.4 hot amps
2.4 x 1.2 = 2.88; 250 / 2.88 = 86.8 Ohms “cold”
Insulation Class A B F H
Hot-cold resistance 1.22 1.33 1.53 1.63
Multiplier
Use these multipliers to correct field
resistance to ambient.
Note: It is important to know the operating
temperature of the shunt fields, so as to select the
correct multiplier. Assuming a 1.53 multiplier, our
same example would indicate a field resistance of
68 Ohms. If the nameplate also lists the “hot
amps” we can work backwards to determine the
approximate field temperature expected under
normal operating conditions.
Current For Low Field Voltage
What about the field current for the low volt-
age rating? Treat the field coils as basic circuits.
The dual voltage field circuit is comprised of 2
circuits that can be connected in series or parallel.
Using Ohm’s Law:
300 volts / 3.2 amps = 93.75 ohms. Since the
high voltage connection is series, 93.75 ohms di-
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vided by 2 = 46.88 ohms per circuit. Connecting
those two resistors of 46.88 ohms in parallel, the
resulting resistance = 23.44 ohms. If 150 volts
(the low voltage rating) is applied, the expected
current is 6.4 amps.
This information is also helpful when trouble-
shooting dual-voltage field connections: Not
everyone marks their 4-lead shunt fields in the same
way. A DC motor accidentally connected so that
only half the fields are energized will operate, but
half the fields will have a short thermal life. The
clue, of course, is that 2 fields look brand new while
the other 2 fields exhibit severe thermal damage.
Confirming the customers drive parameters, espe-
cially the current, may prove the misconnection. If
the electrician compares field current to the expected
value, this error can be avoided.
Summing Up
For DC machines, the nameplate format actu-
ally is very logical when we know what we are
looking at. Understanding the reason behind the
labeling will help enable the repairer to avoid
costly mistakes, and provide an additional level of
quality control.
Caution: With modern DC drive parameters
set by field current, the manufacturers recognize
the need to report hot amps so that installers
don’t make a similar mistake in applying Ohm’s
Law. When a nameplate is missing or defaced,
the installer may calculate the field current from
what they know: the applied voltage (of the
drive) and the resistance (which can be mea-
sured). Trouble is, the controller will hold the
field current constant, and that may saturate the
fields. So the table of multipliers for various
temperature classes is critically important. Share
that with your customers to avoid perceived
problems with DC field current.