Series Wound DC Motor
A Brief Description To Help You Understand Series Wound DC Motors As Used In Various Electric Car Conversions
Series Wound DC Motor Housing And Field Windings
What is a Series Wound DC Motor?
A Series Wound DC Motor is an Electric Motor where the magnetic field is made up of electro magnets, which are wound in series to the armature. Brushes are used to make connection with the armature and on the armature, there are commutators to perform the commutation. A typical characteristic of Series Wound DC Motors is that it’s speed varies with load, so if there is no load applied to the motor, it will speed up and can self destruct. Conversely, if as a load increases, the speed of the motor slows down.
Series Wound DC Motors are commonly used in Electric Car Conversion projects as it is easy to buy off the shelf the motors and compatible controllers at a reasonable price. They also give reasonable performance and because torque (which helps with acceleration) is proportional to the current squared, they make fantastic drag racing motors.
What are common features of Series Wound DC Motors?
Series Wound DC Motor Armature With End Cap
The common features of Series Wound DC Motors are:
- Field Windings are electrically connected in series with the armature;
- Low resistance field windings;
- Use brushes to supply current to the armature;
- Armature has commutators;
- Very good torque characteristics compared to other Brushed DC Motors, hence, often used for applications where high starting torque is required. Series Wound DC Motors were often the traction motor of choice for Electric Trains;
What are some examples of Electric Cars and Electric Vehicles using Series Wound DC Motors?
There are many examples of Electric Car Conversions that use Series Wound DC Motors. The donor cars range from Porsches, BMWs, Chevys, Fords, Dodges, Volkswagens and many many more. Many of the cars are not small nor light. EVAlbum has many examples of such cars. The following is a sample of Electric Car Conversions using Series Wound DC Motors:
- a Porsche 914 sports car using an Advanced DC/AMD Motor Series Wound DC Motor;
- an E30 BMW saloon using a Netgain Warp 9™ Series Wound DC Motor;
- a 1992 Chevy S10 Pick Up Truck using a Netgain Warp 9™ Series Wound DC Motor;
- a 1978 Toyota Landcruiser FJ40 4WD using a Netgain Warp 11™ Series Wound DC Motor;
- a 1997 Mazda B4000 Pick up Truck using a General Electric Series Wound DC Motor;
- a 2000 Chevy S10 Pick Up Truck using an Advanced DC FB-4001A Series Wound DC Motor;
- a 1997 Ford Ranger EV Pick Up Truck using a Netgain Warp 9™ Series Wound DC Motor;
- a 1988 Pontiac Fiero sports car using 2 Warfield WARP 8 Series Wound DC Motors;
- a 1985 Dodge D-50 Pick Up Truck using an Advanced DC FB-4001A Series Wound DC Motor;
- White Zombie which is a converted Datsun 1200 and is the fastest road registered drag racing car which burns off a lot of gasoline powered Ferraris, Porsches and Maseratis;
More examples of Electric Cars and Electric Vehicles using Series Wound DC Motors can be found at EVAlbum.
What are the advantages of Series Wound DC Motors when used in an Electric Car Conversion?
Some of the advantages of Series Wound DC Motors are:
- High torque and acceleration compared to other Brushed DC Motors;
- Fantastic for drag racing applications.
- Plenty of other DIY Electric Car Conversions have been done using Series Wound DC Motors.
What are the disadvantages of Series Wound DC Motors when used in an Electric Car Conversion?
Some of the advantages of Series Wound DC Motors are:
- Controllers which permit Regenerative Braking (Regen) are very difficult to make and/or purchase;
- Brushes are a wear item and need replacement when worn;
- Sparks and arcing can happen from the brushes.
- Interference to TVs, radios etc can result due to RF noise from the brushes.
Check out Motors For Electric Cars Family Tree for more Electric Car Motor information.
