Steve H. Graham
Aluminum
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2007
- Location
- Miami
I apologize if this isn't the best subforum for this question, but it seemed like the correct choice.
I have a 2.75 HP treadmill motor and controller, which I got for nothing. I'm thinking of using it to power a buffer. It has two ratings. One is 2.75 HP for "treadmill duty" (until the fat person faints, I guess), and the other is 2 HP (1492 watts) for continuous duty at 130V. I don't yet know the voltage the board puts out, but 2 HP would be a God's plenty for buffing little doodads in my shop.
Anyway, a thoughtful person who wants to be helpful gave me some advice which sounds unreliable. First he said "treadmill motor horsepower isn't real horsepower." I don't know what to make of that. I don't know why a manufacturer would pay a motor supplier for mislabeled motors. Anyway, he claims the motor will only be good for 1.3 to 1.5 HP. Is this actually true, or is it just a machinist myth?
Second thing: he said that if I removed the armature from the motor without putting some steel in the motor to fill up the space, the magnets would instantly go bad, and it would thereafter run weakly, drawing huge current. This is my second treadmill motor. The first is now on a belt grinder. I removed the armature so I could machine a keyway on the shaft, and the motor now runs fine and pulls well. It's rated for 9.1 amps, and I installed a 15-amp fuse on it, and if the current was "huge" compared to 9.1, one would expect the fuse to blow, which does not happen even if I stall the grinder.
Can I conclude that he is misinformed?
I've seen people on the web saying the magnet problem only applies to old motors with magnets made of obsolete materials. I think that must be true, because if my grinder motor runs this well with the magnets destroyed, it must have been suitable to power a Cessna before I ruined it. I'm no EE, though, so I could be wrong.
I have a 2.75 HP treadmill motor and controller, which I got for nothing. I'm thinking of using it to power a buffer. It has two ratings. One is 2.75 HP for "treadmill duty" (until the fat person faints, I guess), and the other is 2 HP (1492 watts) for continuous duty at 130V. I don't yet know the voltage the board puts out, but 2 HP would be a God's plenty for buffing little doodads in my shop.
Anyway, a thoughtful person who wants to be helpful gave me some advice which sounds unreliable. First he said "treadmill motor horsepower isn't real horsepower." I don't know what to make of that. I don't know why a manufacturer would pay a motor supplier for mislabeled motors. Anyway, he claims the motor will only be good for 1.3 to 1.5 HP. Is this actually true, or is it just a machinist myth?
Second thing: he said that if I removed the armature from the motor without putting some steel in the motor to fill up the space, the magnets would instantly go bad, and it would thereafter run weakly, drawing huge current. This is my second treadmill motor. The first is now on a belt grinder. I removed the armature so I could machine a keyway on the shaft, and the motor now runs fine and pulls well. It's rated for 9.1 amps, and I installed a 15-amp fuse on it, and if the current was "huge" compared to 9.1, one would expect the fuse to blow, which does not happen even if I stall the grinder.
Can I conclude that he is misinformed?
I've seen people on the web saying the magnet problem only applies to old motors with magnets made of obsolete materials. I think that must be true, because if my grinder motor runs this well with the magnets destroyed, it must have been suitable to power a Cessna before I ruined it. I'm no EE, though, so I could be wrong.