Electric Motor Testing Equipment

Testing a motor’s torque-speed characteristic can, in principle, be obtained by using one of three different approaches: 1) loading the motor with a constant load, 2) loading the motor with an inertial load, and 3) modeling the relationship between the behavior of the motor and other parameters which can be measured more easily.

Each method has its drawback. Modeling is an indirect method, which does not involve measurement of the motor output, and thus it is prone to errors. Loading the motor, either mechanically or inertially, involves coupling the motor to the load - a time-consuming task, which prohibits measuring a large number of motors.

When we think of it, loading the motor is not mandatory for performing the load test. The motor's rotor has a certain moment of inertia, which can be considered as a load, for the sake of the load test. All we need is to find out the rotor moment of inertia, measure the motor acceleration, and then use Newton's law to calculate the motor torque.

Isn't that a wonderful idea? Alas, life holds unpleasant surprises. Attempts to apply this method to industrial measurements failed time and again throughout the years.

MEA's development team, however, has succeeded where others have failed. Through refinement of measurement methods and use of sophisticated algorithms, the goal was finally achieved: precise, fast and easy to operate measurements of motor characteristics. Just snap on a tiny sensor to the motor shaft, press a button, and voila - the information you need is at your fingertips.

As it turns out, the technology MEA developed enables a more profound analysis of motor characteristics than ever available before. MEA is the inventor of the Inertial Dynamometer. The following pages show some of the information that can be received from MEA's testing systems.