Hey Bill,
Most P ermanent S plit C apacitor motors have different windings for the main and auxiliary windings. The auxiliary windings usually have more turns of smaller wire with the cap in series. Due to the phase shifting we were talking about, the current in the auxiliary winding peaks before the current in the main winding, giving a rotating field effect which causes the rotor to turn in a direction determined by the relative polarity of both sets of windings.
One other point. . . with PSC motors (single speed), the two windings are connected end-to-end, as though they were in series, but the AC line is connected to the centre-tap and the end lead of the main winding. The capacitor is connected between the two end leads(main and auxiliary). That way the current has to pass through the capacitor (Simplified, pentagrid!) connected in series with the auxiliary winding in order to get back to the other line (connected to the centre-tap). They are only reversible with four leads, as the relative polarity of the auxiliary winding must be reversed in relation to the main winding in order to run in the opposite direction. Variations include the multi-speed direct-drive furnace fan motors, which use a multi-tapped main winding to get the various speeds. The more turns there are in the main winding, the weaker the motor is at the same applied voltage, therefore the slower it runs when loaded. An important point. . . the motor is still trying to run at it's theoretical speed (determined by the number of effective poles and frequency of applied current), it just isn't strong enough to maintain that speed. It has a greater percentage of "slip". These motors are usually intended for direct-drive air-handling equipment. They will overheat if used to supply mechanical power without auxiliary cooling.
Regards,
Dave D.
Wild Bill wrote: