Motor Controls Tips A motor starter is type of device which can be electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic. As its name suggests, it helps motors to properly start or stop. This happens when the device regulates the flow of current towards the motor.
The History of The Starter Before the starter as it is known today was invented, many different methods were used to start the engine in vehicles. Early methods involved the use of gun powders to pump the cylinders. The other method used wind up springs. When it came to airplanes and other similar vehicles, people used cranks to propel or start the engines.
As mentioned, early methods used hand cranks. However, people later found out that cranks were difficult to pull. Sometimes, it placed users in danger especially those who are inexperienced with hand cranks. An engine does not always have predictable behavior when it is being started. If the person is weak, the crank would reverse all of a sudden, causing tremendous kick.
Other motors were equipped with slips. This allowed users to release the starter once the engine successfully starts. However, the motor starter would not be released if the engine failed to start. It would remain latched into the engine. The shaking and jerking had the potential to cause injuries to the operator of the vehicle. Health VFD
The Different Types Of Starters
Today, modern starters are used in most vehicles and these are the electric starter and the other one is the gear reduction starter. Between the two, the electric starter is the widely used. That’s because the electric starter is used in gasoline or diesel engines. The modern version of a motor starter consists of magnets or electric motor current that has a relay or solenoid attached to it. A current passes from the battery in the vehicle to the solenoid that pushes out the pinion. The pinion combines with the ring gear. This powers the engine.
Problems can occur when the driver does not release the key as soon as the engine starts or there is shortage in the system and the solenoid fails to disengage. When this happens, the pinion will spin on its own and not with the drive shaft. This is why engine experts advice drivers not to start the engine right after it fails to start. Drivers should wait for few seconds before starting the engine once again.
The Chrysler Corporation is the one that made further advancements to motor starters. In 1960, Chrysler introduced the geartrain in the market. The geartrain is found between the drive shaft and the engine. This mechanism was not entirely new back in the day. However, it was Chrysler that updated the mechanism and mass produced the geartrain for public use.
Without motor starters, vehicles would be difficult to start. Thanks to people who perfected the design, it is now easy to use vehicles.