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I need a converter to play my electric motor VE-XVI. 120v works but it's way too fast! Any ideas?

Thanks! Cliff

CDBPDX wrote:I need a converter to play my electric motor VE-XVI. 120v works but it's way too fast! Any ideas?

Thanks! Cliff

Cliff, would a variac work in this case?

Build yourself a box with a ceiling fan switch that is made like a light dimmer switch. (Don't use one for a light- it'll go bad very quickly). Plug your box into the wall, and plug your machine into the box. Maybe you'll even be able to play Victor Program Transcriptions!

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Broan-Electr ... /202905912

Isn't there a governor on that motor though?

If you are wanting to drop the line voltage to the motor, I would use a bucking transformer and just permanently mount it in the unit.

The motor speed is controlled by the mechanical governor. The resistors limit the current and drop the 120 or 240 volts down to 32 volts. I never use anything but the 120 VAC line voltage. Look for problems in the governor. You do need the resistors to drop the line voltage. And limit the current when the motor is stalled.

Skihawx wrote:The motor speed is controlled by the mechanical governor. The resistors limit the current and drop the 120 or 240 volts down to 32 volts. I never use anything but the 120 VAC line voltage. Look for problems in the governor. You do need the resistors to drop the line voltage. And limit the current when the motor is stalled.

Apparently, I bypassed the resistors by plugging the motor directly into 120v. It all but melted the governor brake pad. It provided so much power to the motor that even with the governor wheel pressing into the brake pad, it kept right on speeding up. I couldn't even stop it with my hand on the governor. That little motor is quite powerful at 120v. It powered the turntable up to about 200 rpm and stayed there until I unplugged it. It made very short work of the governor pad and started to grind away the face of the governor disc with what was left of the brake pad holder. Wish I had taken a video of that event, it would have been a classic.

I work only on spring motors, electric motors are a pretty much a mystery to me. I tend to stay away from them as I do not see colors well enough to always be able to differentiate between red, green, or blue wires.

Cliff

I made the same mistake of connecting an electric Victrola motor directly to 120v. That motor went from zero to warp speed in a fraction of a second. Before it could be disconnected it pitched a governor ball right by my head and it traveled across a large workshop leaving a dent in the metal wall. I don't want to think what it would have done to me. Jerry Blais

It's a miracle that you didn't destroy the motor.

Either use the resistor pack in the back of the machine or, if they are missing or don't work, use a device called a Variac. Either way, check the voltage going to the motor before you run it again. No more than 32 volts!!!