Electric motor wiring...w..t..f...

[S&S_Work_Saws]

So I've been packing around this really cool old pre 1950s electric motor with me for years and years. I found it under my grand father's work bench after he passed away. So I never got a chance to ask him about it.


So I'm trying to get it hooked up and running again. I've never seen an electric motor I couldn't figure out....until now. This thing is 115V. Says it needs a 20S condenser on the tag. So I'm assuming a more modern capacitor could be used.


I took it apart to try to trace some wires, and found it has a centrifugal single wire starter switch. That switch has a yellow wire going in and a blue wire coming out.

So I've got for wires going into this 115v motor ...
-Black x 2
-Blue x 2 (one of these comes out of the start switch. It's yellow into the switch, blue out of it)
-Tan x 1


Looks like there in 2 windings to me. A black and blue wire going to each side and the tan going between them. I'm assuming the tan will be the neutral wire. Now how should I hook the rest of them up to 1 hot leg with a capacitor??
I'm open to any and all suggestions.

 

[SimonHS]

Bodine Electric is still in business. You could ask them. They may have a copy of the schematic for that motor in their archive.

https://www.bodine-electric.com

 

[Al Smith]

From what I gather you've stumbled on to a gear reduction unit drive motor .Made to drive a gear reducer .With only 1/15 HP it would only have the power of a sewing machine motor .The start cap only needs to be close .Too small it won't have much starting torque .Too large it might cook the start winding .
Other then the novelty this thing needs to be coupled to a reduction unit or a belt system with a rather large ratio of speed reduction .Used as a direct drive quite frankly 1/15 HP wouldn't power a pizz ants motor scooter .

 

[Sloughfoot]

This post brings back nightmares of a recent air compressor restoration project.

 

[Al Smith]

I forgot to mention but if you Google Bodine electric pictures will show up showing the entire reduction unit with a similar motor to this one.

 

[S&S_Work_Saws]

I tried reaching out to the manufacturer but they have never returned any of my calls or emails.
Sorry, I should have included a picture of the entire unit. It does in fact have the gear reduction unit attached to it. That's what I thought was kind of neat. It's a 90° output angle. I'll post a picture shortly.

 

[S&S_Work_Saws]

Not sure what it was originally used for but it was probably under my grandfathers work bench for a lot of years. He probably wouldn't figure out the wiring either lol

 

[S&S_Work_Saws]

Not sure what it was originally used for but it was probably under my grandfathers work bench for a lot of years. He probably wouldn't figure out the wiring either lol

 

[Al Smith]

I think you're thinking too deeply .It appears to me as just a single phase motor using a cap start and a start switch . Just put it back togeher and give it a go .If it won't start change the capacitor .Reading the spec tag it could be a cap start cap run motor then the larger 20 Mfd would be the start and the smaller 7.5 Mfd would be the run cap .

 

[S&S_Work_Saws]

Whole motor

 

[S&S_Work_Saws]

I think you're thinking too deeply .It appears to me as just a single phase motor using a cap start and a start switch . Just put it back togeher and give it a go .If it won't start change the capacitor .Reading the spec tag it could be a cap start cap run motor then the larger 20 Mfd would be the start and the smaller 7.5 Mfd would be the run cap .

I thought about that but was afraid of burning it up and thought there was possibly a way to figure exact what wire is what.

 

[Al Smith]

Your going to need to trace the wires out to be certain .Trying to trouble shoot on just a photograph is rather "iffy " .I assume the start switch is between one yellow wire and one blue wire .Assembled the start switch is held closed until it reachs a certain speed then the switch opens it up removing the start winding plus the start cap from the circuit . On a single phase motor a combination of the start winding plus the cap cause a "phase shift " of about 30 degrees which provides rotation .Fact being if it were not for the reduction unit rotation could be established by a rope around the shaft as if it were a gasoline engine on a lawn mower . With that stub shaft and a 12 to one reduction you might be able to rope it over fast enough to start it .