> It could be as simple as a start capacitor.... the gig is that an electric
> motor usually doesn't have the butt to start itself so it gets a bit of a
> jolt of electricity from this thing to kick start it....
I guess that's one way to put it. All depends on what sort of motor it is ...
every washing machine I've ever worked on (which isn't a great many) had an
inductive start induction motor (which has neither brushes nor starting
capacitor). Inductive start motors have a separate winding for starting, and a
switch or relay that energizes the start winding. If the start winding is not
energized for whatever reason, they have to be spun very fast to start (like
over 1/2 of synchronous speed). This type of motor is generally used because it
has better starting torque than a capacitive start, but costs less than a motor
with a commutator.
Without some sort of starting mechanism, a single phase induction motor will not
self-start at all. It just kind of quivers, even with no load.
Randall
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