First: In a so
called 'Rotary Converter', electrical power
is not 'converted', it is 'conditioned'.
It can be rectified or
inverted. But 'converting' it to 3phase is
nothing more than a conditioning process.
Rotary Phase Converters are not
generators. They are made up of a
set
of 3 'windings' that are mechanically configured and equally spaced
about a circle. Wow, just like in a 3 phase motor.
The single phase power is connected to
two of these windings. This in itself is
enough to keep the motor spinning when supplied power, although the
torque delivered from the motor will be at two points around this
circle and the third area will be passed due to momentum.
However this won't allow the motor to
initially start by itself when
power is first applied. The 60 cycle AC power applied to only
two
of
the three windings will cause the motor to 'bounce' back and forth
between them. This produces the 'hum' we call 'single
phasing'. It
will happen with commercial 3 phase power when one leg to the motor is
disconected as with 3 seperate fuses (one being blown) and the motor
re-started after being stopped or if the motor is running under enough
load
to prevent it from having enough momentum to continue rotating past
that third leg that is no longer powered.
The power delivered to our motors
(anywhere) is the result of many
years of experimenting to find the easiest most efficient methods so
that the power company can actually make money by doing so.
There are no secrets about it's
conditioning and delivery not
available to anyone who cares to study them.
The standards (if one wants to
identify it as such) are whatever is
required by the user. Not determined by a 'converter'
manufacturer who
after all wants to sell a specific brand over all others.
The 'standards' that are
in place are set by the power company, not by
'converter' companies.
It's the ignorance 'we' have of these
methods that allow them (through omission of truth), to lie
to us about how
technical this 'conversion'
is or is not.
Most 'phase converter sellers'
will sound much like a preacher, as if
they really believe what they are saying.
They are able to sound sincere in what
they are saying
because they tell enough of the truth's that are generally
accepted and
allow us to assume the rest. From this kernal of truth we
are
expected
to accept it all. And in our ignorance of the 'complete truth'
we
assume wrongly in certain areas because we arn't familiar with the
basics. Tripe and dishonest to create more of a
business than is deserved.
They 'omit' the actual 'secrets' that
make this conditioning
possible.
These 'secrets' are not secret really. They are taught in any
basic
electrical course. It's just that for the purpose that one
is
taught
electrical usage it is assumed that the electrician will work within
the standards set by the electrical companies. And the
application of 'conversion' is simply one that is not addressed in an
average electrical course 'as it relates to powering 3phase
motors. For this standard
delivery of power to the consumer conditioning or 'conversion' is
normally not required. After all, they deliver power in
several
usable
voltages, and motors are made to suit these.
The user can transform, rectify, or condition this power as needed.
This power has been 'generated' and
delivered to us. It doesn't need to be
'generated' by us. We
just need
to 'condition' (adapt) it to meet our needs.
The key to decide whether they are
being truthful is simply to 'read'
their stuff comprehensively and decide if they are really answering
your questions or whether they sound like a politician speaking in
general terms leaving 'plausible deniability'.
They want you to believe that it takes
many years of 'engineering' know
how and experimentation to produce a 'rotary phase
converter'. And that we, the user cannot possibly expect to
have the knowledge to accomplish this 'conversion'.
This is the lie. I've been using
'phase converters' for 50
years. I've built literally hundreds. I've distributed the
infomation to many thousands of people with instructions as to how to
build them and apply them to many different applications. In
those 50+ years I've yet to burn up a motor used as a 'converter' or
damage any of the many devices, machinery, power supplies, welders,
etc, that I've powered with them.
So if one would simply rather pay
hundreds of dollars instead of ten's
of dollars for what should be a routine application then buy from a so
called 'rotary converter' manufacturer. No doubt you'll be
satisfied with it's performance. I've never been able to
recommend this partly because I've shown so many industrial
electricians and maintenance men how to simply 'condition' their power
as needed and 'none' have ever been forced to revert to buying a
comercially manufactured one in these 50+ years.
A rotary phase converter manufacturer
is doing nothing more than assembling a converter exactly the same way
I would need to for my own use.
The important thing for one to know is that the methods are not magic
or unknowable. They are actually easy enough to do that the
average person can follow the steps to accomplish it without even
understanding why or how it actually works. Those who want
to sell completed converters will allow us to assume it's more
difficult due to it's technical nature. That would be
fine if they did not deliberately tell us that we 'best not try'
because it's just too tough or technical for us. Thats a lie.