4 Dec
2003
4 Dec
'03
4:23 a.m.
The capacitors you're talking about are the
"motor run" capacitors for
the motors. There is a difference between them and motor start
capacitors. Motor start capacitors (as the name implies) are used for
starting (large HP) AC motors. They create a phase shift in the current
across the windings so that the motor will actually start. They are
intended to be used only while the motor is starting rotation. I'm less
clear about motor run capacitors, but they are used while the motor is
in operation. In either case they are definitely *not* polarized.
Here is my problem with the claim that a couple of people have made, that
these are "motor run" caps: They are clearly filled with paste, not oil (as
some has been forced out through the emergency vent hole), and they seem to
be marked with a "-" near one of the solder lugs. That strongly suggests to
me that these are electrolytic "motor start" capacitors.
Am I missing something?
Vince