Re: (ET) dynamic braking

[Michael Neverdosky <MichaelN cycat com>]

A strong circular saw motor will probably run a mower deck, the 
question is, for how long? Most saws are not designed for continuous
duty, so running them more than a few minutes at a time can be
a problem.

The key to keeping power down on a mower is first to keep the blade(s)
very sharp. Also be sure any bearings are lubricated and working
freely.

AC motors and dynamic braking.
Most of the motors in power tools are 'universal' motors, meaning that
they are actually series wound DC motors that run just fine on AC.
Series wound motors are unstable under dynamic braking because
of the interaction between the field strength and armature current.
They will generally tend to stop very abruptly, on a mower this might
not be all that bad. You will still want to use some amount of 
resistance to control how fast it stops.

An alternative is to use a mechanical brake that is released when
power is applied to the motor.

Being nuts is a very good way to keep from going insane.  :-))

michael

daniel laser net wrote:

> Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all input here. But, once I find the
> right mower deck, it's getting an ac mower, at least until it makes me
> nuts (nuttier?). So, the question remains, how tough is it to retrofit
> an ac motor with dynamic braking?
> 
> Dan