How Old-School Brushed Motors Work

Date:2018-03-26

A traditional brushed motor is made up of four basic parts: carbon brushes, a ring of magnets, an armature, and a commutator. The magnets and brushes are stationary, while the armature and commutator rotate together on the motor shaft within the magnets.

When the motor is energized, a charge travels from the battery, through the brushes, and into the commutator. (The brushes are spring-loaded to maintain physical contact with the commutator.) The commutator then passes the charge on to the armature, which is made up of copper windings (they look like bundles of copper wire). The windings are magnetized by the charge and push against the stationary ring of magnets that surround it, forcing the armature assembly to spin. The spin doesn't stop until the charge from the battery stops.


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