# Dumb noob question



## Popestabbystab (Jul 16, 2021)

Greetings. I purchased a 2015 leaf motor from work (I work for a very large chain of salvage yards..) for a song and a dance. Before I jump into the really expensive and experimental phase of the build (crx), I'd like to make sure this even runs. Is there a way to plug it into a wall socket? I'm in the US so I don't have 3 phase. I have a basic understanding of how a static converter works, and a bunch of capacitors I've hoarded all these years. Haven't tried yet as I don't want to fry my motor...or my house..any suggestions?


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Popestabbystab said:


> Greetings. I purchased a 2015 leaf motor from work (I work for a very large chain of salvage yards..) for a song and a dance. Before I jump into the really expensive and experimental phase of the build (crx), I'd like to make sure this even runs. Is there a way to plug it into a wall socket?


No. The power needs to be not just 3-phase, but synch with the motor rotation. You need a controller.

Without operating the motor, you could check the resistance (and perhaps inductance) of each phase, if you can find specifications to compare against. And of course you can turn the shaft by hand to get an idea of whether or not the bearings are okay.


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## Popestabbystab (Jul 16, 2021)

It seems to spin pretty well. Do I get some sort of crap forklift controller for the testing phase, or dive right into what I'm going to run on the car ( haven't decided. Thunderstruck unit looks promising. I'd rather build the Paul Holmes unit but nobody seems to want to share the components list.)? 
How did you approach yours, and what would you have done differently?


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Popestabbystab said:


> Do I get some sort of crap forklift controller for the testing phase...


The most basic controller will be for a DC motor, and won't work at all for any kind of AC motor. Even an AC controller (if, for instance, you found a cheap one for temporary use) won't run the Leaf motor unless it is properly set up to work with the encoder on the Leaf motor (which tells the controller the position of the motor rotor).



Popestabbystab said:


> How did you approach yours, and what would you have done differently?


When I got interested in DIY EVs, I learned enough to realize that my target vehicle wasn't going to be practical to convert and meet my needs... so I haven't done a conversion, and have no regrets.


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