Is there a comparison published of the various motor starters, ie DOL, soft starters and variable speed starters etc with their advantages and disadvantages?
RalphChristie has hit the nail on the head. In my opinion the link to which he refers contains the best published information covering motor starting on the web. I say this simply because the information focusses on the most important aspect of motor starting (and one that is most often overlooked)and that is the amount of motor torque that is required to accelerate the driven machine to rated speed.
Most often when people write about motor starting methods, their emphasis is on reducing start current, which is great, however if the current reduction is too great, the starter will simply not provide the performance or benefits required.
Should you require additional information of a more specific nature, there are people here and at LMPhotonics that will do their best to provide the information you are looking for.
Suggestion: Additional practical comparisons are often performed by comparing the manufacturer published data. This is especially needed when a cost, availability, and a lead time of those choices also have to be found and aligned.
To all those who's aim it is to complete a project (either minor or major) at the lowest possible price, I sincerely hope you have a very big wallet because it will cost you far more to fix it later than it would have to do it right in the first place'.
The cheapest alternative most often results in the highest installed cost.
The cheapest alternative most often fails prematurely.
The cheapest alternative will most probably cost you thousands, possibly tens of thousands in loss of productivity.
Suggestion to the previous post: Certainly, you are entitled to your views and imagination about what is not posted and might be posted. It is not always the case the electrical engineer, designer, tradesman, etc. is in a position not to follow rules required by business, administration, client, customer, etc. This is generally known fact. On the other hand, some clients or customers select middle priced or higher priced (higher quality?) electrical equipment. However, my posting just stated other aspects as examples. It did not elaborate on nature of the cost, etc.
Thanks for the replies, The question was performance, not price directed (although as has been noted price becomes a consideration at some point.) Thanks for the replies which are all helpful
Profeng.
