Shown below is a schematic of a Three Phase Motor Starter.

The following pages illustrate the various sections and demonstrate the control
function with an illustrated animation.
This example is a full voltage magnetite non reversing motor starter application, with
a control transformer and one start/stop station.
The components are as follows;
Three Phase Fusible Disconnect Switch.
Control Transformer.
Primary Fusing Control Transformer.
Secondary Fusing Control Circuit.
MS1 Motor Starter.
Operator Start / Stop Buttons.
Three Phase Motor.

The Motor Starter

Shown below is a schematic of a Three Phase Motor Starter. Labeled as MS1 (Motor
Starter One)
The area highlighted in yellow is the part of the schematic which contains the motor
starter.

Power Contacts
Thermal Heater Overloads
Overload Switch Location

Control Coil
Overloads Switches
Control Contact

The Disconnect
Shown below is a schematic of a Three Phase Motor Starter.
The area highlighted in yellow is the part of the schematic which contains the Three
Phase Disconnect Switch and three fuses.

The Disconnect Switch must be rated for the

job.
It must have a voltage rating equal to or
greater than the supply voltage and it must
have a horsepower equal to or greater than
the motor it is supplying. Refer to the NEC.
The Enclosure must be grounded. Refer to
the NEC.
Fuses must be UL listed.
A time-delay fuse such as class RK1, J or CC
is good. The low peak fuses are best.
The size should be no more then 175% of the
full load current, however, certain
applications require special devices and a
fuse rated at 175% of full load may be too
high.
Use the lowest amperage fuse possible.
Refer to the NEC.

Overload Devices.
Shown below is a schematic of a Three Phase Motor Starter. The area highlighted in
yellow is the part of the schematic which contains the motor starter's three thermal
heater overload devices.

The thermal heater overload must be sized

properly to ensure motor protection.
Many factors must be considered.
1) Motor Service Factor.
2) Motor Ambient Temperature.
3) Controller Ambient Temperature.
Refer to the heater table supplied with the
starter.

The Control Transformer.

Shown below is a schematic of a Three Phase Motor Starter. The area highlighted in
yellow is the part of the schematic which contains the control transformer.

The control transformer is powered by two

of the three phases. Here it receives power
from phases A and B.
This is a single phase transformer and lowers
the voltage to a more common value useful
when adding lights, timers or remote
switches not rated for the higher voltages.
In some cases a control transformer is not
needed. A motor starter with a coil voltage
with the same rating as the supply would
work just fine.
Transformers have a primary side and a
secondary side.
The primary side is the higher voltage side
and the secondary side is the lower voltage
side.
Control transformers are rated in volt amps (VA).
The control transformer primary side voltage must match the incoming line voltage
and the secondary side must match the coil voltage.
The VA rating must be greater than the VA rating of the coil.
If lights and timers are used the VA rating must be greater than the total load.
The next page will explain how to size and fuse the control transformer.

The Secondary Fuse.

Shown below is a schematic of a Three Phase Motor Starter. The area highlighted in
yellow is the part of the schematic which contains the control transformer secondary
fuse.

The secondary fuse protects the control

circuit and transformer from damage,
including fire damage.
The VA rating of the transformer is used to
properly select the fuses.
The fuse must be smaller than the VA rating
of the transformer.
Calculate the fuse size by first determining
the size of the transformer.
The VA rating is the math formula used in
determining the amperage at a given voltage.
A secondary voltage of 120 volts from a
100VA transformer will produce .83 amps...
e.g., 100 VA 120 Volts = .83 Amps.
The VA rating is divided by the voltage.
The result is the transformer's output amperage.
The secondary fuse size for a 100VA transformer must be 8/10 Amp or smaller.
A fast acting fuse is best. Refer to the NEC.

The Primary Fusing.

Shown below is a schematic of a Three Phase Motor Starter. The area highlighted in
yellow is the part of the schematic which contains the control transformer primary
fusing.

The primary fusing protects the control

transformer from damage, including fire
damage.
The VA rating of the transformer is used to
properly select the fuses.
The fuses must be matched to the VA rating
of the transformer.
The VA rating is the math formula used in
determining the amperage at a given voltage.
A primary voltage of 480 volts for a 100VA
transformer will draw .21 amps...
e.g., 100 VA 480 Volts = .21 Amps.
The VA rating is divided by the voltage.
The result is the transformer's input
amperage.
The primary fuse size for a 100VA transformer must be .21 Amp or 150% larger.
Oversizing primary fuses is necessary due to the initial load when power is first
applied (Known as inrush).
A timed delay fuse is best. Refer to the NEC.

The Control Circuit.

Shown below is a schematic of a Three Phase Motor Starter. The area highlighted in
yellow is the part of the schematic which contains the control circuit.

The control circuit begins at the control

transformer which is the voltage source.
The X2 terminal is bounded to a ground
making this terminal neutral (No voltage
potential to ground).
Follow the transformer X2 terminal down to
the starter's overload switch.
There are three overload switches and they
are pre-wired internally all the way to the
coil.
The transformers X1 terminal is connected to
the secondary fuse from here (wire #1) it is
sent to the stop button which is normally a
closed contact.
From here (wire #2) runs to a normally open
start button and the motor starter's MS1 contact (also a normally open contact).
From the start button and the MS1 contact, wire #3 goes to the coil of the motor
starter.
When the start button is pushed the path to the coil is completed; 1) the motor starts
and 2) the MS1 contact is closed.
The coil remains energized through the MS1 contact after the start button is released
and
it will run until the circuit is interrupted by the stop button or an overload trip.

Three Phase Motor Starter Animation.

The illustrated, animated schematic to the right displays a Three Phase Motor Starter
with start stop button control.

The Red Lines illustrate the circuit path.

When the start button is pushed the path is
completed to the coil.
When the coil is energized the MS1 contacts
close and confine power to the coil until the
stop button is pushed, interrupting the circuit.
Watch the illustrated animation for a
demonstration of how the circuit works.