What is a magnetic motor starter?
A magnetic motor starter is a basic device designed to provide power to electric motors. A starter controls the motor, and provides protection from overloading of the motor’s capacity to do work. However, the starter does not provide short circuit protection, which must be addressed separately. The reason starters are called magnetic starters is that they contain an electromagnetically operated set of contacts that starts and stops the connected motor load. The terms starter and mag starters are commonly used instead of magnetic starter. How does a starter work? A starter is generally comprised of two components; a contactor that starts and stops the motor and an overload relay that monitors the current. If excess current is detected, the contactor is disengaged and the motor is shut off to prevent damage. Electric motors are known as an inductive load, which means, much like an accelerating car, it requires an enormous amount of power to get up-to-speed, then a relatively small amount
