planet4ever wrote:Good try, but not on a LEAF motor. It has no brushes at all. The rotor is a permanent magnet, and the only place the electricity goes is to the stator.
Ray
Because the stator is driven by high voltage pulses that simulate a sine wave, I have read that there are
2 effects, one is the the high voltage spikes induce a voltage in the rotor, 2 because it is not
a perfect sine wave the 3 phase drive is not always balanced, so current flows in the rotor.
The article I read (sorry lost reference) showed pictures of deep scoring in a bearing (though
not the Leaf motor). I suspect lower voltage dc brushless motors may not be as strongly effected.
The service manual does show a brush in the reduction gear.