Quote:
Originally Posted by dmjlambert
What is the purpose of soft-starting an AC motor? What does it achieve?
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Motors have high inductance, so when you power them on by just connecting it to line voltage, it is essentially a short for a small window of time. This causes a voltage drop in the system while the motor comes up to speed, and also means that the current in the motor is extremely high during this time.
Soft-starting drastically reduces the startup current and the current through the motor coils.