Bodine Electric Company now offers a new selection of 12 volt permanent magnet DC (PMDC) gearmotors, motors and a new DC motor speed control for continuous duty OEM applications. These compact and cost-efficient products provide the predictable performance required for low-voltage, battery powered, remote-location, or solar applications. When these gearmotors and controls are used together, they provide a complete, single-source motion control system.The 12 volt PMDC gearmotors and motors are available in both 24A- and 33A-frame motor sizes. They can be built in combination with most of Bodine's parallel shaft, hollow shaft or right-angle gearheads, with gearmotor output speeds from 5.6 to 660 rpm. Horsepower extends from 1/50 to 1/8 hp (93 W), and they are able to generate up to 310 lb-in (35 Nm) torque. Higher output ratings are possible for intermittent duty applications. Custom models are available with encoders installed, special output shafts, cords, and customer-specific mounting configurations.Bodine's new Type WPM–12 VDC speed control is ideal for battery powered, solar powered and other low-voltage applications that require basic, single-direction speed control. This pulse-width-modulation (PWM) speed control provides cool motor operation, long brush life, lower audible noise and a wide speed range. DIP-switches allow the control to be easily calibrated for different size motors.Terry Auchstetter, manager for custom product development, describes how these new low-voltage products can be used. "A customer recently selected our low-voltage 12VDC products to drive solar powered pumps on pipelines. Because these pumps are used in some of the world's most remote locations, it was critical that the motors did not drain the back-up battery when solar power was not available. By choosing the most efficient winding, gear ratio and control combination, we were able to create a dependable system that is already being used in over 500 systems worldwide."
