Motor Stall Current

[Terry PlumridgeParticipant @terryplumridge66794]

Good morning gents.

If a motor spec. says "20 amp stall current" does that mean that this motor will never draw more than 20 amps as long as the motor is turning under whatever load?

Cheers, Terry.

[Terry PlumridgeParticipant @terryplumridge66794]

[Malcolm FraryParticipant @malcolmfrary95515]

Sort of, yes.

A suddenly stalled motor "might" cause a lot more current to flow when it suddenly becomes a source of power "helping" the current to flow. You get the current that is flowing anyway, plus the current that is the result of the energy in the collapsing magnetic field that the armature has stored being returned to you. Briefly, the motor becomes to all intents and purposes, a battery. It might only seem like a theory, but in practice, it has been known to pop fuses, and possibly ESCs.

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