MagForce motor system installation

Mechanical considerations

All MagForce motors should be installed with modern ball bearing pillow block bearings on the A-stand pivots. Older sleeve bearings exceed the frictional allowances needed for automation.

Cranked head stocks

A cranked head stock, sometimes called a yoke, suspends the bell slightly below the center of gravity (CG). This configuration is often used to reduce the side loads to the tower when the bell is swinging. Because the CG of the bell is near the center of bearing rotation, the bell is also easy to swing. We want to size the motor for both the bell's weight and the CG effect, but you may have to reduce the motor power during programming to prevent the bell from going over the programmed swinging angle.

Straight head stocks

A straight head stock, especially when not incorporated with counterweight above the bell (with either a wooden head stock or additional iron weights), will require a powerful motor to swing the bell.

Radius from head stock pivot to motor

The center line of the motor should be located at a distance from the bearing pivot center of about 80 percent of the diameter of the bell.

intelliSwing control feedback

The motor control circuit needs some motion feedback from the bell to determine that it is swinging properly. We offer two types of feedback devices to accomplish this. The wiring requirements are the same for both, four conductors of a telco or CAT5 cable usually suffice.

Proximity sensor (standard)

A three wire (60 inch cable) proximity sensor provides output when a bolt head or metal flag is about 1/4 inch away. Typically, a bolt is mounted to protrude from the bell wheel or head stock assembly. A stainless steel sheet metal flag is also supplied that can be mounted with dual adhesive foam tape or epoxy to the wheel or head stock. The proximity sensor must be located at least 8 inches from the induction motor brick to prevent electromagnetic interference. It should also be far enough from the head stock pivot to sense small movements of the bell (5 degrees minimum). When the bell is at rest, the bolt or flag should be centered on the sensor.

System Electrical Diagrams

These PDF documents print best on at least 11x17 inch pages. Click to open in your browser or right click to download and save:

T1M3 (pdf) - Three Bells, all swing, with one tolling hammer on large bell

Programming Procedure

The intelliSwing motor control system must be programmed with the bell at the time of installation. A special hand-held terminal is required for this setup and is available on loan from Chime Master with a deposit.