Development of Electric Motor Control Trainer Board: A Cost-Effective and Industrially Relevant Design

This research presents the development of a cost-effective electric motor control trainer board designed for electrical engineering students. The board simulates various motor control circuits, providing hands-on experience for students. The trainer board can perform various motor control operations, including Start-Stop push button stations (Direct on Line), Jog Start, Forward-Reverse, Direct On Line Wye, Direct On Line Delta, Wye-delta, and Dynamic Braking. Key components used in the board include magnetic contactors, a circuit breaker, a digital phase converter, disconnecting means, an overload relay, a timer, a rectifier, a braking resistor, a ground port, terminal blocks, indicator lamps, and PVC Cable Wiring Duct. The overall fabrication cost of the trainer board was Php 28,067.00 (479.38 USD), making it significantly more cost-effective compared to commercially available trainer boards, which range from Php 29, 274.55 (500 USD) to Php 878, 235.05 (15,000 USD). This cost-effectiveness, coupled with its comprehensive functionality, makes the newly developed board a valuable tool for electrical engineering education, particularly in Eastern Visayas State University – Ormoc Campus.