DC motor and universal motor are both electric motors and convert electrical energy input into mechanical energy output. In both electrical devices, electrical energy is supplied to the system to extract mechanical energy. For various applications, the mechanical energy output can be used.

Difference between DC Motor and universal motor

Direct Current (DC) Motor

DC motors are commonly used and play a key role in the industrial sector from robotics to automobile. Small and medium-sized motoring applications often use DC motors. DC motor operates on the DC supply and converts DC electrical energy into mechanical energy.

It is easy to understand the design of DC motor due to its simple and cheap drive design. Apart from this, it also provides excellent speed control for acceleration and deceleration. The construction of the DC motor consists of stator, an armature, a rotor and a commutator with brushes. Inside the motor, the opposite polarity between the two magnetic fields causes it to turn.

DC motors were the first type to be commonly used as they could be operated from existing direct-current distribution power systems. A variable supply voltage can be used to regulate a DC motor speed over a wide range or adjust the power intensity in its field windings.

Universal Motor

The universal motor is a type of electric motor capable of operating on either AC or DC power, using an electromagnet as its stator to create a magnetic field. It is a commuted series-wound motor where the field coils of the stator are connected through a commutator in series to the rotor windings. Sometimes it is usually called an AC series motor.

In construction, universal motors look like DC series motors with little difference, so that the motor can work correctly with AC power. The interesting fact about the universal motor is that it can operate well in AC supply because the current in both the field coils and the armature is synchronised with the electric supply. The mechanical force resulting will, therefore, occur in a consistent rotating direction, regardless of the direction of the voltage applied but as described by the commutator and the polarity of the field coils.

The advantage of a universal motor is that it has very high starting torque and can run at very high speed. Due to their compact size and lightweight, they are widely used in portable power tools and appliances as well as in other domestic applications. These motor can also serve for a wide variety of purposes where speed control and high-speed efficiency are required.