Here's a rough way to do it- assuming that the motor is Shunt wound or permanent magnet type.<br><br>This method assumes that the motor operates at around 80 % of its maximum efficiency on rated load. Which is a good approximation. I repeat, it is not 80% efficiency- it is 80% of the MAXIMUM efficiency. For example, if you find (how to find- we'll see down) the max efficiency as say, 75 %, at full load operating point, approximate efficiency is: 80 % of 75% = 60%.<br><br>Load test to find max efficiency:<br><br>Keep the supply vultage constant at 24 VDC. You'll have to measure <br>i) the input current and <br>ii) the mechanical load applied on the motor shaft by standard shaft loading methods.<br><br>1. Run the motor on no-load. P_out = Load = 0 hp. Find the input power as <br>P_in = input amps x supply power / 746 -> hp <br>Efficiency= P_out * 100/ P_in = 0%.<br><br>2. Increase the load in small steps. Find the mechanical load on the motor as P_in. The input current would increase. Find the new P_in and then, the new efficiency. You'll get non-zero values now.<br><br>3. Continue step 2. The efficiency increases with load upto a point. Then it starts decreasing. Get a couple of points on the decreasing side also. Make sure that you don't run the motor for long in this load.<br><br>Plot the variation of efficiency with load. Find the rated load as indicated in pargraph 2 above.<br><br>NOTES: <br>i) If the motor heats up excessively when you increase the load, this trick may not work. The method assumes a normal shunt/ permanant magnet DC motor.<br><br>ii) In "80% of maximum efficiency ", you could refer to standard motor manuals of similar capacity to come up with a better value for the factor. Still, 80% is a fairly good value, I guess.<br><br>Please keep posted, if you have some other ideas/ you tried out something.<br><br>Regards<br><br><A HREF="mailto:umn@ieee.org">umn@ieee.org</A><br><br><br>