Motor Circuit Analysis

Deep insights into motor health to prevent failures before they happen. NFPA 70B–aligned diagnostics for reliability and compliance.

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What’s Motor Circuit Analysis?

MCA, formally referred to as just ‘Offline Electric Motor Testing’, is a de‑energized electrical test for motors and power cables. Using low‑voltage AC/DC signals, we compare phase relationships and measure R, L, C, Z and balance to spot turn‑to‑turn winding faults, contamination/moisture, high‑resistance connections, phase imbalance, and rotor‑related anomalies (via Rotor Influence Check where applicable).
For insulation‑to‑ground, we include an IR (megohm) check. Together, the tests build a baseline you can trend and data you can act on.

Tech’s lens: meters and meggers are necessary; MCA finds the winding/rotor faults they miss

Basic motor testing can identify some motor faults, but there’s plenty they can miss.
Comparison of what a meg-ohm meter, a multimeter, and Motor Circuit Analysis detect.
Fault Meg-ohm Meter (IR) Multimeter Motor Circuit Analysis*
Ground faults (insulation-to-ground) Yes No Yes
Internal winding faults (turn-to-turn) No No Yes
Bad / high-resistance connections No Yes Yes
Rotor faults (bars / end rings) No No Yes
Contamination / moisture Yes No Yes

*As performed by Advanced Industrial Maintenance: MCA includes insulation-to-ground measurement and Rotor Influence Check (RIC) where applicable.

Maintenance Impact

  • Fewer surprises. Find early faults before they take down a line.

  • Hard numbers, not guesswork. Baselines and trends you can act on.

  • Zero production drama. De‑energized testing during shutdowns or planned windows.

  • Better decisions. Rewind vs. replace vs. monitor—based on data.

  • Future‑proofed. Built to current best practices (including NFPA 70B), so you’re ready when others start caring.

Recommended periodicity: Quarterly in Year 1 to establish baselines, then every 6 months (critical assets may stay quarterly).

De-Energized Testing

No interruption to production—performed during outages or planned downtime.

Early Fault Detection

Identifies contamination/moisture, winding faults, phase imbalance, and cable/connection issues before failure.

Trendable Data

Repeatable measurements that build asset health trends for long‑term reliability tracking.

Ready to Add MCA to Your Reliability Program?

Book a motor circuit analysis survey or request a quote today.