The ordinary prony brake is not, as a rule, sensitive enough to make an accurate test on small motors, such as those used in driving sewing machines, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, etc. The arrangement shown in the accompanying sketch has been used for this purpose with good results and was very accurate. The operation of the brake is exceedingly simple.

A pulley without a crown face is attached to the shaft of the motor, which is fastened to the top of a table or bench, and a balance mounted directly over the pulley. The support for the balance should be a narrow strip, which in turn is supported on two upright pieces, as shown. A light rope is put under the pulley, and the ends are looped over the platforms of the balance so that it does not interfere with the operation of the balance. The ends of the rope should be vertical and parallel. The piece upon which the balance rests is raised by inserting wedges, thus increasing the tension in the rope. The resulting friction of the rope on the pulley increases the load.

Ill: Prony Brake Used in Connection with a Small Balance to Find the Horsepower

If the motor is running in the direction indicated by the arrow on the pulley, the tension in the left-hand end of the rope will be greater than in the right-hand end and a weight must be placed on the right-hand platform of the balance. When the weight W is adjusted so that the two pointers on the platforms are exactly opposite each other, the value of the weight W, in pounds, will represent the difference in pull, in pounds, between A and B. If the value of the weight XV is known and also the speed of the machine when the weight was determined, the horsepower output can be computed by means of the following: equation :

In this equation, L is the distance in inches from the center of the pulley to the center of the rope. Two ordinary spring balances may be substituted for the beam balance and the difference in their readings taken for the value W. For best results, the tension in the slack end of the rope should be as small as possible, and it may be necessary to wrap the rope one or more times completely around the pulley.