Wye Windings vs Delta Windings

Wye windings have four nodes:

  • A phase
  • B phase
  • C phase
  • Neutral

Delta windings have three nodes:

  • A phase
  • B phase
  • C phase

The connection schematic for a Wye winding is a star or “Y” shape, and the connection schematic for a Delta winding is a triangle shape. See figures 1 and 2 below for each winding type.

Wye windings

Figure 1 Wye Winding Connection Diagram

Delta windings

Figure 1 Delta Winding Connection Diagram

Not all motors have perfect impedance. Delta-wound motors have small impedance errors that can induce circulating currents. These currents cause heating in the motor and higher order noise in the back-emf waveform. This greatly affects the smoothness of rotation at lower speeds, which is detrimental to precision systems. Wye-wound motors also have small impedance errors, but because of the connection configuration, they do not experience the same negative effects. Celera Motion motors use a Wye winding to avoid the circulating parasitic currents while enabling smooth rotation at low speeds and lower torque ripple.