Apparatus and methods for inspecting electrical connections so as to
determine the presence of fault connections between magnet wires and power
leads are described. The apparatus includes a processing unit, a power
supply unit, and a temperature sensing unit. The processing unit includes
a programmable logic controller (PLC) having a central processing unit
(CPU) and a plurality of input and output slots. The power supply unit
includes a power lead connector configured to couple to the motor power
leads and a power relay coupled to the PLC. The temperature sensing unit
includes infrared thermometers to determine the temperature at the
electrical connections between the stator magnet wires forming the motor
windings and the power leads. The outputs of the thermometers are coupled
to the programmable logic controller (PLC).