An earth excavator including apparatus for stabilizing performance by
compensating for changes in temperature. The apparatus includes a
temperature compensating voltage regulator for regulating and controlling
the output voltage of an exciting generator as a function of sensed
temperature. The exciting generator supplies field excitation voltage and
current to electric motors in the earth excavator. In order to maintain
substantially constant current through the motor field windings with
variations in temperature of the windings, and therefore to maintain the
performance of the motors and thus of the excavator substantially constant
with variations in temperature, the exciting generator output voltage is
regulated in a manner such that the regulated voltage supplied by the
exciting generator is a direct function of the temperature of the motor
field windings. The output voltage of the exciting generator is controlled
by controlling the average current through the exciting generator field
winding. In order to produce a signal representative of motor field
winding temperature, the temperature of a representative motor field
winding, or of the exciting generator field winding, or of an element
having a temperature which is representative of motor field winding
temperature is sensed.