effect of driving one coil in a 3 phase motor

[dcb]

sort of, it should have some torque at startup though, assuming I can tell rotor position well enough with the three hall sensors. I would have a simple commutation program that turns on a phase 120 electrical degrees before the rotor is aligned with the phase pole, I think.

I would need to study the relationship of the hall sensors to the phases and the rotor to be sure. I.e. a degree wheel and a vom and maybe some holding current through the phases to make some inferences from.

[XmodAlloy]

Why not just mount your Hall Effect sensors on a platform that rotates and turn it slightly to change the timing? I know it makes the physical side a little more complex, but you can tune it to have the most torque or RPM for any given voltage.
-Don