I have a goal to build a circuit from scratch to simulate a 3 phase motor. I do not have any specific requirements, rather, I want to make sure that I understand what is wrong with my approach and current understanding. From what I remember in school, a capacitor can be used to induce a phase shift in an AC source, my question therefore follows, how can I design a circuit that shifts phases at intervals of 120 degrees?
The crude drawing below attempts to portray my attempt at understanding this. 3 sets of electromagnets, same size and number of windings, are placed in this configuration and all three are connected to mains, with the addition of three capacitors set at different values to induce the desired phase shifts (We are also assuming all applicable safety circuits and practices, etc). From what I have read, it seems as if this is a gross oversimplification of a practical circuit, if any degree of accuracy can even be located. Please help me understand.