Cable tension control device

A cable tension control device for an electrically powered mine vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle is of the type having an electric trailing cable wound on a cable reel mounted on the vehicle. The cable reel has a motor for rotating the reel in the direction for taking up the cable as the vehicle moves toward a power source and for preventing freespooling of the reel as said cable is unwound as the vehicle moves away from the power source. The device includes a sensor for measuring the amount of electric cable on the reel and utilizes this sensed amount of cable for controlling the drive torque of the motor in direct proportion to the amount of cable sensed on the reel. The same sensed amount of cable is used to control the braking torque developed by the motor when the motor is being driven by the reel as when cable is being pulled off during movement of the vehicle away from the power source.