Need some electrical engineering help

I need to design a device to help "cushion" the engagement of my starter.



The starter is 28VDC (drawing up to 500 Amps) on a T58-GE-3 turbine engine
installed in a non-aircraft application. I'm told this "starter slamming" is
a 'weak link' on this engine and often causes starter failure.



I also understand there are several aftermarket 'soft start' devices
available that help reduce the 'slam' when the starter is engaged. I suspect
these devices allow the starter to use a somewhat lower voltage to engage,
begin turning, then (after a couple second delay) apply the full 28VDC. I've
'bench checked' my starter and it seems to engage fine on 12VDC.



Is this something I can do with a solenoid and a time delay? Or would I be
better off with some sort of capacitance device that applies 12VDC then
increases it to the full 28VDC?



Your comments are welcome.



Thanks!

Martin