Dynamo / Generator
ALTERNATIVE NAME/S: Electric generator
DETAILS/DESCRIPTION:
A machine, invented on the principle of induction discovered by Faraday*in 1869 by French engineer Zenobie-Theophile Gramme* that converts mechanical energy to continuous-current electricity. The mechanical energy can come from a water- or windmill, hand- or animal-powered crank, steam engine or internal combustion engine, and these are used to turn a rotor.
The rotor (an iron ring) is wound round many times by copper wire (windings) and is set within the field of a magnet. When the rotor spins, the copper wire cuts through the magnetic field and creates electricity, flowing within the wire.
ONELINER: A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator.
Dynamos were the first electrical generators capable of delivering power for industry, and the foundation upon which many other later electric-power conversion devices were based, including the electric motor, the alternating-current alternator, and the rotary converter.
EXTRA-CONNECTIONS: None
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Encyclopedia Britannica
Dictionary of Scientific Biography