Dynamo

Not to be confused with dynamometer. though these are invariably AC devices, and are actually
For other uses, see Dynamo (disambiguation). magnetos.
A dynamo is an electrical generator that produces direct

2 History

2.1 Development

Dynamo Electric Machine (end view, partly section, U.S. Patent

284,110)

current with the use of a commutator. Dynamos were the

rst electrical generators capable of delivering power for
industry, and the foundation upon which many other later
electric-power conversion devices were based, including The Faraday disk was the rst electric generator. The horseshoe-
the electric motor, the alternating-current alternator, and shaped magnet (A) created a magnetic eld through the disk (D).
When the disk was turned, this induced an electric current radi-
the rotary converter. Today, the simpler alternator domi-
ally outward from the center toward the rim. The current owed
nates large scale power generation, for eciency, reliabil-
out through the sliding spring contact m, through the external cir-
ity and cost reasons. A dynamo has the disadvantages of a cuit, and back into the center of the disk through the axle.
mechanical commutator. Also, converting alternating to
direct current using power rectication devices (vacuum The operating principle of electromagnetic generators
tube or more recently solid state) is eective and usually was discovered in the years of 18311832 by Michael
economic. Faraday. The principle, later called Faradays law, is that
an electromotive force is generated in an electrical con-
ductor which encircles a varying magnetic ux.
1 Etymology He also built the rst electromagnetic generator, called
the Faraday disk, a type of homopolar generator, using
The word dynamo (from the Greek word dynamis; mean- a copper disc rotating between the poles of a horseshoe
ing power) was originally another name for an electrical magnet. It produced a small DC voltage. This was not
generator, and still has some regional usage as a replace- a dynamo in the current sense, because it did not use a
ment for the word generator. After the invention of the commutator.
AC Generator and that alternating current can be used This design was inecient, due to self-cancelling coun-
as a power supply, the word dynamo became associated terows of current in regions that were not under the in-
exclusively with the commutated direct current electric uence of the magnetic eld. While current was induced
generator, while an AC electrical generator using either directly underneath the magnet, the current would circu-
slip rings or rotor magnets would become known as an late backwards in regions that were outside the inuence
alternator. of the magnetic eld. This counterow limited the power
A small electrical generator built into the hub of a bi- output to the pickup wires, and induced waste heating
cycle wheel to power lights is called a hub dynamo, al- of the copper disc. Later homopolar generators would

1
2 2 HISTORY

solve this problem by using an array of magnets arranged

around the disc perimeter to maintain a steady eld eect
in one current-ow direction.
Another disadvantage was that the output voltage was
very low, due to the single current path through the mag-
netic ux. Faraday and others found that higher, more
useful voltages could be produced by winding multiple
turns of wire into a coil. Wire windings can conveniently
produce any voltage desired by changing the number of
turns, so they have been a feature of all subsequent gen-
erator designs, requiring the invention of the commutator
to produce direct current.
Independently of Faraday, the Hungarian Anyos Jedlik
started experimenting in 1827 with the electromagnetic
rotating devices which he called electromagnetic self-
rotors. In the prototype of the single-pole electric starter,
both the stationary and the revolving parts were electro-
magnetic.
About 1856 he formulated the concept of the dynamo
about six years before Siemens and Wheatstone but did
not patent it as he thought he was not the rst to real-
ize this. His dynamo used, instead of permanent mag-
nets, two electromagnets placed opposite to each other
to induce the magnetic eld around the rotor.[1][2] It
was also the discovery of the principle of dynamo self-
excitation.[3]

Hippolyte Pixii's dynamo. The commutator is located on the shaft

2.1.1 Early dynamos
below the spinning magnet.

The rst dynamo based on Faradays principles was built

in 1832 by Hippolyte Pixii, a French instrument maker.
It used a permanent magnet which was rotated by a crank.
The spinning magnet was positioned so that its north and
south poles passed by a piece of iron wrapped with insu-
lated wire.
Pixii found that the spinning magnet produced a pulse of
current in the wire each time a pole passed the coil. How-
ever, the north and south poles of the magnet induced
currents in opposite directions. To convert the alternat-
ing current to DC, Pixii invented a commutator, a split
metal cylinder on the shaft, with two springy metal con-
tacts that pressed against it.
This early design had a problem: the electric current it
produced consisted of a series of spikes or pulses of Pacinotti dynamo, 1860
current separated by none at all, resulting in a low average
power output. As with electric motors of the period, the
designers did not fully realize the seriously detrimental
eects of large air gaps in the magnetic circuit.
Antonio Pacinotti, an Italian physics professor, solved was continually [4]
passing by the magnets, smoothing out
this problem around 1860 by replacing the spinning two- the current.
pole axial coil with a multi-pole toroidal one, which he The Woolrich Electrical Generator of 1844, now in
created by wrapping an iron ring with a continuous wind- Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, is the earli-
ing, connected to the commutator at many equally spaced est electrical generator used in an industrial process.[5]
points around the ring; the commutator being divided into It was used by the rm of Elkingtons for commercial
many segments. This meant that some part of the coil electroplating.[6][7][8]
2.2 Practical designs 3

electromagnetic eld coils rather than permanent magnets

to create the stator eld.[9] Wheatstones design was sim-
ilar to Siemens, with the dierence that in the Siemens
design the stator electromagnets were in series with the
rotor, but in Wheatstones design they were in parallel.[10]
The use of electromagnets rather than permanent mag-
nets greatly increased the power output of a dynamo and
enabled high power generation for the rst time. This
invention led directly to the rst major industrial uses of
electricity. For example, in the 1870s Siemens used elec-
tromagnetic dynamos to power electric arc furnaces for
the production of metals and other materials.
The dynamo machine that was developed consisted of a
stationary structure, which provides the magnetic eld,
and a set of rotating windings which turn within that eld.
On larger machines the constant magnetic eld is pro-
vided by one or more electromagnets, which are usually
called eld coils.

The Woolrich Electrical Generator in Thinktank, Birmingham

Small Gramme dynamo, around 1878.

Znobe Gramme reinvented Pacinottis design in 1871

This large belt-driven high-current dynamo produced 310 am- when designing the rst commercial power plants oper-
peres at 7 volts DC. Available 1917. Dynamos are no longer ated in Paris. An advantage of Grammes design was a
used due to the size and complexity of the commutator needed better path for the magnetic ux, by lling the space oc-
for high power applications. cupied by the magnetic eld with heavy iron cores and
minimizing the air gaps between the stationary and ro-
tating parts. The Gramme dynamo was one of the rst
2.2 Practical designs machines to generate commercial quantities of power
for industry.[11] Further improvements were made on the
The dynamo was the rst electrical generator capable of Gramme ring, but the basic concept of a spinning end-
delivering power for industry. The modern dynamo, t less loop of wire remains at the heart of all modern
for use in industrial applications, was invented indepen- dynamos.[12]
dently by Sir Charles Wheatstone, Werner von Siemens Charles F. Brush assembled his rst dynamo in the sum-
and Samuel Alfred Varley. Varley took out a patent on 24 mer of 1876 using a horse-drawn treadmill to power it.
December 1866, while Siemens and Wheatstone both an- Brushs design modied the Gramme dynamo by shap-
nounced their discoveries on 17 January 1867, the latter ing the ring armature like a disc rather than a cylinder
delivering a paper on his discovery to the Royal Society. shape. The eld electromagnets were also positioned on
The dynamo-electric machine employed self-powering the sides of the armature disc rather than around the
4 4 HISTORICAL USES

circumference.[13][14] When a loop of wire rotates in a magnetic eld, the po-

tential induced in it reverses with each half turn, gener-
ating an alternating current. However, in the early days
2.3 Rotary converters of electric experimentation, alternating current generally
had no known use. The few uses for electricity, such
After dynamos and motors were found to allow easy con- as electroplating, used direct current provided by messy
version back and forth between mechanical or electri- liquid batteries. Dynamos were invented as a replace-
cal power, they were combined in devices called rotary ment for batteries. The commutator is essentially a rotary
converters, rotating machines whose purpose was not to switch. It consists of a set of contacts mounted on the
provide mechanical power to loads but to convert one machines shaft, combined with graphite-block station-
type of electric current into another, for example DC into ary contacts, called brushes, because the earliest such
AC. They were multi-eld single-rotor devices with two xed contacts were metal brushes. The commutator re-
or more sets of rotating contacts (either commutators or verses the connection of the windings to the external cir-
sliprings, as required), one to provide power to one set of cuit when the potential reverses, so instead of alternating
armature windings to turn the device, and one or more current, a pulsing direct current is produced.
attached to other windings to produce the output current.
The rotary converter can directly convert, internally, any
type of electric power into any other. This includes con-
verting between direct current (DC) and alternating cur- 3.2 Excitation
rent (AC), three phase and single phase power, 25 Hz AC
and 60 Hz AC, or many dierent output voltages at the Main article: Excitation (magnetic)
same time. The size and mass of the rotor was made large
so that the rotor would act as a ywheel to help smooth
The earliest dynamos used permanent magnets to create
out any sudden surges or dropouts in the applied power.
the magnetic eld. These were referred to as magneto-
The technology of rotary converters was replaced in the electric machines or magnetos.[15] However, researchers
early 20th century by mercury-vapor rectiers, which found that stronger magnetic elds, and so more power,
were smaller, did not produce vibration and noise, and could be produced by using electromagnets (eld coils)
required less maintenance. The same conversion tasks on the stator.[16] These were called dynamo-electric ma-
are now performed by solid state power semiconductor chines or dynamos.[15] The eld coils of the stator were
devices. Rotary converters were still used for the West originally separately excited by a separate, smaller, dy-
Side IRT subway in Manhattan into the late 1960s, and namo or magneto. An important development by Wilde
possibly some years later. They were powered by 25 Hz and Siemens was the discovery (by 1866) that a dynamo
AC, and provided DC at 600 volts for the trains. could also bootstrap itself to be self-excited, using current
generated by the dynamo itself. This allowed the growth
of a much more powerful eld, thus far greater output
3 Description power.

The dynamo uses rotating coils of wire and magnetic

elds to convert mechanical rotation into a pulsing direct
electric current through Faradays law of induction. A 4 Historical uses
dynamo machine consists of a stationary structure, called
the stator, which provides a constant magnetic eld, and
a set of rotating windings called the armature which turn 4.1 Electric power generation
within that eld. The motion of the wire within the mag-
netic eld causes the eld to push on the electrons in Dynamos, usually driven by steam engines, were widely
the metal, creating an electric current in the wire. On used in power stations to generate electricity for industrial
small machines the constant magnetic eld may be pro- and domestic purposes. They have since been replaced by
vided by one or more permanent magnets; larger ma- alternators.
chines have the constant magnetic eld provided by one or
more electromagnets, which are usually called eld coils.

4.2 Transport
3.1 Commutation
Dynamos were used in motor vehicles to generate elec-
Main article: Commutator (electric) tricity for battery charging. An early type was the third-
brush dynamo. They have, again, been replaced by
The commutator is needed to produce direct current. alternators.
 5

5 Modern uses [13] Jerey La Favre. The Brush Dynamo.

[14] The Brush Electric Light. Scientic American. 2 April

Dynamos still have some uses in low power applications, 1881.
particularly where low voltage DC is required, since an
alternator with a semiconductor rectier can be inecient [15] Lockwood, Thomas D. (1883). Electricity, Magnetism,
in these applications. and Electric Telegraphy. D. Van Nostrand. pp. 7677.

Hand cranked dynamos are used in clockwork radios, [16] Schellen, Heinrich; Nathaniel S. Keith (1884). Magneto-
hand powered ashlights, mobile phone rechargers, and Electric and Dynamo-Electric Machines, Vol. 1. D. Van
other human powered equipment to recharge batteries. Nostrand. p. 471., translated from German by Nathaniel
Keith

6 See also
8 External links
Bottle dynamo
Henry Wilde
Third-brush dynamo

7 References
[1] Simon, Andrew L. (1998). Made in Hungary: Hungarian
contributions to universal culture. Simon Publications. p.
207. ISBN 0-9665734-2-0.

[2] "nyos Jedlik biography. Hungarian Patent Oce. Re-

trieved 10 May 2009.

[3] Augustus Heller (April 2, 1896). Anianus Jed-

lik. Nature (Norman Lockyer) 53 (1379): 516.
Bibcode:1896Natur..53..516H. doi:10.1038/053516a0.

[4] Anthology of Italian Physics, entry for Antonio Pacinotti,

from the website of the University of Pavia

[5] Birmingham Museums trust catalogue, accession number:

1889S00044

[6] Thomas, John Meurig (1991). Michael Faraday and the

Royal Institution: The Genius of Man and Place. Bristol:
Hilger. p. 51. ISBN 0750301457.

[7] Beauchamp, K G (1997). Exhibiting Electricity. IET. p.

90. ISBN 9780852968956.

[8] Hunt, L. B. (March 1973). The early history

of gold plating. Gold Bulletin 6 (1): 1627.
doi:10.1007/BF03215178.

[9] Berliner Berichte. January 1867. Missing or empty |title=

(help)

[10] Proceedings of the Royal Society. February 14, 1867.

Missing or empty |title= (help)

[11] Fink, Donald G. and H. Wayne Beaty (2007), Stan-

dard Handbook for Electrical Engineers, Fifteenth Edi-
tion. McGraw Hill. Section 8, page 5. ISBN 978-0-07-
144146-9.

[12] Thomspon, Sylvanus P. (1888), Dynamo-electric machin-

ery: a manual for students of electrotechnics. London: E.
& F.N. Spon. p. 140.
6 9 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

9 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

9.1 Text
Dynamo Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamo?oldid=661735998 Contributors: Tregoweth, Mac, Reddi, NilsB, Robbot, Pigson-
thewing, YUL89YYZ, Causa sui, Dungodung, Velella, Wtshymanski, Borb, BillC, Edison, DMahalko, Stephenb, Nimbex, SmackBot,
Gilliam, Jprg1966, OrphanBot, Gvf, Mgiganteus1, Bjankuloski06en~enwiki, Dicklyon, Optakeover, Peter Horn, The Letter J, Chetvorno,
HDCase, Libro0, Thijs!bot, Epbr123, Tchannon, BualoChip97, Widefox, Seaphoto, JAnDbot, MER-C, Leolaursen, PhilKnight, Bong-
warrior, VoABot II, Email4mobile, Nikevich, Allstarecho, R'n'B, CommonsDelinker, J.delanoy, Rod57, TXiKiBoT, Someguy1221, Andy
Dingley, Spinningspark, Mmarci, Biscuittin, SieBot, Caltas, Tiptoety, Reginmund, ClueBot, Blanchardb, Auntof6, Excirial, John Nevard,
Vivio Testarossa, The Red, Tuzi, Aitias, StevenDH, Tam0031, Bywater100, Addbot, Mac Dreamstate, John Chamberlain, Lightbot, Frag-
gle81, THEN WHO WAS PHONE?, Mike1975, XL2D, Stears81, Rubinbot, Ularevalo98, Materialscientist, A123a, Citation bot, Xqbot,
Erud, Sakeburns, GliderMaven, Prari, Pinethicket, MikeGoodman59, EdyaJ, TobeBot, Lotje, Reaper Eternal, Raykyogrou0, Tommy2010,
Wikipelli, Stubes99, Josve05a, Katrinablondy, Thine Antique Pen, Microprocessor Man, Noodleki, Warharmer, ClueBot NG, CocuBot,
Cntras, Helpful Pixie Bot, Cameron6426a, Anbu121, ChrisGualtieri, MadGuy7023, Makecat-bot, TheIrishWarden, Frosty, Epicgenius,
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zh5pbMMwARQC,<span>,&,</span>,pg=PA224'>mile Alglave & J. Boulard (1884) The Electric Light: Its History, Production, and
Applications, translated by T. O'Conor Sloan, D. Appleton & Co., New York, p.224, g.142</a> on Google Books Original artist: mile
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c64OAAAAYAAJ,<span>,&,</span>,pg=PA86'>Hippolyte Fontaine (1878) Electric Lighting: A Practical Treatise, translated from French
by Paget Higgs, E. & F.N. Spon, London, UK, p.86, g.30</a> on Google Books. The drawing is signed 'Perot'. Original artist: Hippolyte
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