History of Generators The predecessor of the modern day generator, a machine used to change mechanical energy into electrical

energy, was discovered in 1831 by Michael Faraday. A Bri tish scientist, physicist and chemist who significantly contributed to the field s of electromagnetism and electrochemistry, Faraday discovered that if he moved a magnet through a loop of wire, an electric current flowed in the wire and that the current current also flowed if the loop was moved over a stationary magnet. More formally, he discovered electromagnetic induction: that a potential differ ence is generated between the ends of an electrical conductor that moves perpend icular to a magnetic field. Faraday further proposed that electromagnetic forces extended into the empty spa ce around the conductor, but did not complete his work involving this proposal. Faraday's concept of flux lines emanating from charged bodies and magnets provid ed a way to visualize electric and magnetic fields, a mental model that was pivo tal to electromechanical device development that dominated engineering and indus try for the remainder of the 19th century. He built the first electromagnetic ge nerator called the Faraday disc, using a copper disc rotating between the poles of a horseshoe magnet producing a small direct current, or DC. In 1832 Hippolyte Pixii, an instrument maker from Paris, France, discovered the first magneto electric generator based on the principles of Michael Faraday. His device was a spinning magnet, rotated by a hand crank, where the North and Sout h poles passed over a coil with an iron core (the conductor), producing a curren t pulse each time a pole passed over the coil. He also found that the direction of the current changed when the North pole passed over the coil after the South pole, giving rise to alternating current or AC. Later, by adding a commutator, P ixii was able to convert the alternating current to direct current. (A commutato r is an electric switch that periodically reverses the current in an electric mo tor or a generator). Both of these designs, however, had a similar flaw: they induced "spikes" of ele ctric current followed by no current at all. Antonio Pacinotti, an Italian physi cs professor, remedied this problem by replacing the spinning coil with a toroid al one, which he created by wrapping an iron ring. Since some part of the coil w as now continually passing by the magnets, it smoothed out the current. A few ye ars later, when designing the first commercial power plants in France in the 187 0's, Zenobe Gramme reinvented this model using a ring armature around which was wrapped a coil of wire, producing an even smoother direct current than previousl y available. Known as the Gramme dynamo, this basic concept of a spinning endles s loop of wire remains at the core of all modern dynamos or DC generators. In 18 73 it was discovered that a generator could be reversed to serve as a motor, as could a motor be switched to serve as a generator. A generator, then, is simply a mechanical arrangement for moving the conductor a nd leading a current to an external circuit in order to activate devices that re quire electricity. In any generator, the entire assembly carrying the coils is c alled the armature, or rotor, while the stationary parts constitute the stator. The generator rotor is turned by a device called a prime mover, which may be an engine, steam turbine, water turbine or other medium coupled to the rotor shaft. The term dynamo is often used for the DC generator. The generator in automotive applications is usually a dynamo. An AC generator is called an alternator. Most alternators produce a polyphase AC, a complex type of current that provides a sm oother power flow than does simple AC. Historically, the first commercial electr ic power transmission (developed by Thomas Edison in the late nineteenth century ) used direct current. Since alternating current is more convenient than direct current for electric power distribution and transmission, today almost all elect ric power transmissions use alternating current.