Iluminando Clasicas

Dynamo

A dynamo is a generator that produces direct current with the use of a commutator. Dynamos were the first electrical generators capable of delivering power 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.

They are rarely used for power generation now because of the dominance of alternating current, the disadvantages of the commutator, and the ease of converting alternating to direct current using solid state methods. A dynamo machine consists of a stationary structure, which provides a constant magnetic field, and a set of rotating windings which turn within that field. The constant magnetic field is provided by one or more electromagnets, which are usually called field coils. Power generation dynamos are now rarely seen due to the now nearly universal use of alternating current for power distribution and solid state electronic AC to DC power conversion. But before the principles of AC were discovered, dynamos were the only means of power generation and distribution. Now power generation dynamos are mostly a curiosity. Within of the disadvantages of the dynamo (in comparisson with an alternator) are the lower performance, requierment of maintenance and cleaning, and its higher cost.

---