H. T. Cory

“ Watt ran across the idea of the seperate condenser while repairing the Newcomen model and applied the expansion of steam to the steam engine by a mechanical accident rather than by his own ingenuity, and so we find the first designers of the dynamo were mechanics rather than philosophers. Secondly the tendency to disregard old methods and instruments because of new discoveries and inventions has, as in the steam engine, hindered the advancement in electrical science. ”

“ The current divides and the larger half goes through the carbons, as here there is no resistance as the carbons touche, while the remainder, going through a spiral of high resistance, is small. When the carbons burn away a little the arc is formed and the resistance increasing brings the regulating gear into operation. Now the strength of the current is the same after it has gone through the lamp as before because the current is going to get through either one way or the other, hence any number of lamps may go on in series, depending only upon the tension of the current. ”

“ The principle of the motor is just this; a certain amount of mechanical energy say thirty four horsepower per minute into the form of electric currents, which by the way gives enough current to run 45, 2000 candle power lamps, send the current and distance through suitable conductors and attach them to similar dynamo or dynamos but in such a manner that the current in the second set of dynamos flows in the reverse direction to that of the first ”

“ If the current is to weak then the brushes are made to close up thus reducing the time that the most active coil is in parralel with one less active and also makes the brushes be longer in contact with the segment when the coil is generating its maximum amount of current. The motion of advance and retreat of the brushes is accomplished by the Thomson Regulating Gear before described. On Fig. 23 can be seen all the dynamo’s details except the Controller magnet. ”

“ When the current is turned on the circuit aa is almost instantly broken and most of the current goes through c as the distance between carbons being a quarter of an inch the arc has a very large resistance. The electromagnets j an k attract D which lets loose C, which falls to lower carbon, and the resistance being almost nothing, most of the current goes through b. ”

“ Normally the electromagnet R is short circuited by the wire r and only acts when this circuit is broken. At some point in the main circuit is a wall controller or controller magnet shown in Fig. 19, at ST, consisting of two electro magnet, Their yoke supported by a spring and the yoke operating the contact lever S. If the current becomes too strong the controller magnet circuit is broken and all the current of the main circuit goes through the electromagnet R which by its sudden increase of strength quickly raises A and thus alters the brushes. ”

“ In the diagram Fig. 19 the rotation is as in practice against the hands of the watch when seen from the commutator end of shaft. The three coils of the armature are represented by three lines A, B, C, united at their inner extremities each being joined to a segment of the commutator. There are two positive brushes P and F and two negative ones P ́ and F ́. The current delivered to P and F goes round one of the field magnet coils, then to the outer circuit consisting of regulating gear, lamps, motors, etc., through the other field magnet coil to brushes P ́ and F ́. ”

“ As regards the Thomson-Houston Dynamo it will be found to produce the steadiest and most uniform current of any dynamo now in use. It regulating gear is the simplest and most natural one ever used. In its ability to reduce the current simaltaneously to one tenth of its former quantity inside of one or two minutes without injury to itself and lamps it stands alone, in practice. ”

“ A part of the energy of an electric current exists in the form of a magnetic whirl surrounding the wire.
2. Currents may be generated in a wire by setting up these whirls.
3. We can set up these whirls by increasing or decreasing the relative distance between magnets and wires.
4. To set up and maintain these whirls consumes power.
5. To induce currents in a conductor there must be motion between them so as to alter the number of lines of force (Fig. 4 to 7) .
6. Increase in the number of lines of force in the circuit produces a current of the opposite sense to decrease (Fig. 7) . ”

“ The light is produced by the glow of the filament and heat of gases given from filament. The life of a lamp is from 1000 to 1500 hrs. and requires a current of 11⁄4 to 1.3 amperes and give 20 to 25 C.P. When the filament becomes brittle and breaks the tube is unscrewed from the key Fig. 26, and a new one screwed in. They are run on the arc light circuit by the use of an individual distributor Fig. 27 which consists of a brass case containing a magnet in the circuit of the lamps and a resistance coil automatically substituted in case the lamp should break or is turned off by key Fig. ”

“ These lamps are intended only for a steady current and will not cut out of circuit if the current gets too strong. But with the Thomson Houston dynamo the current never gets too strong and because of this there are less power absorbing mechanism and as anything’s functions decrease the remaining functions are increasedly better. As the Thomson-Rice lamp has less functions and power consuming machinery, it can but be the most economical, delicately adjusted and steadiest lamp extant. ”

“ An armature of a dynamo is the rotating coil or coils which generates currents of electricity by moving in a magnetic field of force. It is the most important part of a dynamo as it is literally the current generator. So we first consider the Thomson-Houston
Armature It is spheroidal in shape as is noted for the fact of its very seldom burning out, i. e., the electricity heating the wires of the armature to such an extent as to destroy the insulation or fuse the wires, either rendering the armature useless. It is made by keying two dish-shaped iron disks SS Fig. ”

“ Between 1860 and 1870 however, a working knowledge of these laws became the property of thousands of mechanics, and by comparing the number of inventions before and after that date (1860) the present generous growth of systems, dynamos and lamps, prove that inventions were almost in proportion to the number of people who had any electrical knowledge. ”

“ The Thomson-Rice single lamp has the same gear with the exception of having only carbon holder C, H, lever ON, and spring clutch and spring P being absent. The single lamp will burn eight hours and the double lamp fourteen hours continuous running. ”

“ The result is that, since the spark is done away with, oil can be supplied to the commutator in limited quantities but still amply sufficient to reduce the wear on the commutator to such an extent that the life of a segment is greatly increased. The air blast is fastened to the dynamo frame just behind the commutator and can be see in Fig. ”