The scope of generators in industry, electronics and everyday life is huge. An ordinary incandescent light bulb and all household appliances in the apartment are powered by an alternator located at the power plant. It provides voltage of industrial frequency and sinusoidal shape. The TV uses switching power supplies, in which the built-in alternator provides power to the electronics. There are also sawtooth and variable frequency generators that are successfully used in laboratory installations, for training or in production. Without AC, it’s hard to imagine modern life.
A beginner radio amateur must have an alternator in his home laboratory. He will help in testing and tuning the assembled radio equipment. They are distinguished by the issued
frequency: low, medium and high. And also in the form of the output signal: rectangular pulses, sawtooth, sinusoidal, etc. The output signal power is usually small, because it is intended for laboratory research, and not for work under load. But the amplitude can be adjusted in the range from zero to the nominal value. Of course, you can buy an alternator in the store. Made at the facility, the laboratory generator is certified and safe to operate. This is the easiest way to replenish your laboratory with a useful device.
But still, it is much more pleasant to make an alternator with your own hands, it will take a little time and bring valuable experience. The simplest device that is useful to you when setting up some circuits is a multivibrator. Its circuit diagram can be found on the web. Two transistors, two capacitors, variable and constant resistors and a
printed circuit board. You can do it during the day. The disadvantages of such a device are obvious, it can only produce rectangular pulses, and the frequency control range of such a device is low. But, nevertheless, experimenting with a multivibrator, you can configure the scheme of their
serial connection and get, for example, a nightingale trill. Pretty unusual, right? You will get a small
doorbell designed and tuned by your own hands or your own burglar alarm for a car.
More serious schemes will require more time and patience. For example, a
three-phase alternator already has a more serious circuit. But, nevertheless, to set up small circuits or create your own devices, you can use an ordinary car generator. Depending on the speed of rotation of the shaft, we will receive an alternating
sinusoidal current of various frequencies.
It is unusual to use such a generator in converting wind energy into electrical energy. To do this, it is necessary to make blades on the shaft, usually three of them. This is because they are easier to balance. After that, we install the product on a rotating base, to which a stabilizer is attached. Using the rectifier part from the generator, you can get a constant voltage sufficient to recharge the battery.