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rahul gopinath
What is the difference between an AC Generator and a DC Generator? View All


16 years ago - 9 months left to answer. - 1 response - Report Abuse
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alec
The AC generator, or more properly, alternator, produces an output voltage that varies both in amplitude and time. In America and some places in Europe as well as one part of Japan, the frequency is 60 Hz.
A DC generator produces a steady output voltage that does not vary in voltage, or time. Actually, a DC generator could produce an AC output. It doesn't because the voltage is picked up from what is known as a commutator ring. There are several separate coils in the rotor of the generator. The coils are connected to contacts in the commutator ring and are spaced 180 degrees apart so that when they line up with the brushes that make contact with this ring, the connection is polarized as positive for one end of the coil and negative for the other end of the coil. There can be any number of coil sets for any given DC generator. All of this said, one point that needs to be mentioned, the alternator in a vehicle is just that, an AC alternator. Generally these are 3 phase machines for effi


16 years ago

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