An Amplidyne is an electromechanical amplifier invented just
prior to World War II by Scientist Ernst Alexanderson. It
usually consists of a prime mover driving a DC generator.
The signal to be amplified is applied to the generator's
field winding, and its output voltage is an amplified
copy of the original field current. Dr. Alexanderson
originally designed the Amplidyne for Steel Mills and
other processing Plants requiring delicate control of
continuous operations.
A Brief History
Dr. Ernst Alexanderson was a scientist and inventor working alongside the GE Corporation. In 1906 Dr. Alexanderson constructed a 2 kW, 100 kHz alternator. This invention had enough power to transmit voice not just Morse code. Dr. Alexanderson's alternator was installed in a transmitter at Brant Rock, MA, and the historic Christmas Eve broadcast took place. Radio operators who were monitoring that night were astonished to hear a voice reading the Bible and poetry.
In 1924, Dr. Alexanderson sent the first handwritten Facsimile from New York to his father in Sweden. Two years later, he sent the first facsimile transmission to go around the world. Passing through successive relays, the picture was reproduced on a machine in the same room as the transmitter after just two minutes.
In 1927, using high-frequency neon lamps and a perforated scanning disk, he staged the first home reception of television at his own home in Schenectady New York. A few months later, on January 13, 1928, he gave the first public demonstration of the new TV invention.
Dr. Alexanderson's career stopped short with the invention of the
Amplidyne, an extremely sensitive and powerful system of
amplification and automatic control, which he, with others of the General Electric Consulting Engineering Laboratory, developed
about the time that the United States began to think seriously of
rearming for WWII. Like so many discoveries in the past
have been adapted for war, the Amplidyne was designed for peacetime use, specifically in steel mills and other processing
plants requiring delicate control of continuous operations. During WWII the
Amplidyne was applied to the firing of antiaircraft
guns, which must be subject to split-second control if they are to hit airplanes. In general the
Amplidyne can be used for
almost any for of powered machinery, including airplanes, tanks, or even large shipboard guns. The
accompanying photo depicts a modern day
Phalanx Close-in weapon system that still uses the Amplidyne for precise motion.
Benefits of our Amplidyne Design
WolvertonBailey calls its Amplidyne system, a Hybridyne. The main difference between the two systems is, the Hybridyne is brushless and it does not use rare earth fixed magnets. In place of the fixed magnets the Hybridyne uses electronic magnets to build an electrical magnetic field.
Due to the amplification process in the Amplidyne, the existing brushed
system wears extreamly fast and with heavy use would need replacement within a six month period. On the other hand, the brushless
Hybridyne does not have brushes to be replaced therefore, it's
durability has greatly increased. Having a brushless system
does not affect the amplification output compared to the Amplidyne.
Wolvertonbailey intends to use the Counterpoise Bi-Radial engine as the prime mover for the Hybridyne. Fusing these two types of technology together will bring about the advantage of having the two most efficient devices, mechanical and electrical as one unit. This combined unit, our Counterpoise Bi-Radial engine and the Hybridyne generating system would be used to power an electrical vehicle or recharge that electrical vehicle. This existing system could be used to power a small encampment or village. Even, generate enough electricity to run an irrigation system for a large farm. As Dr. Ernst Alexanderson said, the Amplidyne or our Hybridyne can be used for anything that can move or needs power.
