An alternator is an electrical generator that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of alternating current.[1] For reasons of cost and simplicity, most alternators use a rotating magnetic field with a stationary armature.[2] Occasionally, a linear alternator or a rotating armature with a stationary magnetic field is used.
In principle, any AC electrical generator can be called an alternator, but usually the term refers to small rotating machines driven by automotive and other internal combustion engines. An alternator that uses a permanent magnet for its magnetic field is called a magneto. Alternators in power stations driven by steam turbines are called turbo-alternators.
Alternating current generating systems were known in simple forms from the discovery of the magnetic induction of electric current in the 1830s. The early machines were developed by pioneers such as Michael Faraday and Hippolyte Pixii.
