Dc Generator — Thomas Alva Edison

DC generator

Explore Edison’s ‘Long-legged Mary-Ann’ DC generator! A 1890 masterpiece showcasing early electrical engineering. Unique industrial art for collectors.


Thomas Alva Edison (1847 - 1931)

Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) : inventeur américain de l'ampoule électrique, du phonographe et des films muets. Pionnier de la recherche industrielle avec plus de 1093 brevets. Découvrez son héritage !

Musée de la science NEMO (Amsterdam, Pays-Bas)

Explorez le Musée de la science NEMO à Amsterdam ! Découvrez des expositions scientifiques et technologiques interactives, parfaites pour tous les âges. Apprentissage pratique, expériences et amusement vous attendent dans ce musée néerlandais de renom.

Edison built this DC generator based on his 1878 design. The two long, vertically oriented black cylinders are the field coils that generate the magnetic field in which the rotor turns. The shape of those coils led the lab workers who worked on this design – all of whom were men – to refer it as ‘The Long-legged Mary-Ann’. The rotor is on the bottom, behind an upright lever. The lever controls a switch that can be set so the power generated by the rotor flows through the field coils in a parallel circuit, allowing the generator to create its own field. This type of generator was built in various sizes, and there are versions up to two metres high. Large horizontal versions were used for the world