An old engraving of Wilde’s Machine, a magneto-electric device of the mid-1800s. It is from a Victorian book of the 1890s on discoveries and inventions during the 1800s. Here a small magneto (top) powers the field coils of a larger alternator below. Henry Wilde (1833–1919), from Manchester, England, used his self-made fortune to indulge his interest in electrical engineering. Wilde invented the powerful dynamo-electric machine, or self-energising dynamo. Wilde was fond of spectacular demonstrations, such as the ability of his machine to melt iron bars.
An old engraving of Wilde’s Machine, a magneto-electric device of the mid-1800s. It is from a Victorian book of the 1890s on discoveries and inventions during the 1800s. Here a small magneto (top) powers the field coils of a larger alternator below. Henry Wilde (1833–1919), from Manchester, England, used his self-made fortune to indulge his interest in electrical engineering. Wilde invented the dynamo-electric machine, or self-energising dynamo, an invention for which Werner von Siemens is more usually credited and, in fact, discovered independently. His paper on his device was presented to the Royal Society by Michael Faraday in 1866. The self-energising dynamo replaces the permanent magnets of previous designs with electro-magnets and in so doing achieved an enormous increase in power. The machine was considered remarkable at the time, especially since Wilde was fond of spectacular demonstrations, such as the ability of his machine to melt iron bars.
Size: 2592px × 3780px
Location: Manchester, England, UK
Photo credit: © M&N / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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