Lontin Dynamo Circa 1873
Here is an early, beautifully crafted "Lontin Ironclad Dynamo - Electric Machine" circa 1873. Lontin invented and patented the Ironclad "single ring" commutator dynamo in which the "field magnet coils" and the "armature magnet coils" are designed in an array of inward and outward facing "radiating poles" respectively. This Lontin Dynamo has 10 stationary field magnet coils and 10 corresponding rotating armature magnet coils. The Lontin Dynamo field coils are mounted on the inside surface of a heavy stationary ironclad ring frame and radially facing inward. Each field coil is made up of an insulated wire coil wound around a metal cylinder. Each metal cylinder contains a number of parallel metal rods embedded in heavy metal. The dynamo's outer field ring frame is 12.5 inches in diameter, 2.5 inches wide and 0.75 inches thick. The armature is a 6.5 inch diameter array of solid iron spokes. Each spoke integrally extends from a cast iron center hub positioned on the dynamo shaft. The outward facing armature spokes are individually coiled with insulated wire to create the armature magnet segments. The commutator design is made up of 10 copper sections which are contacted by 2 multiple strip copper brushes set at 180° and mounted on an adjustable yoke. The armature / commutator / shaft assembly is positioned between 2 horizontal, fully machined, brass bearing supports. Each support has a bossed bearing fitted with an oil drip cup. The dynamo is 5.5 inches deep with a 2.5 inch shaft length extending beyond the rear support bearing. The 2 motor mounts are beautifully crafted legs made from solid half inch thick brass. This magnificent 1870's Lontin Dynamo - Electric Machine has 4 binding posts and 2 exposed knife switches, each mounted on mahogany and connected with coiled wire leads. This Lontin Dynamo is representative of the exceptional high quality hand crafted tooling of its period and is a very significant historic piece of early electric history. It is presented on a 2.0 x 7.0 x 18 inch oak base (historical research note: see "Dynamo - Electric Machinery" S.P. Thompson, 1888, [4th. edition London publication] page 11 footnotes, e.g., Specification of Patents # 2006 -1873, #2473 - 1875, #3086 and #3264 - 1876; see also page 44, 46, 115, 263; "Appletons' Cyclopaedia of Applied Mechanics" P. Benjamin, Vol. I, 1881, pg. 522).