However, if this were a double pole generator, then 1 cycle would happen at each 180 degrees rather than 360 degrees, and so on. Current Generator An alternating current generator, or alternator, produces an alternating current, which means the polarity of the current changes direction repeatedly. This type of generator requires a coil to cut across a magnetic field, and is attached to two slip rings connected to brushes. The brushes deliver the current to and from the load destination, thus completing the circuit. During the first half turn, the coil cuts across the field near the magnet's north pole.
Electrons go up the wire, and the lower slip ring becomes positively charged.
When the coil cuts near the south pole of the wire during the second half turn, the lower slip ring becomes negatively charged, and electrons move down the wire. The faster the coil turns, the faster the electrons move, or to put it another way, the more frequency is increased, or the more hertz per second, the stronger the current. Alternating Current Motor An alternating current motor is similar to the direct current motor except for a few characteristics. Instead of the rotor field reversing every half turn, the stator field reverses every half turn. There are several different types of alternating current motors.