IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS CURRENT OF ELECTRICITY BY MEANS OF THE ROTATION OF ONE OR MORE MAGNETS IN COMBINATION WITH OR WITHOUT AN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE TENSION OF THE CURRENT
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Walter John Kilner at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th February 1876.
WALTER JOHN KILNER, of 104, Ladbroke Grove Road, Parish of Kensington,
County of Middlesex, Batchelor of Medicine. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS CURRENT OF ELECTRICITY BY MEANS OF THE
ROTATION OF ONE OR MORE MAGNETS IN COMBINATION WITH OR WITHOUT AN
APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE TENSION OF THE CURRENT."
The object of my said Invention is produce a continuous current of electricity by
means of one or more magnets rotating either within or without or partly within
and partly without a ring of soft iron, having coils of insulated wire placed round
it. By this means I shall be able to obtain a continuous current of electricity with
a very small amount of motor force.
Also I can alter my said Invention as hereafter stated in such a manner that I am
able to vary at will the tension of the current of electricity by making the coils of
insulated wire round the aforesaid ring of soft iron of several wires insulated from
each other, and by making them act as if they were one wire long and thin, or as if
they were one wire short and thick, or as if they were a wire of an intermediate
length and thickness. I take a ring of soft iron and I fix it to a stand either in a
horizontal or a vertical position. Around this said ring of soft iron I wind in the
same direction toils of insulated copper wire. Each coil I terminate in a metal
knob or brush. These said knobs or brushes are arranged in two circles, an outer
and an inner, so that one set of the said metal knobs or brushes are placed in the outer
circle, and the other set of the said metal knobs or brushes are placed in the inner
circle. I place also the two metal knobs or brushes which terminate the ends
of one of the aforesaid coils of insulated wire in the same radius of the circle whose
center is the axis or spindle of the apparatus. In the center of the aforesaid ring
of soft iron and coils of insulated wire I place an axis or spindle which can be made
to rotate and which supports the rotating magnet or magnets and also the collectors
described hereafter. The said rotating magnet or magnets are either permanent or
electro-magnets, but I widen their poles so that they may influence a larger portion
of the said ring of soft than if they were straight. I place in a parallel plane to
the said rotating magnet or magnets and I fix to but insulate from the said axis or
spindle a disc formed of an outer and an inner ring of sheet copper, and I divide
each of the said rings into segments corresponding to double the number of the
I make the
rotating magnets used. Each of the said segments I call a collector.

page_text: radial spaces to correspond to the magnetic axes of the aforesaid rotating magnet or
magnets. The said collectors I collect into two series, thus :-Suppose I only use one
rotating magnet, then the said collectors are four semicircles, and I join one external
collector with the opposite internal collector, and similarly, the other external
collector with the other internal collector. But should there be more than four
collectors, then I join one external collector to the internal collector of the next pair,
then again to the external collector to the succeeding pair, and so on until I have
joined one half of the collectors together. The other half of the collectors I join in a
similar manner.
In this way I join all the collectors into two series, and by means of
a wire I connect each series to a copper band around the aforesaid axis or spindle
of iny apparatus. These said bands are insulated from the said axis or spindle, and
also each said band is touched by a contact spring or metal brush which in its turn
is connected with the binding screw by means of a strip of metal. I place these said
collectors in contact with the aforesaid metal knobs or brushes which terminate the
aforesaid coils of insulated wire in such a manner that the external collectors shall
touch the external circle of metal knobs or brushes while the inner collectors touch
the inner circle of the metal knobs or brushes. But I make the said collectors to touch
the said metal knobs or brushes, only near the radial spaces as I protect the middle
part of each collector by some insulating substance; or I bend outwards the said
collector in the middle. The part of each said collector which touches the said
metal knobs or brushes is only one half the size of the pole of the aforesaid rotating
magnet or magnets. By this arrangement of joining the aforesaid collectors each
of the ends of the aforesaid coils of insulated wire is in electric connection with
first one of the aforesaid binding screws then with the other. Should, however, I
use an electro-magnet or electro-magnets for the aforesaid rotating magnet or mag-
nets, then instead of joining the wire from one of the aforesaid series of collectors
to the aforesaid band of copper round the axis or spindle of the apparatus, I first
twist in the usual manner the wire round the soft iron core or cores forming the
electro-magnet or electro-magnets, and afterwards fasten it to the aforesaid copper
band round the aforesaid axis or spindle.
When I turn the aforesaid axis or spindle to which I have fixed the aforesaid
rotating magnet or magnets, also the aforesaid collectors, and also the aforesaid
copper bands a continuous current of electricity is generated, when the aforesaid
binding screws are connected together and the current always travels in the same
direction.
To regulate the tension of the current I modify my instrument in the follow-
ing manner-Instead of making the aforesaid coils of insulated wire which are
placed around the aforesaid ring of soft iron of a single insulated wire I make
them of several. In the following description I suppose sixteen wires to be used,
but in practice I do not limit myself to that number. The ends of the said sixteen
wires I join together so as to form one wire, and I attach the two free ends to the
aforesaid metal knobs or brushes. Besides this I add to my apparatus two circles
of any badly conducting material such as wood or cbonite. One of these said
circles I fit over the other. Upon the said inner circle I place teeth projecting
upwards, and on the said outer circle I place teeth projecting downwards. The
number of the teeth upon the said circles are the same and correspond to the
number of the aforesaid coils of wire used. The size of the said teeth is such as to
allow the upper said circle to rotate to a limited extent upon the inner circle. It is
immaterial whether the said circles surround the aforesaid soft iron ring or are placed
by the side of it. On each of the teeth of the said inner circle I place fifteen studs
and on the grooved part I place eight studs. These said studs are made of metal.
I will now only describe the arrangement of tho wires of one of the aforesaid coils
with the said studs which belong to them. To cach of the said eight studs I fasten
a wire which I connect with one of the junctions of the aforesaid eight junctions of
the said sixteen wires on the side where there are eight junctions.
The aforesaid fifteen studs except the center stud I connect by wires with the
remaining seven junctions of the said sixteen wires in the following manner:-The

page_text: center junction of the said seven junction I connect with the two outer of the said
fifteen studs. And I take the middle junction on each side of the said center junction,
and I connect them with the four studs next to the said outer studs, being two
studs on the one end and two studs on the other. The remaining four junctions are
connected with the remaining eight of the said fifteen studs.
In the above arrangement 1 join the said right hand studs to the left hand wires
of the said junctions and the said left hand studs to the right hand wires. Besides
the above arrangement I fix to the aforesaid inner circle contact springs. One contact
spring I place on the one side and one on the other. I fasten the one said contact
spring on the right side to the metal knob or brush which terminates one end of the
aforesaid coil of insulated wire, and on the left side I connect the other said contact
spring which I place on the same transverse line as the said contact spring on the
right side with the metal knob or brush which terminates the other end of the
aforesaid coil of wire. This said metal knob or brush is connected with the center
stud of the aforesaid fifteen studs. Upon the aforesaid outer circle but upon the
inwardly projecting tooth I place a plate of copper so that when I move the said
tooth over the aforesaid row of eight studs it electrically connects them all. The
said copper plate is always in contact with the aforesaid left hand contact spring,
thus it can connect the eight studs with one of the aforesaid metal knobs or
brushes. Upon the aforesaid outer circle and on the inner surface but not upon the
aforesaid inwardly projecting tooth I place two copper plates which are shaped in
such a manner that they may cach touch one (the outer stud) on each side only of
the aforesaid fifteen studs; or they may each touch three studs or they may cach
touch seven studs, or the right hand plate may touch all the aforesaid fifteen studs.
The left hand plate is in electric connection with the copper plate upon the aforesaid
inwardly projecting tooth of the outer circle. The right hand plate is always in
contact with the aforesaid right hand contact spring, and therefore the studs it
touches are in electrical connection with first mentioned of the aforesaid metal knobs
or brushes.
When the aforesaid right-hand copper plate is in contact with all of the
aforesaid fifteen studs, then and then only is the copper plate upon the aforesaid
inwardly projecting tooth in connection with the aforesaid eight studs.
By means of the above arrangement I make the aforesaid sixteen wires to act
altogether in one direction, which for electrical purposes is the same as if I used one
wire having an area sixteen times larger than the area of each of the said sixteen
wires; or I can make the said sixteen wires to act as two wires twice the length,
but of eight times the area of each of the said sixteen wires; or I can make tho
said sixteen wires to act as four wires four times the length but of four times the
area of each of the said sixteen wires; or I can make the said sixteen wires to act
as eight wires. of twice the area of each of the said sixteen wires; or again, I can
make the said sixteen wires to act as one wire of sixteen times the length and of the
same area as each of the said sixteen wires. By this arrangement I can regulate
the tension of the current of electricity generated by my apparatus. The quantity
of the electricity depends upon the speed of the rotation of the aforesaid rotating
magnets and collectors.
In order that my description may be more casily understood I accompany my
description with some diagrams. In each diagram the same letter represents the
same part of my apparatus, and for simplicity I have drawn them with only one
internal rotating magnet.
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic sketch of a section perpendicular to the axis or spindle
of my apparatus.
Fig. 2. A section made parallel to the axis or spindle.
Fig. 3. The arrangement and connections of the four semicircular collectors
required if there be only one rotating magnet.
Fig. 4. The arrangement of sixteen wires and studs in connection with them for
regulating the tension of the current.
Fig. 5. The two circles, part of the apparatus for regulating the tension of the
current.

page_text: A, A, a circle of soft iron which is temporally made into a magnet by the
rotation of C, C, a magnet; B, B, coils of wire round A, A, having their extremities
connected with E, E; C, C, a magnet which rotates; it is fixed to the spindle
D; it may be either a permanent or an electro-magnet; D, D, the axis or spindle of
the apparatus which supports C, C, the rotating magnet; and F, F1, f, f¹, the collec-
tors; E, E, E', E', are mictal knobs or brushes to which the ends of the coils of wire
B, B, are attached; E, E, touch the collectors F, F¹, and E¹, E', the collectors ƒ, ƒ';
F, F, ff, the collectors are simicircles of sheet copper and are distinct from each
other; they are insulated in the center part and are fixed to a support H, H,
which in its turn is fixed to the axis D, D, so as to enable the collectors F, F,
ff, to rotate and touch successively all the metal knobs or brushes E, E¹; the
shaded portion is the part insulated; F, one of the external collectors is joined by a
wire or band T to f the opposite and internal collector. Similarly F¹ and f¹
are joined. There are wires from each of these pairs of collectors which run to the
axis and terminate in circles of copper g, g. g, g, are bands of copper which sur-
round the axis or spindle of the apparatus but which are insulated from it. G,G,
are contact springs touching the copper bands g, g, to connect them with the binding
screws.
To regulate the tension the following arrangement is added:-Instead of each coil
of wire B, B, consisting of one insulated copper wire there are several, say sixteen
twisted together, and these wires are arranged so that they may act as one wire of
sixteen, or two wires of eight, or four wires of four wires, or eight wires of two, or
sixteen wires of one. These said wires I join as in Fig. 4, w, and one of the free ends I
attach to the metal knob or brush E, and the other free end I attach to the other
metal knob or band E', also to a stud S, the center stud of the fifteen studs men-
tioned below. The metal knob or brush E I connect with the contact spring S
which I place on the right side of the inner toothed circle (Fig. 5), and attach
the metal knob or brush E' to the contact spring S₁ which I place on the left hand
side of the inner toothed circle (Fig. 5). One set of joined ends of the sixteen wires
w, namely, a Br de 5 7 6 I connect to the studs a' B' r' d' é' 5' '' which I place
on the groove on the inner circle. These studs a' B'y' d' 6' I can connect
with the contact screw S¹ and therefore with E¹ the metal knob or brush by means
of the copper plate M which I place on the inwardly projecting tooth of the outer
circle. The other set of joined ends 1, 2 2, 3 3 3 3, of the sixteen wires ware
attached to the studs 1'1', 2' 2' 2' 2', 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3', in the following manner :-
1 is attached to the two outer studs 1'1', and the junctions 2 2, are joined to
the studs 22 2'2', and the junctions 3 3 3 3; are joined to the studs 3'3' 33′ 3′
3'3'3', and the center stud S is joined to one free end of the sixteen wires as
already mentioned.
n
Upon the outer toothed circle (Fig. 5) and upon the inner surface but not upon
the tooth I place plates of copper in shape and arrangement as K, K¹, (Fig. 4) and
upon the inwardly projecting tooth I place a plate of copper in the shape of M
(Fig. 4). The plate K is in electric connection with the plate M. From the
peculiar shape of the plates of copper K, K¹, by the movement of the upper circle
none of the studs 1' 1', 2' 2' 2' 2', 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′, or only the two outer studs
1'1', or only the studs 1'1', 2' 2' 2' 2', or the studs 1' 1', 2' 2' 2'2', 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′
3' 3', or all the studs 1' 1', 2' 2' 2' 2', 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′, S, together with the studs
'à' B' r' &' é' 5' n' G'. In the last instance K touches no stud while K¹
touches 1' 1', 2′ 2′ 2′ 2′, 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′, S. The metal plates K and M-are always
in electric contact with S¹ and therefore with E' so that any of the studs K & M
touch, are in electric contact with E. The metal plate K¹ is always in electric
contact with S and therefore with E, so that any of the studs K' touches are in
electric contact with E.