The scope of application of generators in industry, electronics and everyday life is enormous. An ordinary incandescent bulb and all household appliances in the apartment is powered by an alternator located at the power plant. It outputs voltage of industrial frequency and sinusoidal form. The TV uses impulse power sources in which the built-in alternator provides power to the electronics. There are also generators of sawtooth and variable frequency, which are successfully used in laboratory installations, for training or in production. Without alternating current it is difficult to imagine modern life.
A novice ham radio should definitely have an alternator in their home laboratory. It will help in testing and tuning of the collected radio equipment. They are distinguished by the given frequency: low, medium and high. And also in the form of the output signal: rectangular pulses, sawtooth, sinusoidal, etc. The output power is usually small, because it is designed for laboratory research, and not for work under load. But the amplitude can be adjusted in the range from zero to the nominal value. Of course, you can buy an alternator in the store. Made at the factory, the laboratory generator is certified and safe to operate. This is the easiest way to supplement your laboratory with a useful device.
But still it's much nicer to make an alternator yourself, it will take a little time and bring valuable experience. The simplest device, which is useful for you when adjusting some circuits - is a multivibrator. Its schematic diagram can be found on the Web. Two transistors, two capacitors, variable and permanent resistors and a printed circuit board. You can make it during the day. The drawbacks of such a device are obvious, it can only give out rectangular pulses, and the frequency control range of such a device is low. But, nevertheless, experimenting with the multivibrator, you can set up a scheme for their serial connection and get an output, for example, a nightingale trill. Quite unusual, right? You will get a small and customized small door bell or your own burglar alarm for the car.
For more serious schemes, it will take more time and patience. For example, a three-phase alternator already has a more serious circuit. But, nevertheless, you can use an ordinary car generator to set up small circuits or create your own devices. Depending on the speed of rotation of the shaft, we will receive an alternating sinusoidal current of different frequencies.
Unusually, the use of such a generator in the conversion of wind energy into electrical energy. For this, it is necessary to make blades on the shaft, usually three. This is due to the fact that they are easier to balance. After that, install the product on a rotating base, to which the stabilizer is attached. Using the rectifier part from the generator, it is possible to obtain a constant voltage sufficient to recharge the battery.