Discussion on acyclic (homopolar) dynamos

F. B. Crocker: At the Philadelphia meeting of the Institute in May, 1894, the speaker read a paper entitled “Unipolar Dynamos for Electric Light and Power.” It received little encouragement then and there has been very little since that time. The present paper is therefore welcome, as it is the first ray of hope in 11 years for the successful development of a machine of this type. This paper gives evidence of real progress; the machine is not experimental — not a one-kilowatt machine generating one volt, but one that gives 300 kilowatts at 500 volts.