How does a homemade generator work

Structure and operating principle of a generator

A generator is a device that converts mechanical energy into ordinary electricity using the principle of electromagnetic induction. Primary energy sources can be steam turbines, water turbines, internal combustion engines, wind turbines or other mechanical sources. The first generator invented in 1831 was the Faraday disc, by English scientist Michael Faraday.

To convert electricity to mechanical energy, people use electric motors. Generators and electric motors have many of the same characteristics, so some types of motors can be turned into generators to generate electricity.

Generators play a key role in power supply devices. It performs three functions: power generation, rectifier, voltage correction.

Basic structure of the generator:



Note: Nikola Tesla is actually the best generator of alternating current - a brushless AC system

How do Generators work?

A generator is a device that converts mechanical energy from an external source into electrical energy.

It is important to understand that generators do not "generate" electricity. Instead, the generator uses the mechanical energy it provides to induce the movement of charge in the coil through an electrical circuit on the outside. The charge generated by the external current is supplied by the generator. We can understand this mechanism as the mechanism of the operation of the water pump, it causes water flow, but it is not really creating water flow as people often think.

All metals contain a movable substance called "electric charge". Even uncharged wires are full of charge! After all, the atoms of the metal are made half of positively-charged protons, and half of negative electrons. Metals are special because their electrons don't stay connected to the metal atoms, instead they constantly fly around inside the metal and form a type of electric "liquid" inside the wires. All wires are full of electric fluid. Modern scientists call this liquid by the name "electron sea" or "electron gas," or the "sea of charge." The fluid charge is movable, and this lets metals be electric conductors. The movable charge-stuff is not invisible, it actually gives metals their silvery shine. The electron gas is like a silvery fluid. Sort of.

Whenever a circle of wire surrounds a magnetic field, and if the magnetic field then changes, a circular "pressure" called Voltage appears. The faster the magnetic field changes, the larger the voltage becomes. This circular voltage trys to force the movable charges inside the wire to rotate around the circle. In other words, moving magnets cause changing magnetic fields which try to create electric currents in closed circles of wire. A moving magnet causes a pumping action. If the circuit is not complete, if there is a break, then the pumping force will cause no charge flow. Instead, a voltage difference will appear at the ends of the wir es. But if the circuit is "complete" or "closed", then the magnet's pumping action can force the electrons of the coil to begin flowing. A moving magnet can create an electric current in a closed circuit. The effect is called Electromagnetic Induction. This is a basic law of physics, and it is used by all coil/magnet electric generators.

Generators don't have just one circle of wire. Suppose that many metal circles surround the moving magnet. Suppose that all the circles are connected in series to form a coil. The small voltage from each circle will add together to give much larger voltage. A coil with 100 turns will have a hundred times more voltage than a one-turn coil.

Why is this generator AC and not DC? When the magnets flip, they create a pulse of voltage. But when they flip a second time, they create an opposite pulse? Yes. So then a spinning magnet is always making electric signals that go plus-minus-plus-minus? Yep. It happens because, in order to create voltage and current, a magnet pole must sweep sideways across a wire. If instead it sweeps along a wire, nothing happens. In our little generator here, the magnet poles don't sweep constantly along the curve of the wire. Instead, first the north magnet pole sweeps across one side of the coil, and at the same time the south magnet pole sweeps backwards across the other side. The two effects add together. But next, the magnet keeps turning around, and now the opposite poles sweep across those parts of the coil. The magnet has flipped, the magnet poles are reversed, so the coil's second pulse of voltage will be backwards. And if a bulb is connected, then any current will be backwards too. Each time the magnet makes one complete turn, it creates a forward pulse and then a backwards pulse. Spin the magnet fast, and it makes an alternating wave: AC.

If you want a DC generator, you'll have to add a special reversing switch to the magnet shaft. It's a switch called a "commutator." All DC generators have these. After every half-turn, it reverses the connection to the coil. That way it comes out as pulsed DC. If you look up some DIY projects for DC generators, you'll see how to build the commutator switch. But those generators aren't Ultra Simple!

Now for the light bulb. If we connect the ends of the coil together, then whenever the magnet moves, the metal's charges will move and a large electric current will appear in the coil. The coil gets slightly warm. What if we instead connect a light bulb between the ends of the coil? A light bulb is really just a piece of thin wire. The charges of the light bulb's filament will be pushed along. When the charges within the copper wire pass into the thin light bulb filament, their speed greatly increases. When the charges leave the filament and move back into the larger copper wire, they slow down again. Inside the narrow filament, the fast-moving charges heat the metal by a sort of electrical "friction". The metal filament gets so hot that it glows. The moving charges also heat the wires of the generator a bit, but since the generator wires are so much thicker, and since the bulb's thin filament is slowing the current throughout the entire coil, almost all of the heating takes place in the light bulb filament.

So, just connect a light bulb to a coil of wire, place a short powerful magnet in the coil, then flip the magnet fast. The faster you spin the magnet, the higher the voltage pump-force becomes, and the brighter the light bulb lights up. The more powerful your magnet, the higher the voltage and the brighter the bulb. And the more circles of wire in your coil, the higher the voltage and the brighter the bulb. In theory you should be able to light up a normal 3V flashlight bulb, but only if you can spin your magnets inhumanly fast.

Read more: How do I generate electricity from magnets

Homemade Generator

If you live in the city or you grew up in an area of the country that isn't particularly subject to huge storms, then you may not even know that such a thing as a generator actually exists. But, in areas where there are hurricanes and tornadoes, it is always a good idea to have a generator on stand-by, just in case the power is taken out. When you can't rely on your electrical grid for constant service, you need to have a back-up plan and that is where a homemade generator comes in.

Can't You Just Buy One?

If you have gone to your local home improvement store, you have seen that you can definitely buy these, but in order to get one that will power more than a simple power tool, you will need to spend an awful lot of money. That is why a lot of people are turning to homemade generators instead, which are longer lasting and much more affordable.

The good news is that making a homemade generator is not nearly as difficult as you might think it would be; you don't need a lot of specialized knowledge, and you also don't need to be an engineer to do it.

How Does It Work?

A generator is simply an alternative power source for your home's electricity. All of your electrical equipment within your home will plug in to the wall in the normal way, but the electricity that is feeding into your home will be coming from the generator, rather than from the electric company. What this means is that when you have a homemade generator, no matter what happens to the weather, you will always be able to turn on the lights.

Learn more for "How does a homemade generator work": Homemade Electric Generator

What Are the Benefits?

In addition to always knowing that you will have power should your electricity go off, you should also know that you can use a homemade generator as a way to permanently provide power to your home. What this means is that your electric bills will be much smaller, and in many cases will be zero.

Another benefit of having a homemade generator is that if you are able to generate enough power, you can essentially supply the power grid, which will result in you not getting a bill from them, but getting a check from them for the power that you have provided.

Where Can You Get Information on Making a Homemade Generator?

There are certainly plenty of online resources for people who are interested in building their own solar panels or wind turbines, but you won't find a lot of information on how to build a homemade generator. One resource that has proven very popular is The Tesla Secret. This is based on the works of Nikola Tesla who was an innovative pioneer of electricity over 100 years ago. With the information that you will find in The Tesla Secret, you can learn how you can build your own generator that will provide up to 4.5 megawatts of radiant energy power.

Is This Worth the Effort?

There are many reasons why people all over the world are choosing to build their own homemade generators and create their own energy. Of course, this is a wonderful tool to have in the case of emergencies and if you have ever had to go even one single night without electricity, then you know just how disruptive and costly it can be.

But it seems that more and more people are choosing this optional method of electrical generation because it is a huge money saver and is a much greener way to power your home.

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The design includes:

• Harnessing electricity from the Earth: Neither is Schumann Resonance, nor is it known by Electromagnetism. It's The Sea of Energy in Which the Earth Floats
• Extracted from ordinary electricity by the method called “fractionation.”
• Reverse Tesla coil - "Back to Back" mechanism
• Combination of radiant energy and negative resistance to amplify electricity 
• Nikola Tesla’s method of magnifying electric power by neutralizing the magnetic counter-forces in an electric generator