This DC generator was built based on the ‘Lahmeyer principle’ of 1887. This device is also called a salient-pole machine, because the field coils project on the outside. This outer element is the stator, the stationary part of the generator. With this new arrangement, very little energy dissipates into the surroundings.
There is a round wheel attached to the shaft on the right side that can be driven by a belt. This belt is driven by the power source for the dynamo, such as a steam engine. A copper commutator and carbon brushes are located at the left. The commutator converts the generated alternating current to direct current. The carbon brushes pick up the current.