Talk:Alexanderson alternator

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A well written page not capable of much improvement.!--Light current 00:01, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Tesla a competitor?

Didn't Nikola Tesla invent the "Alexanderson Alternator?" Tesla described experiments with high frequency multipole alternators at his several international lectures in 1892, and he used alternators as part of his high-power transmitter experiments prior to 1898. Critical question: what is the difference between Tesla's alternator patent 447,921 and others, versus Alexanderson's? Was it just a matter of marketing and publicity (where Alexanderson won the race to market, even though Tesla first invented the device?) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Wjbeaty (talk • contribs) 13:36, October 3, 2006 (UTC)

That depends on what the meaning of "invent" is. I've read "My Inventions" and "Man out of Time" and it seems to me that nothing Tesla invented after the polyphase patents ever had much commercial success. I think the "purpose of radio communications" point is key; Tesla was too busy with his Wardenclyffe dreams to stoop to commercialization of a mere CW transmitter. However, I've learned to never cross the Teslaphiles on Wikipedia. An analysis of the claims of the respective patents would doubtless show many differences. --Wtshymanski 21:01, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

However, I've learned to never cross the Teslaphiles on Wikipedia. Lol. We're very scary. BOOGA BOOGA! Anyway, I thought Tesla was using exactly these devices for wireless communications experiments in Manhattan and later in Colorado. His goal of wireless power doesn't magically cancel out other accomplishments. What's more important: that an invention was the first of its kind, patented, and used? Or do you really think these things become irrelevant, since selling the devices is more important?

The situation appears to be this: Tesla patented a high-frequency alternator in 1891, and used it for high-power radio transmission experiments famous at the time. Then twenty years later, after memories have dimmed, Alexanderson patented an improved high-frequency alternator and used it for radio transmission. The edge of Alexanderson's rotor is different than Tesla's, his frequency was 10x higher than Tesla's, and his patent claims "higher power than other alternators of this type." (OTHER alternators? This WP entry says that Alexanderson was the inventor!) But maybe the 10x frequency increase was a critical change. --Wjbeaty 02:16, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes, I think the people who bring an invention to the public and make it work on a regular useful basis have a better claim to be the inventors than laboratory stunts. "The value of an invention lies in the using of it", paraphrasing Edison. It's not like you could *ever* have walked up to Tesla's transmitter and sent a telegram to your Aunt Minnie - but a significant amount of the world's business was carried over Alexanderson alternators in their heyday. 10 kHz is an exceptionally lousy frequency for radio, as you can appreciate - and makes 100 kHz look very good; or at least enough better to make wireless communication commercial, instead of a stunt. We remember Ford and Daimler, not all those decadent aristos who fooled with steam carriages; Edison, not all the lab stunts with strips of platinum in jars that needed a full-time grad student to keep running; Marconi, not Tesla or Popov, as the founder of practical radio, etc. --Wtshymanski 17:54, 4 October 2006 (UTC)