Dynamo
Turns rotation into electricity. A coil of copper wire spun by a shaft: the faster the shaft turns, the higher the voltage.
Crafting
S W S
W I W
S H S
S is a Steel Ingot, W is Copper Wire, I is an Iron Ingot and H is a Shaft.
A Dynamo and a Motor are the same machine. Put either one in a crafting grid on its own to get the other.
Placing
Place it against the end of a shaft. That face is its input, and it reads that shaft's speed. Any other face connects to cable and machines.
It doesn't spin on screen yet, but it is turning.
Windings
Sneak-right-click with an empty hand to switch between the two windings:
| Winding | Volts per RPM | Holds its voltage up to | At a Steam Engine's 16 RPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coarse | 0.094 V | 8 A | 1.5 V (LV) |
| Fine | 0.375 V | 2 A | 6 V (MV) |
Both windings carry the same power at the same speed. Coarse gives you lots of current at a low voltage; fine gives you a high voltage and little current. Pick the one your load wants.
Voltage is shaft speed times the winding's figure, and nothing else:
| Shaft | Coarse | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Water Wheel, one side of flow (4 RPM) | 0.4 V | 1.5 V |
| Water Wheel, four sides (16 RPM) | 1.5 V | 6 V |
| Steam Engine (16 RPM) | 1.5 V | 6 V |
| Hand Crank (32 RPM) | 3 V | 12 V |
To get a higher voltage, gear the shaft up with cogs or pulleys. A slow river gives a low voltage, and a shaft that's slowing down gives a falling one.
What it costs the shaft
A dynamo nobody draws from costs its shaft nothing. Every amp drawn costs the shaft the winding's volts-per-RPM figure in Su: about 0.09 Su per amp on coarse, 0.38 on fine. Fully loaded, either winding costs 0.75 Su, which is very little next to a Mechanical Hammer's 80.
Drawing more than the winding's amps makes the voltage sag, down to a quarter at twice the rated current. It never draws more than twice its rating, and it's never damaged by it.
Uses
- A steady supply that never runs out, from any shaft you already have.
- The fine winding at a steam engine's speed is the reference voltage for a Round Charger: it charges coil rounds to exactly their nominal 6 V.
- With a Motor on the other winding, a dynamo is how you convert voltage. See Electricity.