From a UK point of view 'motor' as in
motor-generator would be taken to
some form of internal combustion engine.
I have heard lots of references to 'motor-generators' but never an
'engine-generator'.
Devices used for AC to DC, DC to AC and voltage conversion using a
electric motor coupled to a generator would be referred to as 'rotary
convertors'.
Rod Smallwood
-----Original Message-----
From: cctech-bounces at
classiccmp.org
[mailto:cctech-bounces at
classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Tony Duell
Sent: 18 October 2007 01:18
To: cctalk at
classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: VAXen at home
It may be European vs US usage, but in the US
"motor" almost always
means electric motor in this and other contexts. So what you
That tends to be UK usage too. The thing under the bonnet (OK, hood) of
a car is called an 'engine' over here. 'Motor' for that would be very
uncommon.
To me, a 'motor generator' is just that. An electric motor driving an
electric generator, to be used to convert voltage/frequency, etc. A
'rotary converter' (or 'Dynamotor; if oyu go back far enough) is a
simialr thing with common field windings/frame/etc rather than 2
separate electrical machines with the shafts coupled.
call a "motor-generator" would be here just
plain called a "generator"
A 'generator' over here is either just the mechanical-to-electircal
energy converter or , as you said, a heat engine coupled to such a
machine. Certainly if you hired a 'generator' (as somebody suggested we
should do for a VCF-type event), you'd expect to get something with the
engine included.
I don't know how common these other term are across the Pond, but an
'alternator' is an AC-output geneterator, a 'Dynamo' (short for
'Dynamo-electric machine' is a generator, normally DC output, with a
wound field, and a 'Magneto' (short for 'Magneto-electric machine' is a
genatore with a permanent magnet field. Which means the common bicycle
dynamo (as it's normally called over here' is in fact a magneto....
-tony