Single Phase Alternator

An AC single phase generator is one which produces voltage in one single wave that alternates as long as the armature rotates and there is a magnetic field present. This type of generator provides voltage that fluctuates up and down with the wave cycle. The three-phase alternator, as the name implies, has three single-phase windings spaced such that the voltage induced in any one phase is displaced by 120º from the other two. A schematic diagram of a three-phase stator showing all the coils becomes complex, and it is difficult to see what is actually happening.