(No Model.) 2 Sheets—Sheet 1. N. TESLA. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ELECTRICAL CURRENTS OF HIGH PREQUENOY. No. 568,180. Patented Sept, 22, 1896. Kat é pas wiruesies: Aikela Oeata , mrenror Cau B Ayres ovr frown New, ted, '€ aTronNErS(No Model.) 2 Sheets—Sheet 2 N. TESLA. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ELECTRICAL CURRENTS OF HIGH FREQUENCY. No, 668,180. Patented Sept. 22, 1896. Lig3 ait Deals — innerron WITHESSES: Bomon 3 Prphuusrw, ar by~~fevigh Kar, Backs Adj, rane25 30 35 40 45 50 UniTep STATES PaTENT OFFICE. NIKOLA TESLA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ELECTRICAL CURRENTS OF HIGH FREQUENCY. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 568,180, dated September 22, 1896. ‘Alintos Sed Tuy 9,1800, Sera 30 600,682, (onal) To all. whom it may concern: Be it known that J, NIkOLA Tata, aciti- zen of the United States, residing at_New ‘York, in the county and Stato of New York, have invented certain new and useful Im: provementsin Apparatus for Producing Elee- ‘rical Currents of High Frequency, of which, the following is a specification, reference be- ing had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the same. ‘This invention is an improvement in ap- paratus for produeing electtieal currents of high frequency in accordance with the zen- eral plan heretofore invented and practiced ‘by mo and based apon the principle of charg- inga.condenser or circuit possessing capacity and discharging the same through a cireuit of low self-induction, so that rapid electrical oscillations are obtained. ‘To secure this re- sult, I employ some meats for intermittently chatging the condenser and for discharging: it through the elreuit of low self-induetion; and among the means which I have hereto- fore employed for this purpose was a me- chanical contact device which controlled both the charging and the discharge cirenit in sich manner that the condenser was alter- nately charged by the former and discharged into the latter. ‘My present improvement consists in an ap- paratus for effecting the same result by the 1uso of a cireuit-controller of special charactor in whieh the continuity of the paths for the currentis established at intervals by the pas- sage of sparks across a dielectric. “Yn carrying out my present improvement 1 employ a cireuit-controlier containing two terminals or sets of terminals movable with respect to each other into amd ont of prox- imity, and I provide means whereby the in- tervals between the perfods of close approxi- mation, during which the spark passes, may be adjisted so that when used in a system supplied by a source of alternating current, the periods of makeand break may be timed with reference to a phaseof the emrent wave ox impulse. Referring to the drawings, which illustrate in its preferred form the improvement above referred to, Figure 1 is a view, partly in ele- vation and patily in section, of a generator arranged to give an alternating enrrent with the cirenit-ontroller mounted on its shaft. Vig, 2s section of tho eontrolir of Big. online a of said figure. Fig, 3isadingram 55 illustrating the system or apparatus a3. a whole, Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views of ‘a modified form of cirouit-controller. A designates in Fig. 1 a gonerator having a commutator A’ and brushes A” bearing 60 thereon, and also collecting-rings B B, from which au alternating current is taken by Drashes B’ in the well-understood manner. ‘The cireuit-controller is mounted in part ‘on an extension of the shaft.C of the gener- ator, and in part on the frame of the seme, or on a stationary sleeve surrounding the shaft, Its construction in detail is asfollows: Disa metal plate with a central hub D’, whi iskeyed orclamped to the shaft ©. ‘The plate is formed with segmental extensions corre- sponding in number to the waves of cur- rent which the generator delivers. These segments aro preferably eut away; leaving only rims or frames, to one of the radial sides, of which are secured bent metal plates E, which serve as vanes to maintain a circula- tion of air when the device is in operation. ‘The segmental disk and vanes are contained ‘within a close insulated box or case F, mount- ed on the bearing of the generator, or in any. other proper way, but s0 as to be eapable of angular adjustment around the shaft. To facilitate such adjustment, a serew-rod I, provided with a knob or handle, is shown a pissing through the wall of the box, ‘Tho latter may be adjusted by this rod, and when in proper position may be held therein by serowing the rod down into a depression in the sleeveor bearing, asshownin Kig. 1. Air passages G G are provided at opposite ends of the box, through which air is maintained in circulation by the action of the vanes. ‘Through the sides of the box F and through insulating -gaskets I, when the material of tho box is not a sufliciently good insulator, extend metallic terminal plugs KK, with their ends in the plane of the conducting segmental disk D and adjustable radially to- ward and from the edges of the segments. ‘This or similar doviees ave employed to earry out the invention above referred to in the mannerillustrated in Fig. 3. A in thistigure 65 70 15 80 85 90 95 represonts any souree of alternating current