A Cascade Converter is a type of motor-generator

Motor-generator

A motor-generator is a device for converting electrical power to another form. Motor-generator sets are used to convert frequency, voltage, or phase of power. They may also be used to isolate electrical loads from the electrical power supply line...

 which was patented in 1902 by J. L. la Cour and O. S. Bragstad.

It consists of an induction motor

Induction motor

An induction or asynchronous motor is a type of AC motor where power is supplied to the rotor by means of electromagnetic induction. These motors are widely used in industrial drives, particularly polyphase induction motors, because they are robust and have no brushes...

 driving a dynamo

Dynamo

- Engineering :* Dynamo, a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator* Dynamo theory, a theory relating to magnetic fields of celestial bodies* Solar dynamo, the physical process that generates the Sun's magnetic field- Software :...

 through a shaft. In addition, the rotor

Rotor (electric)

The rotor is the non-stationary part of a rotary electric motor, electric generator or alternator, which rotates because the wires and magnetic field of the motor are arranged so that a torque is developed about the rotor's axis. In some designs, the rotor can act to serve as the motor's armature,...

 of the induction motor is electrically connected to the armature

Armature (electrical engineering)

In electrical engineering, an armature generally refers to one of the two principal electrical components of an electromechanical machine–generally in a motor or generator, but it may also mean the pole piece of a permanent magnet or electromagnet, or the moving iron part of a solenoid or relay....

 of the dynamo.

When the machine is running, half the power is transmitted mechanically through the shaft while the other half is transmitted electrically.

The advantage of this arrangement is that the machine can be smaller than a conventional motor-generator of the same power.

The British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 manufacturing rights for the Cascade Converter were held by Bruce Peebles & Co. Ltd.

Bruce Peebles & Co. Ltd.

Bruce Peebles & Co. Ltd. was an Edinburgh industrial electrical engineering company founded as D. Bruce Peebles & Co. by Scottish engineer David Bruce Peebles in Edinburgh in 1866...

 of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

.

Sources

• The Electrical Year Book 1937, published by Emmott and Company Limited, Manchester, England, pp 105-106