Ottó Bláthy, Miksa Déri, Károly Zipernowsky

Current (alternating), transformer

This distinguished trio of Hungarian inventors was united by their revolutionary invention, the transformer, that was unveiled in 1885. Three years earlier, the lighting system for the National Theatre in Budapest – one of the first of its kind - was built to Károly Zipernowsky’s design, but using only a local generator. The absence of a method for transmitting electric power over distance seriously handicapped plans for the more widespread use of alternate current electric power, and many experiments were conducted in many places to solve this problem.

The first practical solution was found at the Ganz factory in Budapest: in 1885, after a year of research and development, Blathy, Deri and Zipernowsky invented a device of two coils with a closed iron core, with variable ratio induction, which they called a transformer. This device was the basis for alternating current power distribution networks and just such a network was installed at the National General Exhibition in Budapest in 1885. Duringthe following decades, the Ganz factory manufactured and installed several hundred power distribution systems using their own components.

In 1886 they installed the Rome-Cerchi steam power plant. This was the very first power plant which used, on the proposal of Bláthy, AC generators to supply a common network in parallel connection. The Ganz factory produced electrical equipment for the power network of the city of Rome for several decades.

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Web page generated 30 September 2007