A slip ring (in electrical engineering terms) is a method of making an electrical connection through a rotating assembly. Slip rings, also called rotary electrical interfaces, collectors, swivels or electrical rotary joints, are commonly found in electrical generators for AC systems and alternators. This article treats electronics engineering as a subfield of electrical engineering, though this is not typical use in some areas. ... Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ... An electrical generator is a device that produces electrical energy from a mechanical energy source. ... City lights viewed in a motion blurred exposure. ... Early 20th century Alternator made in Budapest, Hungary, in the power generating hall of a hydroelectric station. ...

A slip ring consists of a conductive circle or band mounted on a shaft and insulated from it. Electrical connections from the rotating part of the system, such as the rotor of a generator, are made to the ring. Fixed contacts or brushes run in contact with the ring, transferring electrical power or signals to the exterior, static part of the system.

This system is similar to the brushes and commutator found in many types of DC motors. While commutators are segmented, slip rings are continuous, and the terms are not to be used interchangeably. Slip rings can also be used where electrical power or signals need to be transferred to a rotating device, such as an aerodrome beacon or radio telescope. Rotary transformers are often used instead of slip rings in high speed or low friction environments. In electrical engineering, brushes conduct current between stationary wires and moving parts, most commonly in a rotating shaft. ... Conventional continuous current flows from the battery. ... Electric motors of various sizes. ... An aerodrome beacon is a beacon installed at an airport or aerodrome to indicate its location to aircraft pilots at night. ... The 64 metre radio telescope at Parkes Observatory The Very Large Array, an interferometric array formed from many smaller telescopes, like many larger radio telescopes. ... The fixed portion of a 6 channel rotary transformer used in a six-head VCR. Two additional shorted turns improve the isolation of the two outermost windings from each other and from the other, innermost windings. ...

Notable manufacturers of slip rings include Electro-Tec and Poly-Scientific of Blacksburg, Virginia, now both owned by Moog Inc., and Schleifring of Germany. Electro Miniatures of Moonachie, New Jersey is also an old supplier of all sizes of slip rings. Blacksburg is a town located in Montgomery County, Virginia. ... Moog, Inc is a worldwide manufacturer of precision control components and systems. ... Map highlighting Moonachies location within Bergen County. ...

External links

• Electro Miniatures web site

• Air Precision electrical slip ring manufacturer web site