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Entire Machine
From Wikipedia:
"In a Wimshurst machine, the two insulated disks and their metal sectors rotate in opposite directions passing the crossed metal neutralizer bars and their brushes. An imbalance of charges is induced, amplified, and collected by two pairs of metal combs with points placed near the surfaces of each disk. These collectors are mounted on insulating supports and connected to the output terminals. The positive feedback increases the accumulating charges exponentially until the dielectric breakdown voltage of the air is reached and a spark jumps across the gap.
The machine is self-starting, meaning that external electrical energy is not required to create the initial charge. However, it does require mechanical power to turn the disks against the electric field, and it is this energy that the machine converts into electric power. The output of the Wimshurst machine is essentially a constant current that is proportional to the area covered by the metal sectors and to the rotation speed. The insulation and the size of the machine determine the maximum output voltage that can be reached. The accumulated spark energy can be increased by adding a pair of Leyden jars, an early type of capacitor suitable for high voltages, with the jars’ inner plates independently connected to each of the output terminals and the jars’ outer plates interconnected. A typical Wimshurst machine can produce sparks that are about a third of the disk's diameter in length and several tens of microamperes."
Entire Machine
From Wikipedia:
"In a Wimshurst machine, the two insulated disks and their metal sectors rotate in opposite directions passing the crossed metal neutralizer bars and their brushes. An imbalance of charges is induced, amplified, and collected by two pairs of metal combs with points placed near the surfaces of each disk. These collectors are mounted on insulating supports and connected to the output terminals. The positive feedback increases the accumulating charges exponentially until the dielectric breakdown voltage of the air is reached and a spark jumps across the gap.
The machine is self-starting, meaning that external electrical energy is not required to create the initial charge. However, it does require mechanical power to turn the disks against the electric field, and it is this energy that the machine converts into electric power. The output of the Wimshurst machine is essentially a constant current that is proportional to the area covered by the metal sectors and to the rotation speed. The insulation and the size of the machine determine the maximum output voltage that can be reached. The accumulated spark energy can be increased by adding a pair of Leyden jars, an early type of capacitor suitable for high voltages, with the jars’ inner plates independently connected to each of the output terminals and the jars’ outer plates interconnected. A typical Wimshurst machine can produce sparks that are about a third of the disk's diameter in length and several tens of microamperes."