The rotary converter can be thought of as a motor-generator, where the two machines share a single rotating armature and set of field coils. The basic construction of the rotary converter consists of a DC generator (dynamo) with a set of slip rings tapped into its rotor windings at evenly spaced intervals. When a dynamo is spun the electric currents in its rotor windings alternate as it rotates in the magnetic field of the stationary field windings. This alternating current is rectified by means of a commutator which allows DC current to be extracted from the rotor. This principle is taken advantage of by energizing the same rotor windings with AC power which causes the machine to act as a synchronous AC motor. The rotation of the energized coils excites the stationary field windings producing part of the DC current. The other part is AC current from the slip rings which is directly rectified into DC by the commutator. This makes the rotary converter a hybrid dynamo and mechanical rectifier. When used in this way it is referred to as a synchronous rotary converter or simply a synchronous converter. The AC slip rings also allow the machine to act as an alternator.