手摇式静电感应起电机，在手柄沿顺时针方向摇动时是一个具有正反馈特征的电荷放大器.若莱顿瓶电容上存在一定的初始电荷，则在电容电极外露部分所带电荷产生的静电场中，在金属电刷上出现静电感应，正负电荷将出现在电刷的两端部，绝缘转盘转动时它上面的导体箔片在滑扫过电刷端部的金属毛刷后即带上了净电荷，带有正负净电荷的导体箔片随绝缘转盘转动，在分别至连接莱顿瓶电容电极的正负极集电叉时，都通过尖端放电向莱顿瓶电容充电，莱顿瓶电容中的电荷越来越多.这就是起电机工作的物理过程.

Hand-operated electrostatic induction motor is a charge amplifier with positive feedback when the handle moves clockwise. If there is a certain initial charge on the capacitor of Leighton bottle，the electrostatic induction will appear on the metal brush generated by the charge on the exposed part of the capacitor electrode，and the positive and negative charges will appear at both ends of the brush. When the insulation turntable rotates，the conductor foil on it will carry net charges after sliding through the metal brush. When conductor foils meet collector forks connected to the capacitor electrodes of the Leighton bottle separately， the Leighton bottle is charged by the tip discharge，and the charge in the Leighton bottle is increasing.