The dc drives are a mature product whose basic design was established during the 1939 to 1945 war when they played an important role on both sides in gun positioning. Much of the relevant literature dates back to that period. Most of the relevant books are out of print and can be obtained only from libraries. University Microfilms International used to supply copies of out of print books, but I could find nothing relevant on their web site, http://www.umi.com. A search of book sellers sites such as http://www.amazon.com can be productive.

The search for further information could well start with a review of other articles in this encyclopedia, particularly DC–DC Power Converters; Digital Control; Rectifying Circuits; and Variable Speed Drives.

T. H. Barton, Rectifiers Cycloconverters and AC Controllers, London: Oxford University Press, 1994, Chap. 10 provides a detailed quantitative description of the operation of a dual-rectifier dc motor drive.

There is an enormous world-wide literature on dc drives covering the last 100 years. This can be overwhelming but the Transactions of Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), New York, on Industry Applications and on Power Apparatus and Systems and the Proceedings of the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE), London, are good place to start because they are widely available. The search for current practice should start at the present and work backward in time, but a historical search should cover the whole period from 1890 on. The totality of the literature expands substantially with each major technical development. Thus, there is much on Ward–Leonard drives during the period 1900 to 1925, much on mercury arc rectifier drives from 1930 through 1950, and much on solid state drives from 1960 through 1980. The literature on the control aspects of drives expanded greatly during the decade from 1945 to 1955 as the wartime developments were described. The literature on the nonlinear control of drives similarly expanded as digital control became economically feasible after 1980.

Of the many books on dc machines, some excellent examples follow.

The following books are more directly related to dc drives.