If the armature has windings, you need to connect to them. The only
alternator that wouldn't require any brushes nor slip rings would be one
that had just a permenant magnet on the armature.


So this one I'm looking at then doesn't exist? It clearly says
"Brushless Alternator" and there are clearly no brushes or slip rings,
just as there clearly *are* windings rather than permanent magnets on
the rotor. It's starting to sound like a magic trick.