Abstract: A rotating electrical machine includes a two-phase rotor having two non-rotating solenoid-wound rotor coil assemblies and two interleaved pole assemblies. Each pole assembly is magnetically coupled to its respective coil assembly and rotates together with the machine shaft. Each pole assembly has four or more elongated pole pieces, two of which couple with one pole of a coil assembly and two of which couple with the other pole of that coil assembly. An exciter circuit independently controls the power variables provided to the rotor with respect to the stator to provide a variable-speed, variable-frequency (VSVF) motor system or VSVF generator system. The exciter energizes the solenoid-wound rotor coils with biphase AC electrical excitation, to produce a radial, rotating magnetic field at the pole pieces.