Tonewheel sound generation resembles that of an air horn, or siren. Of course, there’s no air being blown through the holes of a revolving wheel. Rather, an electromagnetic pickup, much like a guitar pickup, is used to capture the sound.
A notched metal wheel, called a tonewheel, revolves at the end of a magnetized rod. The teeth of the wheel cause variations in the magnetic field, inducing an electrical voltage. This voltage/tone is then filtered, has vibrato and expression applied to it, and is then amplified.
An AC synchronous motor drives a long drive shaft. Twenty-four driving gears with 12 different gear sizes are attached to the shaft. These gears drive the tonewheels. The frequency depends on the gear ratios and the number of notches in the wheels. The Hammond is tuned to an (almost exact) equal-tempered scale.
As with pipe organs that feature multiplexed registers, the Hammond organ uses certain generators for more than one purpose. Some high frequency wheels serve as the fundamental for high notes and provide harmonics for lower notes. This has a positive impact on the overall organ sound, avoids detuning, and stabilizes levels between octaves.