Large GPO? Battery Box what was its use?
I have a large wooden battery box about 28" long, 10" high, 7" wide including lid which had handles and terminals at both ends which I believe was a GPO battery box. I was wondering if anyone knows what batteries went in these boxes and where they were used, would they be for exchange batteries. I have seen quite a few of these at antique fairs but can't find any information on the internet.
Mike. |
Re: Large GPO? Battery Box what was its use?
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I don't know about your battery box, which is larger than the Bakelite ones I have at 11" x 8½" x 4½", but mine contain three 1½V Flag cells, as shown below.
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Re: Large GPO? Battery Box what was its use?
There was a larger box, 'Box, Battery No 10' which I think could take up to 10 Flag cells. It was used containing 8 such cells as a power source for the Planphone if mains was not available
Bur I think the OP's box is too large for that. |
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See extract from GPO's 'Vocabulary of Engineering Stores' in the 1950's. I remember happy days with the lineman going round 'subscribers' topping up Leclanche cells or renewing the zinc rods back in the 19... (rather a long time ago) In those days exchanges were often in private houses. For instance one of the exchanges was two positions in the front bedroom (circled in red) of No 3 Sunny Villas in Rossett but the exchange battery in a shed in the back garden was a 24volt lead acid cell one. The folk who lived in the house worked the board at night and two girls cam by bus from the nearby large auto-manual board at Wrexham. I worked on the replacement Strowger exchange which replaced manual exchange at Rossett then years later commissioned the replacement TXE2 electronic system. That was then replaced by System X years ago and now we're about to start going over to VoIP over IP! |
Re: Large GPO? Battery Box what was its use?
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Re: Large GPO? Battery Box what was its use?
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When I was 14, I did work experience with BT and actually saw the backup batteries in use at that time. As I recall, they were made from Plastic when I saw them, but you may have an earlier version of the same sort of backup device. Ah, the days of Strowger gear, System X and (second hand) System Y. |
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Re: Large GPO? Battery Box what was its use?
Thanks for all the replies, it looks like Pellseinydd has the answer. I will take a photo and post it here, hopefully tomorrow. Only one handle left and no terminals.
Mike. |
Re: Large GPO? Battery Box what was its use?
I had one or two of these when i was a kid, dad got them from somewhere, mine held four? huge dry cells that gave 1.5 volts each, that bought back happy memories.
Greg. |
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A couple of photos of the box in question now used for storage.
Mike. |
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i have a couple of smaller one not sure if they were used for batteries but they did have a 2 way tag block on them.
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By the way, I can't see any exit holes for connections to anything electrical inside, such as batteries. |
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Re: Large GPO? Battery Box what was its use?
There are holes, Dave, just above the handle (looks like there was a similar handle at one time on the other end). I have seen similar boxes with 2 thumbscrew terminals on an ebonite? panel in this position.
Mike. |
Re: Large GPO? Battery Box what was its use?
If there were handles on both ends, could they have been for the purpose of carrying?
I can imagine it containing four Leclanché cells with their ammonium chloride sloshing about when carried, so handles to hold steady seem a good idea. |
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Probably Flag size ones. I remember removing them when I first got it. it was configured for 30V from 20 cells. I still have a smaller one which had 6 flag cells, which now contains matches and firelighters by the wood burner. |
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Re: Large GPO? Battery Box what was its use?
Not for Leclanchés then, as three would be a very loose fit and not enough room for a fourth.
Having measured my flag-type dry cells at about 2½" diameter and 7" high it sounds as though you could probably fit ten in this. |
Re: Large GPO? Battery Box what was its use?
That sounds like the 'Box, Battery No 10' that I mentioned earlier.
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See attached entry from Vocabulary of Engineering Stores when these boxes were much used 1950/60's. I have several of these kitted out with an 8 port Grandstream ATA plus a WiFi ATA and a 12 volt alarm battery - tethers to my mobile phone so that I can run 10 telephones (8 pulse dialling and two DTMF) anywhere off CNet. |
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