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Vintage Test Gear and Workshop Equipment For discussions about vintage test gear and workshop equipment such as coil winders. |
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7th Oct 2022, 2:50 am | #1 |
Heptode
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Carshalton, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 735
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Mystery item from boot sale
Hi, a neighbour got this from a boot sale, but what is it?
It seems to measure the AC current of an attached piece of equipment and also have a DC panel meter built in. It is very well constructed, wire looms being tied together.
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Regards Peter B |
7th Oct 2022, 5:15 am | #2 |
Heptode
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Carshalton, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 735
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Re: Mystery item from boot sale
Another pic..
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Regards Peter B |
7th Oct 2022, 7:37 am | #3 |
Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Fife, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 22,902
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Re: Mystery item from boot sale
I'd rate the construction quality as 'rather mixed'. There is some lacing of wiring, but the ends of the wires are left soldered to tags without any support such as heat shrink or Hellerman sleeves. It doesn't look to have been mechanically designed, rather things have been put where space was found inside the box. The parts inside are good quality. It has the look of a tester built quickly as a one-off.
It can measure mains current on either a 300mA or 1.5A scale with the moving coil meter. It can measure mains voltage on the digital panel meter on a 400V AC scale. It can measure DC voltage on the DPM on either 40 or 400V scales. It looks like an application-specific tester for power supplies which are mains powered and output two different DC voltages, I'd guess 28v and 300v. from the scales It doesn't seem to have any power loads, so it's just an output voltage check or adjustment it's for. The mains current scales suggest a magnetising current check, and one with the DUT driving some not-included load. I doubt you'll come across or need whatever it did, but there are some nice parts for building something else! David
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Can't afford the volcanic island yet, but the plans for my monorail and the goons' uniforms are done |
7th Oct 2022, 7:47 am | #4 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Bognor Regis, West Sussex, UK.
Posts: 2,301
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Re: Mystery item from boot sale
Also the mix of analogue and digital meters suggest a "one-off" built for a specific need.
Peter |
7th Oct 2022, 10:05 am | #5 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Colchester, Essex, UK.
Posts: 4,108
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Re: Mystery item from boot sale
The poor quality plating on the steel facia screws is classic 'seventies Farnell, also the terminals and possibly the selector. The voltages might suggest testing chargers used for lorries and fork lift trucks..? That theory still leaves too many questions/functions unanswered.
Dave |
8th Oct 2022, 8:44 am | #6 |
Heptode
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Carshalton, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 735
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Re: Mystery item from boot sale
Hi, thank you for all the comments. After looking again it seems the meter is made by sifam and will possibly be a replacement for the faulty one on the weir 400 psu I have. But as the old meter got fried, I need to work out how to put some protection on it I think...
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Regards Peter B |
9th Oct 2022, 10:47 am | #7 |
Nonode
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Aberdeen, UK.
Posts: 2,858
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Re: Mystery item from boot sale
Peter, I'll echo David's advice regarding using this to build something else. With your extensive electronics background, and an interest in vintage valve technology - its measurement facilities could be "re-purposed" into a DC Valve Tester building project. It's too good to leave at the back of a dusty shed for yonks or dumped in a skip.
Regards, David |