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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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19th Nov 2021, 11:43 am | #21 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Colchester, Essex, UK.
Posts: 4,108
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Re: AVO Light Meters
From 55 shillings to 67/6...? - ie hovering around the £3 mark. Expensive, but not expensive to the point of profiteering. I haven't seen one of these before.
Paul Adams, incidentally, is the guy who at the second attempt performed mould-based 'plastic surgery' on (one of the two known) examples of the AVO military OY/Type 107 Testmeter. This was a meter fascia that many of us, me included, would have given up on. Dave |
19th Nov 2021, 12:07 pm | #22 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 656
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Re: AVO Light Meters
I have an old AVO expousure meter. It still responds to light, but I doubt it's calibrated! It measures approx 50 x 50 x 33mm deep.
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Martin BVWS member GQRP Club |
19th Nov 2021, 12:50 pm | #23 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2017
Location: St Austell, Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 1,018
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Re: AVO Light Meters
Hi Martin,
That's a Metrovick meter, made by the Manchester based Metropolitan Vickers Company. Nice little Meter though. Ian |
19th Nov 2021, 1:04 pm | #24 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 656
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Re: AVO Light Meters
You are right Ian, must go to Specsavers (other opticians are available)!
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Martin BVWS member GQRP Club |
19th Nov 2021, 1:08 pm | #25 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2017
Location: St Austell, Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 1,018
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Re: AVO Light Meters
Every time you dig in and research the Avo Company, it always gets
more complicated than expected. Just been checking out the Exposure Meter Patents. Philip Charles Smethurst has one listed Uk Patent, applied for on 15th June 1936 which directly relates to the Meter in the Photo on my previous post. However, Hugh Sutherland McCadie on the other Hand, has at least Three Uk Patents relating to Exposure Meters dating from 1934, 1936 & 1947. So, on second thoughts, the Smethurst Meter probably wasn't Avo's first after all. Still a very nice and very Rare Light Meter though. Ian |
19th Nov 2021, 5:03 pm | #26 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Stevenage, Herts. UK.
Posts: 1,518
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Re: AVO Light Meters
Smethurst wrote many articles about his highlight method before the war, it seems to have faded away post war. Possibly improved emulsions made it less critical, or it may have just inspired the incident measurement method which AVO and others certainly made use of.
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19th Nov 2021, 6:18 pm | #27 |
Guest
Posts: n/a
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Re: AVO Light Meters
That looks remarkably like photo one in the original post.
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19th Nov 2021, 8:35 pm | #28 |
Octode
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Dundee, UK.
Posts: 1,813
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Re: AVO Light Meters
The one I have has no reference to Smethurst on the front panel but is otherwise very similar to the ones which appear above. The Serial number is 15489-578 and the Patent No. (458546) is also marked on the front. From the Patent and Serial numbers it would seem a reasonable guess that this one is from 1938.
The Science Museum also seems to have one. https://collection.sciencemuseumgrou...exposure-meter PMM |
20th Nov 2021, 2:07 am | #29 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: York, North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 95
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Re: AVO Light Meters
I've got a (quite) modern AVO LM4 meter which I used to sort out some domestic lighting probs. I got it from our favourite auction site for about £30 or so.
It's industrial rather than photographic - scaled 0-500 and 0-2000 LUX. I guess it's a bought-in and badged item, because it's got "Made in France" on the bottom. It's got a threaded socket on the underside, so probably used on a fixed tripod as well as hand held. It's designation as the "LM4" suggests that there were also LM1 - 3 in earlier times.
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John G4FDD G-QRP 431 |
21st Nov 2021, 9:33 am | #30 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Stevenage, Herts. UK.
Posts: 1,518
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Re: AVO Light Meters
Here's a couple of period adverts from 1937. The Smethurst version carries a one guinea premium over the standard model!
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21st Nov 2021, 10:24 am | #31 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2017
Location: St Austell, Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 1,018
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Re: AVO Light Meters
wd40addict,
Do you know which Publications those Adverts came from ? Ian |
21st Nov 2021, 12:35 pm | #32 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Stevenage, Herts. UK.
Posts: 1,518
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Re: AVO Light Meters
They're from my 'Amateur Cine World' collection.
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28th Nov 2021, 9:46 am | #33 |
Octode
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Dundee, UK.
Posts: 1,813
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Re: AVO Light Meters
Here is a little more information on the AVO Exposure Meter - a sales leaflet, presumably from the 1930s.
PMM |