AVO Multimeter survey

[Superscope]

Thanks Andy,

I didn't realise the change to Stepped Sides happened so early!

As I understand it, the stepped Sides meant that the Meter no
longer fitted the nice Felt lined Box it originally came in, so the
Box was stopped.

Which makes it all the more surprising so many survive if this
all happened on or before 1936!



Ian

[AndyGilham]

I'm pretty sure one of the meters in my collection has stepped sides and is in a wooden case, but I will check that.
I want to get a photo of them all together anyway, my little Avominor (DC and Universal) collection.
Which consists of:
5x DC Avominor
2x HR Avominor
5x Universal Avominor (Model 1)
1x Universal Avominor (Model 1A)
1x Universal Avominor (Model E)
1x Universal Avominor (Model 2)

Andy

[Barnmead]

Ahh!
The box wasn't stopped it just a little bigger. The one with stepped sides on the right, leads would have been stored below (if I had them)

[Superscope]

Ahh!

Don't you just love this Forum.

One way or the other, we will beat the Truth out of the heresay.


Thanks Richard,

I guess what I was told was Half true at least, in that the Stepped
sides did mean the DC Minor didn't fit the original Box any more.

I just wasn't told about a new bigger Box!



Does anybody know when the nice Felt Lined Box was finally stopped?



Ian

[Barnmead]

One more for the list:
Universal multiminor 69530-944

Ancient Drydex cell reads 1.3 Volts although expanded has not leaked.

[AndyGilham]

Originally Posted by Barnmead

One more for the list:
Universal multiminor 69530-944

Ancient Drydex cell reads 1.3 Volts although expanded has not leaked.

Richard,
I assume you meant a Universal Avominor, not a Multiminor?

Andy

[Superscope]

If it turns out to be a Multiminor, that will throw some Spanners
in the Works!

The Number fits in with other Universal Avominors of that Year.


Richard,

Assuming it is an Avominor, can you confirm it does have a preceding "U"
in the Serial Number. With a Dot usually I think?

The Drydex Battery is interesting.
Is it Photographable?

Batteries are another interesting Facet of Vintage Equipment.




Ian

[AndyGilham]

An image of the meter would be good Richard. Is it the early or later style?

Andy

[Barnmead]

Silly me! of course it is an avominor.

[Superscope]

Thanks Richard,

What a great Battery!

I'm planning to build a Scanner for circular Batteries.
I have worked out a design using a regular Flat Bed Scanner,
It's just a case of finding the Time to build it!



Ian

[pmmunro]

Did anyone notice the "Made in Britain" marking? At the time cell was made the usual legend was "Made in England" which I believe was often used even for other parts of the UK. I think there may have been some question about the legality of any other marking.

It probably means the cell was made in Scotland, Wales or possibly Northern Ireland. Does anyone know if the there was a UK Drydex/Exide plant outside England?

PMM

[Superscope]

The only Exide Factory (Chloride Electrical Storage Company Ltd)
in the Uk I can find reference too is:
Clifton Junction, Nr Manchester.

Aerial Photo from 1934 attached, courtasy of "Britain from Above"

This was a big Factory for the Day, allegedly being the largest
Battery Factory in the British Empire in 1926.

It seems unlikely DryDex Batteries would be made anywhere else
unless they were produced by a Third Party.

However, there seems to have been some sort of Deal with the
British Ever Ready Company in 1937.
It is possible that Exide only produced Secondary Batteries after this Date,
and Ever Ready may have only produced Primary Batteries.

So it is conceivably possible, that later DryDex batteries (post 1937) were made by the british Ever Ready Company.

Probably requires a bit more research though.
Company information is quite sketchy

Ian

[Phil G4SPZ]

How refreshing to see a big business developed next to a railway line, not a motorway!

[pmmunro]

Originally Posted by Phil G4SPZ

How refreshing to see a big business developed next to a railway line, not a motorway!

Does this count? https://www.audi-mediacenter.com/en/...otograph-53135

Much of the material goes in by rail, and many cars go out. There's a high speed railway (Munich - Nuremberg) running just alongside as well as a large goods yard for the factory.

PMM

[Phil G4SPZ]

It certainly does, Peter! I suppose I was harking back to the days when most large factories in the UK were linked to the rail network. In fact I well recall from my college days in the 1970s in Birmingham, gazing out of the window and watching long goods trains transporting newly-built cars from Longbridge.

A few more for the list;

Avo 8 mkII 108712-1159 (this looks as it may have had a movement transplant)
Avo 7 01534 7/6/79
Avo 8 mkIV 62561 84/1/72

the 8 in the mkIV may be a 3 - it is slightly smudged

[Paul_RK]

Originally Posted by Gordon

I have a Model 8, Ser. No. 105991-C-460 which I bought last year for £30. ...

Just noticed this when checking the top of the thread with a view to submitting the serial number of a fairly recent arrival here, which happens to be 105998-C-460, a Model 8 of course. Probably not many feet apart on the assembly line then...

Paul

[Superscope]

Hi Arthur,

Thanks for the Serial numbers.

The 8 is definitely an 8, not a 3.

The 84 basically means Model 8 Mk4


Paul,

Thanks for the Serial Number.
It's been a few years since your last one!



Ian

[Barnmead]

The universal avominor mentioned in my last post had a loose glass and an open circuit resistor. I opened it up a day or two ago and saw something I had not noted before. The top left of the scale plate is marked U3 which I assume is one of several scale plates and is the one that corresponds with the pencilled 3 on the magnet.

I have seven universal avominors and all except one (the latest which has a part number and G&H) are marked U3 or U4. I wonder how many variations there were?

Of the seven made between 1938 and 1952 I have noted five variations in the mouldings, pointer, engravings, zero adjuster and scale.

[Phil G4SPZ]

I have discovered at least six different case styles for the Universal AvoMinor, three pre-war and three post-war. I wrote about them back in 2013 in this thread. Scroll down to post #14 and #15 for the main conclusions.