21st May 2019, 4:56 pm | #61 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
1/4" 'faston'/'lucar'/whatever you call them connectors will fit on the brass strips of the 3LR12/1289 battery. I saw that in some commercial device (it _might_ have been a battery-powered lamp in Woolworths!) and have used it myself several times. I also remember seeing in toy shops a plastc cover that fitted on top of such a battery and which had 3 or so small 2-pin sockets on it (connected in parallel, and connected to contacts to the battery in the obvious way) for doll's house lights.
As regards the 126, a friend of mine has what he calls a 'hot stick', a voltmeter for overhead power lines. In the case is a 'proving unit', a vibrator and transformer that generates a few kV to test this voltmeter before and after using it on a power line (basically, if it shows a voltage on the proving unit, says the line is dead, then shows a voltage on the proving unit again then is safe to say the line _is_ dead). Said proving unit runs from 3 126 batteries in series. |
21st May 2019, 5:28 pm | #62 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
When I was a kid the 1289 battery had longer brass strips. You had to be careful when breaking the seal that they didn't short together.
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21st May 2019, 5:42 pm | #63 | |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
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The iron worked OK, but the copper bit seized into the alloy element-holder and attempts to drill it out were catastrophically destructive. |
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21st May 2019, 7:26 pm | #64 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
This was one of my presents for Christmas 1980. Sadly, I can't persuade it to work!
Anyone remember them? I know it was bought from Woolworths - was the Ronco brand exclusive to Woolies?
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21st May 2019, 7:37 pm | #65 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
Ronco wasn't a Woolies exclusive; Ronco made a lot of cheap-n-cheerful stuff in the 70s and 80s, things like 12V-powered car vacuum-cleaners and kitchen-gadgets (the sort of thing you bought, used once, and then put in the back of the kitchen-cupboard).
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronco |
21st May 2019, 7:38 pm | #66 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
Re the flat 4 1/2 volta batteries. My first torch, an every ready, used one. I thought at one time I had a bike lamp that used one but cant be sure. I bought a couple a few months ago, for a low ohm insulation tester but haven't got it to operate as I'd expect yet.
I'm reminded of another thing. Most of us remember the bulb tester on the counters, but stuck in a dusty box in the stockroom was what I think was a basic valve tester. It's a very long time ago! Anyway whatever it was I commited sacrilege and turned it into a basic circuit tester (it had a meter built in) so that I could do a basic check on any luminaires I'd wired for display. Some of the other staff used to wire them and weren't very proficient. At least one of the wall lamp displays ended up with welded switch contacts as they powered up into a short circuit. |
21st May 2019, 7:41 pm | #67 | |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
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K-Tel were a similar brand in music, I suspect closely related. Both advertised heavily on TV and in the print media. I suppose JML and others are the modern day equivalents. |
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21st May 2019, 7:44 pm | #68 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
Man happy memories of the counters at Leytonstone High Road and Bakers Arms branches. The testing of every light bulb at purchase and all the batteries loose on the counter. Different low voltage bulbs that had to be “unscrewed” from their cardboard boards.
A lovely range of Ever-ready pocket torches. Still have several. Nothing wrapped until bought. Also remember the transition from the huge flat wooden counters with two staff each to the self service ones around 1966. Peter |
21st May 2019, 9:27 pm | #69 | |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
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21st May 2019, 11:29 pm | #70 | |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
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22nd May 2019, 7:11 am | #71 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
I used to work with a chap who sat on international standard committees (for telecommunications) and he always took that book with him, he said he learnt everything from that book.
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22nd May 2019, 1:38 pm | #72 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
I think it was Jasper Carrott (probably on Carrott's Lib) who spoofed Ronco.
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22nd May 2019, 1:46 pm | #73 | |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
Quote:
Prior to that, the electrical counter was amazing. Wire by the yard, plugs, sockets (and that would include 5 and 15A, 2- and 3-pin), bulbs, switches (even 1/2" hole panel-mount toggle switches with solder terminals), torches, bells, bell transformers, pushes... |
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22nd May 2019, 2:31 pm | #74 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
It isn't at all remarkable that Woolworths sold these things. They just supplied whatever there was a demand for.
The real change is in how many people were prepared to do things in those days. David
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22nd May 2019, 4:50 pm | #75 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
Kenny Everett definitely did a f*rt catcher sketch. Others may have done so too. Kenny's exploded the nasty niffs.
I do now remember the plastic lampshades Woolworths used to sell. Dad bought one for the wall light he put up over my bed, powered via a double BC adaptor with pull switch of course. At that time, 60W was the biggest lamp you could use, as 100W bulbs were much bigger, about the size of a 1980's 150W bulb. We never had to buy any bulbs for our room lights as we had a pre-nationalisation maintenance contract that included free bulb replacement, but the bulbs for table lamps always came from Woolworths. |
22nd May 2019, 7:36 pm | #76 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
That may well have been intentional to prevent the use of a bulb that could melt the shade.
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22nd May 2019, 7:43 pm | #77 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
Very true. People seemed to be much more practical then. I was at a friend's house recently and asked to use a screwdriver for something. He didn't own a single one.
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22nd May 2019, 7:54 pm | #78 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
That's terrible. I would be LOST without my screwdrivers!
Imagine not having at least one in the house
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22nd May 2019, 8:00 pm | #79 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
Away at present, but at home I have a 1960's book on electrical lighting ( a jumble sale find). It has a table of GLS bulb sizes taken from the relevant contemporaneous British Standard, and the 100W bulb was larger than those of smaller wattages.
Everyone needed a screwdriver before all appliances came fitted with a plug. |
22nd May 2019, 8:13 pm | #80 |
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Re: Woolworths Electrical Counter
A reflection of the upward spread of prosperity in modern society. Why do-it-yourself when you can pay what my aunt would describe as "my little man" £25 to come round for an hour and fix these nuisance-level domestic issues?
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