AVO Multimeter survey

[Billy T]

Thank you both for your advice. I'd never seen that scale before and was quite intrigued.

I have 4 AVOMETERS:

8 129737 C 10/61

8 95631 MKIII 4/69

8 87288 MKV 4/73

9 10037 MKII 6/67

Only the MKIII is in good working order. The MKV was given to me and is in a 'challenged condition' internally. The MKII and the 'C' were left to me in the estate of an Ex UK friend who emigrated many years ago and ran a very successful sales and service company here and have not been assessed as yet. The scale glass on one was cracked and I've had a replacement cut locally by a friend, along with some extras just in case. They are indistinguishable from an original and the standard of cutting amazed me!

I may yet purchase the 7, but I'm not intending to amass significant numbers. My motivation to own an AVO or two came from my apprenticeship, where the boss had an 8 (would have dated back to the early 1960's) and threatened horsewhipping for anybody who touched it. We had to make do with a cheap & nasty budget item.

Cheers

Billy

[Phil G4SPZ]

Just acquired a nice combination of Universal AvoMinor and Avodaptor complete with test leads in a professionally-made carrying case. The meter has the earliest style of front panel, and if its serial number U.22666-125 is anything to go by, it could date from December 1935. I've not seen this combination in an Avo catalogue, and the case bears no "Avo" legends so it could be home-made, but it has been executed extremely well.

Apart from two open-circuit multipliers the meter is OK.

Phil

[threeseven]

Originally Posted by Billy T

I may yet purchase the 7, but I'm not intending to amass significant numbers. My motivation to own an AVO or two came from my apprenticeship, where the boss had an 8 (would have dated back to the early 1960's) and threatened horsewhipping for anybody who touched it. We had to make do with a cheap & nasty budget item.

Cheers

Billy

Be careful, Avo's are addictive! My story is similar to yours, Avo's were only issued to senior technicians where I first worked, us trainee's had to make do with all sorts of tat. So I became fixated on them but could never afford a new one. Now of course they are obsolete commercially so prices are such that we can indulge almost without restriction.
I told myself I would just acquire a few for nostalgia's sake and to use. Ha, almost 20 later and they still keep coming. And that's without mentioning accessories!

[threeseven]

Originally Posted by Phil G4SPZ

Just acquired a nice combination of Universal AvoMinor and Avodaptor complete with test leads in a professionally-made carrying case. The meter has the earliest style of front panel, and if its serial number U.22666-125 is anything to go by, it could date from December 1935. I've not seen this combination in an Avo catalogue, and the case bears no "Avo" legends so it could be home-made, but it has been executed extremely well.

Apart from two open-circuit multipliers the meter is OK.

Phil

Very nice Phil. Just where do you keep digging up such gem's?!

[0verload]

I have an Avo model 7, serial No. 13601, dated 7/10/70, so not all that old.
This was given to me by a friend who had just retired, and wasn't interested in ever repairing anything electrical again.
My own Avo was stolen of the back of my estate car many years ago when I left the tail-gate up outside a customer's house for two minutes (silly me). I recall taking it down to Deptford in London for re-calibrating and servicing on several occasions. Wonderful piece of kit. Sadly missed.
This one needs a bit of attention, so I might need some advice on the forums, sometime.

[Paul Adams]

Another one to the collection, this time the HD type AVO.

Serial: 482-1148. (in a die cast case)

Pictures here

Paul.

[amornummi]

I have five-
Avo 8 RS 610-354 BD No 0533922

8X Heavy steel case ,NATO 6625-99-943-1532 Sn 170937-6-465

8 60420 .667

8 1V 28348 84/1/71

8 V 03110 8V/11/77

All in clean good working order. We all know to remove the U2 cell in case of leakage, but be aware that the B121 can also wee a little - as I discovered thanks to this survey.

[martiR2R]

Another one for the list, just aquired today -
Avo 7, no mk No. so assume a mk1 - 6436-A-748

Martin

[pmmunro]

Thanks for the information Martin. When your meter was made, in July 1948, no mark numbers were used but it was just around this time that the redesigned movement using an Alnico block magnet replaced the origin horseshoe type.

Do you know which type of movement is fitted to yours?

PMM.

[martiR2R]

Movement appears to be same as pic in #1061 (block) but component layout different.
Martin

[pmmunro]

Thanks Martin - that helps tie down the date of the change in movement type.

PMM.

[Paul Adams]

Recently acquired is this ’Air Ministry’ type ’E’.

Serial: E 21820 1945.



Paul.

[Phil G4SPZ]

At last, I've found one - a Model 2 (4,000 OPV) Universal Avominor is on its way. I'll post serial number details shortly, but I couldn't wait to tell everyone!

[ZackyGG]

Hello all, a neebie to the forums. I have recently found the AVO thread here extremely helpful and thought it was about time I joined up and added to this thread.

I have recently acquired 2 AVO's, a Mk2 and a Mk3.

Mk3 s/n: 63104.767
Mk2 s/n: 7810.C.164.D

The case for the Mk2 has been mention here in 2012 but there was no mention of the AVO inside, and I'm suspicious that they may not go together. The lettering on the case is:

Test Set No.1 Mk4
NATO Stock No.
6625-99-728-5965

I have researched this and read that the military AVO's used a 0-3 range rather than 0-2.5, but my one is 0-2.5, which is why I'm suspicious of it not matching the case.
The s/n of the AVO has a D at the end, which I haven't seen in any other serial numbers. Does anyone know what the D was used to indicate please?

[micheal]

Another AVO for the survey model10 S/n 0539588EE date 8/84
Mike

[Phil G4SPZ]

Originally Posted by Phil G4SPZ

At last, I've found one - a Model 2 (4,000 OPV) Universal Avominor...

Serial number 7118-1056. They clearly didn't make many Model 2s, then. Seven thousand over twenty years? That's roughly one per day.

Fortunately the moving coil in this example is OK.

[pmmunro]

Michael,

Your Model 10 is a rare type, at least in the UK. As far as I know it was not advertised on the UK market being primarily intended for export. Do you know anything of your meter's origin/original owner?

Did yours come with a user manual? If not send me a private message.

Mine is two-tone brown and yellowish/brown in colour. At first I thought it was stained by tobaco smoke but it appears to be the intended colour. As it's the only one I've seen, I assume that's how it should look.

PMM

[pmmunro]

Phil,

Congratulations on your latest find.

Judging by the date part of the serial number, your newly acquired Universal Minor Type 2 must have been one of the last made, just before the introduction of the Multiminor.

The earliest catalogue information which I have makes no mention of a Type 2 so I have always assumed that it became available considerably later. I don't have any catalogues between 1939 and 1952, perhaps there were very few and even none during the war years. Paper salvage may have accounted for many too.

On that basis, the production rate may have been considerably higher than one per day although the overall numbers do seem to have been small.

It could be that a particular customer wanted a batch with what came to de designated Type 2 ranges and sensitivity and it was decided to offer it more widely. This would be similar to the process by which the Heavy Duty Avometer came to be.

Avo were clearly willing to make instruments to customers' requirements, such as the Protometer moisture meter based on the Universal minor, and later, a Zener diode demonstartion unit based on the Multiminor.

PMM

[micheal]

Hi PPM the meter is new old stock in original box with manual and 30 year old U2 cell & 15 batt the meter is in mint condition and still meets its spec, upper case is french mustard colour with lower case and protective front cover in dark grey.

The model 2 universal avominor i think came onto the market in 1950/1
Regards Mike.

[threeseven]

Ooooo, any chance of some images please?