Beauty of old electrical and measuring things, etc.

[Baluncore]

Given a vacuum tube used in an audio amplifier, a semiconductor equivalent can be generated based on FET technology, that meets the same specs, but with more consistent performance, higher power capability and greater efficiency. A tube is just a FETs with a pilot lamp. But:
It is our atavistic need for warmth, and our primitive love of fire, that attracts us to tubes.

The same goes for steam engines. We treat them like our mothers.

“They say steam gets into your spine, the same way Blackpool goes through rock”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_(confectionery)#LetteringThe same is probably true of VTs.

 

[dlgoff]

“They say steam gets into your spine, the same way Blackpool goes through rock”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_(confectionery)#Lettering

Yummy! Sugar!

 

[dlgoff]

The same goes for steam engines.

Seriously. That's why my rule at the antique mall is: "If it doesn't have wires, pass it by."

 

[anorlunda]

sexy, elusive and magical element of all of high end audio

Audiophiles appear to be particularly prone to metaphysical qualities of sound. That makes them prime targets for people who want to make money off of them.

I would compare it with the quality of human beauty. Selling beauty is also a huge industry.

 

[Rive]

Selling beauty is also a huge industry.

I don't know if this qualifies for this part (while fits the part about audiophiles) but some companies already started to produce fake vacuum tubes (with LED lights inside: optionally with different colors).

I does not dare to link any in this topic

 

[dlgoff]

This Edwards High Vacuum foreline trap doesn't measure nor is it electrical but does look beautiful servicing two Edwards 8 two stage rotary pumps.

 

[geoelectronics]

So it wasn't a Beckman Instruments Helipot? Interesting.
[/PLAIN]
http://vimeo.com/97150132']http://vimeo.com/97150132']Helipot history.

Electro Scientific Industries, ESI- DekaStat, DekaPot, DekaVider series. Most are Kelvin-Varley resistive dividers. This one pictured is a simple adjustable resistor I just finished restoring this year.Beautiful.inside and out, all wire wound resistors using non inductive Ayrton-Perry wiring.
Geo>K0FF

 

[dlgoff]

Electro Scientific Industries, ESI- DekaStat, DekaPot, DekaVider series. Most are Kelvin-Varley resistive dividers. This one pictured is a simple adjustable resistor I just finished restoring this year.Beautiful.inside and out, all wire wound resistors using non inductive Ayrton-Perry wiring.
Geo>K0FF

Very nice work @geoelectronics. I bet that was a tedious job. Curious; what tolerances were the resistors? Thanks for sharing.

 

[berkeman]

This one pictured is a simple adjustable resistor I just finished restoring this year

Very cool. What does "X" mean on the selectors?

 

[Klystron]

Funny how we associate good electronics with certain brand names, apropos Beckman Instruments.

Notice a vintage O-scope; think Tektronix though HP likely made as many instruments. Many people referred to home refrigerators as "Frigidaires" when I was a child, regardless of the actual brand name. Perhaps the most egregious example would be IBM popularizing the acronym PC for any personal computer.

 

[dlgoff]

What does "X" mean on the selectors?

I just downloaded the the Instruction Manual DB877_im.pdf (attached)

All decade dials can be turned 360°, which allows settings to be changed rapidly and directly from X to 0. Seven of the decade dials (0.1 ohm – 100 kilohms) have an X position that corresponds to ten steps on the dial or one step of the next higher decade dial.

 

[geoelectronics]

Very nice work @geoelectronics. I bet that was a tedious job. Curious; what tolerances were the resistors? Thanks for sharing.

I just downloaded the the Instruction Manual DB877_im.pdf

Correct, X=10

ESI was merged several times, the main survivor today of the corporate takeovers is IET Labs.

Accuracy when Tegam made them =

Specifications
CHARACTERISTIC SPECIFICATION
Accuracy
Resistance Increments See Table 1
Initial (0.01% + 7 milliohms)
Long-term (0.02% + 10 milliohms)
Short-term Switching Repeatability 1 milliohm (typical)
Number of Decades Eight
Total Resistance 12.111111 megohms

The switches are ceramic form, solid silver in most and each contact uses the upper and lower segments in parallel.

I've written about some others like Leeds & Northrup on eHam. (if not allowed on PF just tell me for deletion, no problem)

Geo>K0FF

 

[dlgoff]

Thanks for sharing some history; ESI's merges.

Accuracy ... Initial (0.01% + 7 milliohms)

Milliohms? Do you have a way of testing these resistors? I'm guessing a wheatstone bridge?

The switches are ceramic form, solid silver in most and each contact uses the upper and lower segments in parallel

That must have been an expensive piece of test equipment in it's day.

I've written about some others like Leeds & Northrup on eHam.

PM me a link if you don't mind. I'd like to see more of your handy work. :)

 

[geoelectronics]

You asked: "Milliohms? Do you have a way of testing these resistors? I'm guessing a wheatstone bridge?"

Yes right on. a guarded Wheastone bridge bu ESI for high resistances up to 12,000 MegOhms, and an ESI Kelvin Bridge for the very low stuff (old tech but accurate), also a pair of HP-Yokogawa meters, one for milliOhms, the other goes up to tera ohms Modern tech but like 1980's? PS the much older bridges give more digits in the reading).
Guarded simply means the actual bridge is in a box and float above ground, leaving the two leads free of ground reference (unless you force them), and the case and rack are grounded. This gives 3 leads to the device being tested, one being grounded, for interference relief. That's why all the lab grade resistors and capacitors have 2 leads plus ground."That must have been an expensive piece of test equipment in it's day."

Stuff like that wasn't even in the catalogs I used back then...Geo

PM me a link if you don't mind. I'd like to see more of your handy work. :)
(done)

Geo

 

[dlgoff]

Back in the 1960s there was an article in the Scientific American magazine, https://www.jstor.org/stable/24931636?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents. And being a kid then I wanted to give it a try. The only thing I managed to do was finding a 9,000 volt neon sign transformer used for the power supply. The project was too much for this 14 year old at the time but the desire to make a HeNe gas laser never left. So when I came across this lasing tube on eBay, I couldn't resist. It's truly a beauty.

 

[jedishrfu]

Does it still work?

 

[Bystander]

You think he won't try it? How much?

 

[dlgoff]

Does it still work?

No. Not enough He.

edit: However, the same tube type in this laser does work.

 

[Bystander]

How old? The He diffuses through the glass that quickly that He-Ne's have to be "stale-dated?" Was aware of the "problem," but not that it was that significant.

 

[dlgoff]

How old? The He diffuses through the glass that quickly that He-Ne's have to be "stale-dated?" Was aware of the "problem," but not that it was that significant.

The number/code engraved into the cathode is 534-84. So I'm assuming the tube was made in 1984.

 

[Klystron]

How old? The He diffuses through the glass that quickly that He-Ne's have to be "stale-dated?" Was aware of the "problem," but not that it was that significant.

Paraphrasing from my father's college textbooks circa 1940's "The Helium molecule is small and agile and readily migrates through most materials requiring regular replenishment.", or words to that effect. I forget the application but reasonably sure the authors meant glass.

 

[dlgoff]

Here's an old telephone ringer with the label "The United Telephone Co." I've done some internet searching to get some history on the company, etc, but got just a few hits which give conflicting information. It could be just a small Kansas company but the thing is fairly old. Note the installation label date on the door's inside; wired April 23, 1921 and inspected June 13, 1921.

 

[marcusl]

Don, I remember reading that Sci Am article! I was a little young at the time, but I later traded a set of gigantic Nixie tubes for a ruby rod and some flash lamps and assembled a pulsed laser during college. I couldn’t afford proper low-ESR photoflash capacitors so I used a bank of electrolytics, with the result that the pump light was lazy. It exceeded the lasing threshold but I wasn’t about to burn holes through anything. Had a good time and learned a lot!

 

[dlgoff]

traded a set of gigantic Nixie tubes for a ruby rod and some flash lamps

Very cool @marcusl. I'd love to own a ruby rod. Very beautiful.

 

[marcusl]

I kept it around for decades but couldn’t interest my sons or their friends. I finally advertised it at work on the little employee “Green Sheet” last year and sold it to a laser enthusiast for cheap together with a big Neodymium-glass rod that I never did anything with.

 

[dlgoff]

sold it to a laser enthusiast

 

[dlgoff]

No. Not enough He.

edit: However, the same tube type in this laser does work.

View attachment 249761

What good is a laser without demonstrating single slit diffraction? So I went to ebay and bought this (pics from ebay) Gaertner Scientific Adjustable Optical Slit on a Newport (NRC) optical breadboard mount (Newport B-2 base and VPH-4 mount):

After cleaning it up and polishinng & realigning the slit edges, I made a receiving screen and made some interference patterns.

Now IMO, that's beauty.

 

[yungman]

I don't know whether my stuffs are considered old, I am cheap, other than I paid top $$ for my soldering irons, my scope, pulse gen, signal gen etc. are all old stuffs. My scope is an old Tektronixs 2465A 350MHz analog scope I bought for $400, my Pulse gen is HP old one that is at least 30 years old and I use an old Wavetech signal generator. All bought cheap.

There's nothing wrong with using old test equipment as long as it can do the job. I worked for a company that we always run on a shoe string budget ( and proud of it). They don't even have better equipment than me at home! We got the job done gloriously, went through IPO and all.

 

[dlgoff]

My scope is an old Tektronixs 2465A 350MHz analog scope I bought for $400, my Pulse gen is HP old one that is at least 30 years old and I use an old Wavetech signal generator.

Sounds old enough to be worthy of some photographs. Hint, Hint

There's nothing wrong with using old test equipment as long as it can do the job. ... We got the job done gloriously, went through IPO and all.

Well there you go. Proof positive.

 

[dlgoff]

As a result of this not keeping my electrodes cool enough, I bought this early model Neslab Instruments refrigerated circulating bath.

A useful beauty indeed.

 

[dlgoff]

I've been mostly absent from PF rebuilding a Maytag, Inc. (originally, The Maytag Washing Machine Company) two cylinder model 72 Hit-and-miss engine. It had been out-doors and full of rain water. But after two cans of WD-40 penetrating oil and two bottles of Naval Jelly rust dissolver, I was able to take the thing apart, clean, and paint. I purchased a gasket set, a piston ring set, and a muffler then reassembled. Here are some pictures of the finished project.

And since this is the Electrical Engineering forum, a look inside the magneto (flywheel with magnets removed).

As soon as the weather is better, I'm taking the engine outside and starting it; hopefully.

 

[anorlunda]

Wow, that looks like a beautiful restoration. Recently I found the Youtube channel called My Mechanics from Switzerland. He makes restoration project videos. He does beautiful work and that looks like a great hobby. It is certainly relaxing to watch the videos.

 

[dlgoff]

After posting a reply to @Evo 's comment in the COVID-19 Coronavirus Containment Efforts thread:

Today I went to the store and there were NO EGGS! NONE! Who hordes eggs?

got me thinking of the time needed to grade a gross of eggs with this Mascot Egg Grading Scale "balance":

I haven't researched much about it's history and I won't be trying to restore it, but here's a .gif showing how it works:

I am surprised that the grading scale appears to be a metal photo.

 

[dlgoff]

Here are a couple oilers manufactured by Lube Devices in Manitowoc, Wisconsin (@Greg Bernhardt 's alma mater state).

 

[NTL2009]

I've been mostly absent from PF rebuilding a Maytag, Inc. (originally, The Maytag Washing Machine Company) two cylinder model 72 Hit-and-miss engine. It had been out-doors and full of rain water. But after two cans of WD-40 penetrating oil and two bottles of Naval Jelly rust dissolver, I was able to take the thing apart, clean, and paint. I purchased a gasket set, a piston ring set, and a muffler then reassembled. Here are some pictures of the finished project.

...

As soon as the weather is better, I'm taking the engine outside and starting it; hopefully.

Wow! I was unaware there were gas engine powered washing machines, and surprised that Maytag made their own engines. According to this source, it was 5/8 HP, and I saw a link to a back-pack mount, apparently for the Military (probably used it to recharge batteries for radios?).

Had a chance to start it?

I had a chance to chat with a guy displaying his antique hit-miss engine at a farm show a few years back. I'd seen these demonstrated before, and I always figured they just ran really poorly :). The guy explained how the governor would just keep the valve (exhaust I think) closed (open?) when it hit top speed. So with no load it only had to hit once or twice in about every 5 or 6 cycles to maintain speed, so it sounded something like "rump-rump-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-rump-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-rump". Then he loaded it down for me so I could hear it fire every cycle. Pretty cool!

 

[dlgoff]

It's been a while since posting anything that measures but while playing around with a blue LED and a ultrasonic humidifier I came up with this video (blur fire) honoring Shuji Nakamura, Isamu Akasaki, and Hiroshi Amano for their invention that won them the 2014 Nobel Prize for physics.

 

[Janus]

@dlgoff 's post reminded me of some pictures I took in an antique shop a while back. They had some old equipment that had been converted into lamps:

 

[dlgoff]

@dlgoff 's post reminded me of some pictures I took in an antique shop a while back. They had some old equipment that had been converted into lamps:
View attachment 272080

View attachment 272081

View attachment 272082

View attachment 272083

Curious; where was the antique shop?

I would have probably tried to restore the equipment, however their conversion was done with old stuff. So doubly cool. Thanks for sharing Sir.

 

[Janus]

Curious; where was the antique shop?

McMinnville, OR.

 

[dlgoff]

I came across this RCA scanner radio. I had no idea RCA made a scanner:

 

[berkeman]

Any idea what channels it's set up to scan? Does it have one crystal per channel?

 

[Averagesupernova]

https://www.fixya.com/support/t17772452-user_manual_rca_model_no_16s400
-
According to this link it is one crystal per channel. I have an old Heathkit crystal controlled two meter transceiver but somehow it never occurred to me that early scanners would have had to have been the same.

 

[dlgoff]

Any idea what channels it's set up to scan? Does it have one crystal per channel?

I haven't opened it to check what frequencies the crystals are, but @Averagesupernova did the research, thanks @Averagesupernova. Unfortunately I get a error 1020 while trying to go to the site. What I find interesting is that it has two antenna jack connectors; one for UHF and one for VHF. I've been hunting for a couple old auto antennas that should work by adjusting their lengths.

 

[dlgoff]

Any idea what channels it's set up to scan? Does it have one crystal per channel?

here is what's printed on the crystals:
1) 460.250
2) 460.350
3) 460.400
4) 460.475
5) 39.5800
6) 44.8200
7) 44.980
8) 154.430
9) 154.680
10) 162.475

I'm assuming 1-4 are kHz and 5-10 are MHz? What do you think?

 

[Averagesupernova]

They are all MHz.

 

[dlgoff]

Here's some other non-electrical beauties. Some really old Hot Wheels die-cast toys that's been waiting to be displayed.

I'm working on a couple electrical beauties coming up next.

 

[dlgoff]

I thought this scanner was so neat that I decided to purchase another one; this one with it's antennas.

 

[jedishrfu]

With the recent ice storm in Texas I started thinking about how reliant we are on cell phone tech over the good old radio transceiver tech.

Especially when the 4 min 37 secs story broke, generators fail, cell towers go dead and battery operated radios are still in play but are they still in use in the field with electrical crews?

Thanks for sharing this.

 

[dlgoff]

battery operated radios are still in play ...

In this case, this is one is powered by 115VAC.

 

[DaveE]

Hi-tech instrument design circa 1960's.