Author Topic: Vintage Instrument - Worth restoring?  (Read 7574 times)

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Offline MondfleckTopic starter

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Vintage Instrument - Worth restoring?
« on: July 14, 2016, 01:47:32 am »
Hi all,

This will be my first post on the forum, so I hope that it will be of interest to some of you. This instrument was found among my Grandfather's belongings, along with several other EE curios. I'm only beginning to develop my knowledge in this area, so I'm not game enough to take a stab at guessing what it's used to measure.

I guess what I'd love to know is:

  • What does it measure?
  • Is it valuable and worth restoring?
  • Are there any members in Australia who specialise in restoring vintage gear?


Click for larger image

Any info would be greatly appreciated. I can take more photos, if necessary. Cheers!


« Last Edit: July 14, 2016, 01:51:46 am by Mondfleck »
 

Offline Dubbie

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Vintage Instrument - Worth restoring?
« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2016, 02:01:24 am »
It looks like a wheatstone bridge.

Used for very accurate resistance measurements.

[edit] nope!
« Last Edit: July 14, 2016, 08:42:36 am by Dubbie »
 
The following users thanked this post: Mondfleck

Offline Ian.M

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Re: Vintage Instrument - Worth restoring?
« Reply #2 on: July 14, 2016, 03:33:10 am »
No. its just a center zero galvanometer. The resistance 53.8 Ohms is marked on the scale, and that's far too low to be a voltmeter, so it must measure current.
See http://physicsmuseum.uq.edu.au/unipivot-galvanometer-no24a

Restoring it would be an extremely specialist undertaking.  Even testing it should be left to an experienced electronics tech.
 

Offline Gyro

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Re: Vintage Instrument - Worth restoring?
« Reply #3 on: July 14, 2016, 08:59:38 am »
Quote
Restoring it would be an extremely specialist undertaking.  Even testing it should be left to an experienced electronics tech.

Agreed, it's old enough to have value. Don't go stripping and polishing the brass or anything like that. A little wax polish (on the outside only!) will improve its appearance a lot, without damaging it. Some Vaseline on the terminal threads will stop them seizing up. Treat it as an antique (which it is by now) and put it on display.  :)
Best Regards, Chris
 

Offline MondfleckTopic starter

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Re: Vintage Instrument - Worth restoring?
« Reply #4 on: July 16, 2016, 03:55:12 am »
Thank you kindly for the responses! I might consider some practical means for displaying it at home, or look into donating it to a museum.
 

Offline System Error Message

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Re: Vintage Instrument - Worth restoring?
« Reply #5 on: July 16, 2016, 01:08:13 pm »
its always worth restoring vintage stuff. Dave from EEVBlog gets an orgasm whenever he reviews vintage stuff.
 


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