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Hi

This multimeter came my way. The donor told me about it before I saw it, and I assumed from his description that it was going to be an AVO of some sort. I was surprised to find that it was a Sangamo Weston - not a name I associate with meters. I've had a look on t'internet but I can't find a single reference - can you do better?

Anyway, it might be from 1959 (judging by the meter) or 1955 (which is stamped on the bottom of the rather nice leather case it came in). I wish I could attach a sample of the smell of the meter. It smells like.... old electrical stuff. They just don't make electrons like they used to.

I took it apart, partly out of curiosity and partly to clean it up a bit. Here are the photos:


A very clean dial with mirror. Hidden by the case is the shameful text "500 Ohms/V". Fans of solid detents would rejoice in these knobs. The connectors are binding posts - I did think about fitting 4mm sockets, but thought I'd leave the old lady in her original form.





There's some kind of sprung switch on the side there; a bimetallic thing? Who knows.





A cavernous battery bay. It takes a 1.5V cell and 4.5V battery. I've no idea what type. Someone's had a bit of a go bodging a wire in there at some point. The negative terminals for the cell/battery are binding posts, for goodness sake.





I've checked it on DC volts up to about 20V. As near as I can tell the accuracy varies from 0.1% to 0.5% depending on the range. I haven't tried current yet.

If anyone can point to any source of information, I'd be grateful.

Cheers
John

free_electron:
If you need help grinding it to fine powder , casting the remnants in concrete and burying it, let me know. i'm pretty good at 'widlarizing' dinosaurs.  ;D

before the flame war starts : ITS a JOKE !
i understand some people have nostalgic feelings about old stuff. Nothing wrong with that.

I just relate 'nostalgia' with 'everything as better in the old days' .. like when there was famine , war , pestulence, crusades  and witchhunts ;D

Judging from the pristine innards and non-discolored wires this must come from some lab or have sat in a display case most of its life. or used by a schoolteacher who took it out once a year to give a demo with it.
i like also the flame-inhibiding tubes over what looks like the range resistors for the divider.

amspire:
I cannot tell you about that particular meter, but Weston is the most famous name in moving coil meters.

Edward Weston was an English born American who was one of the great geniuses of the late 19th and 20th centuries. He invented the way to make practical long-life carbon filament lamps, but due to the stupid patent laws, he had to give the technology to Edison who was famous for having the best lawyers.

Weston designed the first accurate moving coil meters, along with the mercury standard battery that was the standard for voltage for half the 20th century, zero temperature coefficient resistance wire and a heap of other things. He was a genius in Electronic measurement, Chemistry, Metalurgy  - basically whatever he put his mind to.

Weston Electrical Instrument Co. of Surbiton, Surrey was the English subsidiary of the Weston Electrical Instrument Corporation in the US. In 1936 - the year of Edward Weston's death - it was acquired by British Sangamo. British Sangamo was a subsidiary of the Sangamo Electric Co. of Springfield, Illinois.

Sangamo Weston was sold to Schlumberger in 1976.

This meter was built in an era when people worked at the one company for their working life, so for sure, the designers of this meter had worked directly with Weston's designs, and perhaps worked directly with Weston. Looks like a very fine meter, and I am sure it is still a great meter to use.

I would guess the 1.5V battery is a D cell. Not sure about the 4.5V battery. The common one for the 60's was the 4.5V Bicycle Lamp battery that looks like it is still available:

http://www.master-instruments.com.au/products/61491/MN1203.html

Not sure how it would connect to the terminal posts unless the battery fitted into a removable holder that is missing now.

Richard.

vk6zgo:
There was one of these in the instrument cupboard at the AM Broadcast Transmitter I worked at years ago.
It never fired a shot in action AFAIK.

We always used the AVO model 8s,& occasionally a Simpson.
The Weston just sat there looking pretty.

amspire:

--- Quote from: vk6zgo on June 16, 2012, 03:14:00 am ---There was one of these in the instrument cupboard at the AM Broadcast Transmitter I worked at years ago.
It never fired a shot in action AFAIK.

We always used the AVO model 8s,& occasionally a Simpson.
The Weston just sat there looking pretty.

--- End quote ---
It is only 500ohms/volt. I think it is aimed more at the power industry.

Not a good meter for working on electronics. If you had an 20K Ohm/Volt Avo 8 or Simpson, you would definitely grab them first.

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