Accession No
2283
Brief Description
moving magnet, reflecting galvanometer, by Cambridge Instrument Company Ltd., English, 1930
Origin
England; Cambridge
Maker
Cambridge Instrument Company Ltd.
Class
electrical
Earliest Date
1930
Latest Date
1930
Inscription Date
Material
metal (brass, iron, other); plastic (ebonite); glass
Dimensions
height 370mm; base diameter 235mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Transferred from Department of Colloid Science, University of Cambridge, 1976.
Inscription
‘CAMBRIDGE
INSTRUMENT CO. LTD. ENGLAND
C 142399 (with logo)’ (on top of case)
Description Notes
Circular brass base with three levelling feet and two brass terminals mounted on ebonite plate; cylindrical brass case with rectangular glazed window showing parts of coil boxes and suspended mirror; two knurled knobs on top of cover for controlling magnets inside; brass block on two ebonite pillars supports two pairs of ebonite coil boxes (removable); systems of five small, parallel horizontal magnets suspended within each pair of coils, with suspended mirror between; glass suspension tube extends vertically through centre of case; knurled brass controls at top of tube; cylindrical and circular iron and multi-layer ‘mumetal’ shields surround mechanism, inside brass case.
Condition: fine (suspension intact); complete.
References
Events
Description
R.S. Whipple’s interest in historic scientific artefacts stemmed from his day job making instruments in Cambridge.
Whipple joined the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company in 1898, rapidly rising to become its Managing Director in 1905 and ultimately its Chairman in 1938. Over this period, Whipple helped grow the firm from a small specialist maker into an international company with thousands of employees and a world-class reputation in a wide variety of areas.
The University of Cambridge was a major customer of 'The Scientific' (as locals called the firm). This galvanometer came to the Whipple Museum from the University's Department of Colloid Science in 1976.
17/10/2025
Created by: Hannah Price on 17/10/2025
FM:41060
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