Accession No

1383

Brief Description

electrostatic voltmeter, Lord Kelvin's patent, by James White, Scottish, 1897

Origin

Scotland; Glasgow

Maker

White, James

Class

electrical

Earliest Date

1897

Latest Date

1897

Inscription Date

Material

metal (brass, silver, aluminium); wood; glass; paper

Dimensions

height 337mm; breadth 204mm; depth 204mm; box height 388mm; breadth 244mm; depth 225mm

Special Collection

Provenance

Transferred from the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge. It is recorded in the Cavendish Laboratory's 1894 alphabetical catalogue of apparatus on p.223; it was purchased in 1897.

Inscription

‘LORD KELVIN’S
PATENTS
MULTICELLULAR
VOLTMETER No. 755
JAMES WHITE
GLASGOW’ (on plate on case)
‘E 516’ (on case (added))

Description Notes

In brass cylindrical case, mounted on wooden base with three levelling screws; circular glazed window at top showing silvered dial and plumb-bob; paper scale marked non-linearly from 0 to 1000, extending over an arc of about 50 degrees; aluminium pointer; central brass suspension post extending vertically through glass, with zero adjustment on top; two terminals on side of case, one marked ‘CASE’; glass cup for damping oil at bottom of case (dry); brass bar inset in base for rotating zeroing screw.
Similar to Wh: 3349.

Wooden box with hinged door at front. Brass hinges, hook fasteners and carrying handle. Baize lined groove near base to accomodate false base (missing) which would have carried instrument.

Complete.

References

Events