Accession No

3250

Brief Description

Moving coil pointer voltmeter by the Weston Electrical Instrument Company, c.1900

Origin

Newark; New Jersey; U.S.A

Maker

Weston Electric Instrument Co. Ltd

Class

electrical

Earliest Date

1900

Latest Date

1900

Inscription Date

Material

wood (two types); metal (brass, white metal and one other); glass; plastic (ebonite, ivorine); cloth )felt); paper; hide (leather)

Dimensions

length 170mm; breadth 153mm; height 73mm box length 230mm; breadth 174mm; height 101mm

Special Collection

Provenance

Transferred from Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, 1985. Transferred from Solar Physics Laboratory, Cambridge to the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, unknown date. Transferred to Cambridge University in 1913 when Solar Physics Laboratory, South Kensington moved to Cambridge (renamed Solar Physics Laboratory, Cambridge).   (?) originally owned by the Solar Physics Laboratory, South Kensington, London (founded 1878). 

Inscription

‘WESTON ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENT CO.
NEWARK, N.J., U.S.A.
PATENTED NOV. 6TH. 1888.
NO.
7269’ (brass plaque on top of instrument)
‘WESTON’S
DIRECT-READING
VOLT-METER.’ (dial)
‘PATENTED
NOVEMBER 6. 1888.
NO. 392386 AND NO. 392387.
MAY 14. 1889. NO. 403311.
APRIL 29. 1890.
NO. 426992 AND NO. 427022.
JUNE 10. 1890.
NO. 19895 AND NO. 19896’ (brass plaque on front of instrument)
‘SOLAR
PHYSICS
51’ (stamped on side)

Description Notes

Portable pivoted coil pointer DC voltmeter. Red-painted metal case on wooden base; three ebonite covered terminals, two marked ‘5’ and ‘150’ on left-hand side of dial, one on RHS marked ‘+’; and ebonite lockable push-button switch. Glazed window showing mirror and white dial; hand-printed scale divided 0 - 150, numbered by 10, subdivided to 1; also divided 0 - 5, numbered by 1.
In wooden carrying case with leather handle; specification certificate on inside of lid, partly torn (date missing).

Condition good; complete.

References

Events