Accession No

4588

Brief Description

variable capacitor, by Leslie Miller, English, 2/2 19th Century

Origin

England; London; 66 Hatton Garden

Maker

Miller, Leslie

Class

electrical

Earliest Date

1850

Latest Date

1900

Inscription Date

Material

wood (ebony? another); metal (brass, white metal); plastic (ebonite, lid); paper

Dimensions

height 250mm; breadth 200mm; depth 200mm

Special Collection

Provenance

Transferred from the Department of Physiology, University of Cambridge, on 23/01/1997.

Inscription

‘LESLIE MILLER
MANUFACTURING ELECTRICIAN
66 HATTON GARDEN
LONDON’ (ivorine plaque on lid)

Description Notes

Wooden case with brass handle and hook fasteners (one missing); empty drawer in base with brass handle. Main instrument is covered by ebonite plate which carries three brass terminals, three ebonite terminals marked, A, B and C and a dial for setting the capitance. The latter consists of 12 brass contacts, numbered in microfarads .016, .025, .05, .062, .08, .125, .25, .33, .5, .66, 1 and 2. Central brass pointer with ebony (?) handle moves round dial to select capacitance. Paper label at bottom right of plate, reading ‘6,400 Ohms is correct to 1%’. Paper label pinned to inside of lid with diagram of control. Socket in side of box for bayonet bulb.

Condition good; complete

References

Events