device.mpg

A home made (ca. 1940s?) spring-driven ('clockwork') electrical switching device. But what its purpose was, is completely unknown to us. This short video was made as an 'outreach' of a web-page on my site, where images of this device, and a description of it were placed; but eventually, we couldn't think of a better way to illustrate it than a video! The related web-page is: http://www.normanfield.com/device.htm

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Science & Technology

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• device

[agfamatic91]

mabe it was for pulsing dc curent so it could be transformed into a high voltige wich could be filterd throu a filter cap and drive the anodes in a modified battery valve radio set.

and maybe that solenoid was hoked up to the filement battery throu a switch monted on the radio set so you could turn the high voltige on and off directly on the radio itself.

[bixanorak]

Thanks also. I haven't worked out the frequency of the pulses. It runs for just over 3 minutes when fully wound, and if I oiled it lightly it would probably run for 4 minutes. It might even have been a device for trying to synchronise a low-definiton TV signal - or anything come to that. Thanks for writing.

[radioman01]

A fascinating thingummy-jig. Thank you for saving it for the nation! I have no idea about its usefulness either, but felt that someone should add an appreciative first comment.

[bixanorak]

Thanks! The most obvious use would be for switching a series of 6 small bulbs on and off - perhaps for a Christmas tree. The thin brass wiper would not have been able to take much current... A remote ancestor of a DJ light show 8^)

[johnster1964]

Mmmm, well. Some questions:

1-Voltage is that the wires can take? 2- Year?

My thoughts (before I read yr comment) was it was a homemade Christmas or decorative unit. However, the lights would be flashing very quickly. The solenoid indicates to me that it was operated by a remote bellpush. the fact that it does not run for very long (3-4 mins) tells me that its original use was only occassonal ie rather like a door bell or a system for drawing someone else's attention to something.

[agfamatic91]

@bixanorak

hmm i have a feeling that low definiton TV (like the electro-mechanical 30 line bard system) would need a farly stable signal to synchronise to but maybe that little spring motor was enough to give a stable signal.