Hey folks. I recently bought this old battery charger at an estate sale. I haven't found any info about it online or even pictures of a similar one. It has hookups for 6v and 24v. I haven't plugged it in yet as I need to find some cloth covered wire to replace the cord. Anybody know anything about it or seen one like it? Anybody want to add it to their collection? I might trade it I guess...
Thanks
last picture with glass cover on.
I found some Valley battery chargers for radios - refer to the links below:
http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/valley_abc_charger.html
http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/valley_battery_charger.html
http://www.radiomuseum.org/m/valley_usa_en_1.html
http://www.electriciantalk.com/f24/battery-charger-1979/
Thanks Erik! I had found those also but nothing exactly like mine. I actually thought someone here might have one like it.
Perhaps this is the original patent . . .
Edwin C. Baldwin
Kirkwood, Missouri
Rectifier for Alternating Currents
Patent number: 1239249
Filing date: Aug 6, 1914
Issue date: Sep 4, 1917
http://tinyurl.com/85nhlgs
http://preview.tinyurl.com/85nhlgs
I have one in my collection like it - its fairly uncommon, the big heavy table model shown in Eriks post is very common. If its like mine its a vibrating reed charger, the original design and original patents for a tapering reed charger belongs to the Automatic electrical devices company for the design and development of the "homcharger" I collect them, have several (100 or so.) Its a sideline to my Radio collecting. Ive not seen an ad for these, just the larger glass top table model. They make a great accessory for the car or radio collector.
Sorry - correction, I meant to say "one of the" earliest designs and patents, not "the" I think 1239249 is the first, but Im not sure if that charger "tapers" the charge like Clarence Ogden's did (Automatic electrical Devices)
3rd post - sorry guys, I did find in my reference material, an ad for this particular model, introduced in April 1923. There is a writeup on it in the "Wireless Age" magazine, April 1923 page 69. I dont have a copy, but it is in my notes.
Thanks guys!
Great wealth of info here.
Art, interesting that Edwin Baldwin lived in Kirkwood, since I also live in Kirkwood. If I have time, I'll swing by the library and see what the St Louis County Directory for 1914 or thereabouts has to say about him.
Art, it wasn't Baldwin, it was Ballman. Go down to "company history" and you can read about him.
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Baldor-Electric-company-company -History.html
On the way back from the cemetery today, I stopped at the library. There is no Edwin Ballman listed in the St. Louis County Directory (in Kirkwood or anywhere else) for 1907 or 1917. Edwin C. Ballman show up in the County Directory for 1920, but living on Lindell in University City. Not sure what part of town that is, but it's probably pretty nice. I guess Baldor Electric was fairly successful by then.
Erik - if you want to replace the cord, it is available at antique electronic supply in arizona. It is not - the regular brown small diameter cord, it is a special larger braid that is about 2.50 a foot. They have it, but you need to make sure the other stuff is too looking. The plug to be original needs to be the old black bakelite screw type. Be carefull, they can be dangerous, and it was designed for radio use, but a 6 volt car battery can be charged also. Its an a-b unit, it also charges b batteries for radios.