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Vintage Telephone Mystery Parts

Started by HarrySmith, April 26, 2015, 05:21:41 PM

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HarrySmith

My newest purchase! Obviously it has nothing to do with a phone. It has a phone dial on it but that is just being used as a pulsing device. I am not sure what it is, seems to be a tester of some kind. I am thinking for something automotive but not sure. I bought it just for curiosities sake. I want to figure out what it was made for. I figure at the least I have a dial for $20.00. I am hoping for some input from you guys and your opinion on it's intended purpose.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161677380313
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

NorthernElectric

For lighting your gas grill?   ;D

My guess is just for testing spark plugs.
Cliff

HarrySmith

I thought about spark plugs but there are or were lots of simpler testers for plugs available. Still possible.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

twocvbloke

I'd also say a spark plug tester, appears to have a magneto coil, presumably there's a condenser in there somewhere, and the telephone dial acts like a set of points to open and close the circuit to generate a spark in the plug that's strapped to the side there...

Little on the overly-elaborate side, but, I guess whoever built is made good use of it... :)

HarrySmith

It's not a magneto coil it is a regular Delco-Remy (GM) ignition coil. There is no condenser in it anywhere, what you see is the sum total of components. Spark plug tester is still a possibility but as I stated before. there were simpler, easier and cheaper ways to test a plug!
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

twocvbloke

Quote from: HarrySmith on April 26, 2015, 06:33:36 PMthere were simpler, easier and cheaper ways to test a plug!

True, but some people out there like to over-think the plumbing...  ;D

Ktownphoneco

It's a home made spark plug tester.     It's crude, but it does the job.     The ignition coil gives it the necessary voltage, which back in the days that coil was made, was about 22,000 volts.    Automotive coils powered by a 12 Volt DC system, could produce 40,000 volts.     The dial is performing the function of a distributor.    Might work for a 10 cylinder engine :-)    I suspect the alligator clips are nothing more than a quick connection to a 12 volt battery.

But as Harry said, there are easier ways to test spark plugs.

Jeff Lamb 

Ktownphoneco

Sorry, slight mistake in last post.     The dial is performing the function of the points, which are located inside the distributor.    Long day.

Jeff Lamb

Jack Ryan

The easier way, of course, is to remove the engine, sump, con rods and pistons - crank the engine and look up the cylinders for evidence of sparking.

Unfortunately, even if a spark is seen, the plug is not necessarily good. The environment in the combustion chamber at TDC on a compression stroke is somewhat different.

This particular tester has a modified finger stop to reduce the interdigit delay. Probably a productivity improvement allowing more plugs to be tested - enterprise bargaining at work.

Jack