Check out my junk!

[MadMan]

You know, junk. Like junk junk. Not junk. Gah, get your mind out of the gutter.

So, cleaning out grandad's garage, I found all sorts of knick-knacks that he never ever showed me, and in fact, were hidden away in a box in the farthest, darkest corner (that corner also happened to be infested with termites - leaky roofs are no fun). I suppose that's the downside of always being into the newest and greatest technology as grandpa was... the old stuff gets tossed by the wayside.

Didn't know where to post this, or if even it'll be of any interest. Every so often I'll post a new piece of junk and talk a little about. If this is stupid and you hate it, let me know!

As my grandpa was an engineer for Simpson, it should be no surprise that the majority of this stuff is somehow related to Simpson. In fact, there are a couple of interesting one-of-a-kind things made from Simpson parts that I'll get to later. Here's a preview of just some of the junk:



And here's what I've got for show and tell today:



2 connector studs, and 4 knobs, each with numbers 0-9 (twice). The top says Leeds & Northrup Co. Philadelphia. The top looks like dirty bakelite, but it's too soft and easy to scratch, so I don't think it is.



Apparently used in Simpson's repair department in the 1960s. The stylish wooden box almost looks laboriously handmade and has no markings matching it to the device it holds. I can't really tell how old it is, but if the box actually belongs to this, I'd imagine it's a lot older than the 60s.



At first I had no idea what it was. After opening it, I found a ton of coiled wire resistors. And the only electronic component type thingy I've ever seen made by Simpson (the cardboard one with the 'S' on it - a precision wire coiled resistor [which I believe is standing in for an old failed coil]). I later noticed the 4 knobs each have a number noted on them (1, 10, 100, and 1000). I deduce this is a giant variable resistor! Sure enough, if I put an ohm meter across the connections, I can dial in whatever resistance I want and read it on the meter. Neat, eh?

[old_tv_nut]

This is called a "decade box" or "dec box" for short.

Edit: designing a circuit by inserting a dec box and adjusting until it worked, without understanding the theory, was denigrated as "dec box engineering." Actually, if you did understand the theory, a dec box could serve as a sort of analog computer to help find the optimum quickly.

[MadMan]

Originally Posted by old_tv_nut

This is called a "decade box" or "dec box" for short.

Decade box? Cool. It's kind of in orders of ten, so.



Ok, so here's the next item(s), since no one's told me to stop yet :P



Correct me if I'm wrong. To me, these both look like custom made contraptions. On the left, we have a multiple voltage power supply, with banana plug connections and extensive labels. Didn't bother with inside pics, both of these are pretty plain. Inside of this one are 2 multi-voltage transformers, that both look a bit like the one inside my Hickok tube tester, they have metal terminals to solder wires to, rather than wires coming out of them. Both transformers are bolted to the face plate with 4 screws visible on the front.

On the right, we have basically a variac with an ammeter. The output socket is on the back. Inside is exactly what you see from the outside: Simpson ammeter, giant neon pilot light, switch, fuse, variac (marked in percentage), and nothing else. Also, the variac on its lowest setting is actually 100%, turning it a little takes it to 0. :/

What's curious is that - and again correct me if I'm wrong - they both appear to be custom made. There are no numbers written or stamped inside or out, no brand, nothing. No big shocker there, but - especially the one on the left - they look like they were made from blank case fronts that were never stamped out for something else. The left side's case looks very much akin to my Simpson scope and generator. The right side looks similar, but markedly different. If it is a Simpson case, I suspect it's an older design. It could pass for a manufactured piece, but the leather carry strap riveted to the top looks very much out of place.

And Maude isn't impressed.

[Robb]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d-caSDcO_U

[old_tv_nut]

I think you're right - custom made for internal use. A convenient permanent version of some setup that was used frequently and would be a waste of time to repeatedly set up and tear down.

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by MadMan

You know, junk. Like junk junk. Not junk. Gah, get your mind out of the gutter.

Grosseroo! That didn't even enter my mind until I saw this. Haha.

Anyway, looks like there are some pretty decent scores there. One-off, old-school stuff can be pretty cool. I'd like to see stuff of a later vintage if you have it.