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Carbon Pile battery tester

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millner(at)me.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 6:38 pm Post subject: Carbon Pile battery tester

On 12/23/2012 4:25 PM, Bill Watson wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   If I screw the big knob down and shake things a bit, I can get the 

 stack of carbon plates lined up and it seems that increased resistance 

 results from placing more pressure on the stack.



 Does that sound right? 


	


Don't know about your unit, but traditional carbon piles *decrease* 

resistance as you tighten them up, pushing the pack into better contact, 

or decreasing the total electron path length, depending on how you'd 

like to think about it.  Relaxing pressure *increases* resistance, as 

the carbon gets further away from each other, at least microscopically.



At least, our 1937 2400 volt AC generators' excitation current control 

widgets work that way... technology may have marched on in the interim.



Paul

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nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect
Guest

Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 7:48 am Post subject: Carbon Pile battery tester

 	  Quote: 	
		  Don't know about your unit, but traditional carbon piles *decrease* 

resistance as you tighten them up, pushing the pack into better 

contact, or decreasing the total electron path length, depending on 

how you'd like to think about it.  Relaxing pressure *increases* 

resistance, as the carbon gets further away from each other, at 

least microscopically.



At least, our 1937 2400 volt AC generators' excitation current 

control widgets work that way... technology may have marched on in the interim.


	




    Yeah, those were the good ol' days.



http://aeroelectric.com/Pictures/Regulators/Carbon_Pile_1a.jpg



    A carbon pile regulator had no contacts to burn. It could

    be taken apart and refurbished. Adding a separate

    offset winding to the regulator provided an opportunity

    to make two generators parallel onto one bus.



http://tinyurl.com/cf8b43e



    It's one of my favorite examples of creativity in

    electronic controls from the era of copper, steel, rubber

    and Bakelite.



http://tinyurl.com/d9nyju4



    This control device came out of a steam turbine

    power plant, one of many shepherded by one of

    several favorite uncles. Throughout this assembly

    one can identify a/d converters, d/a converters and control

    logic that presided over line power quality for

    hundreds of thousands of Kansans. Uncle Bill received

    this piece with a plaque on it commemorating his

    decades of service to the only job he ever held after

    graduating college.



    I'm pleased that he saw fit to pass it on to me.

   Bob . . .

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Mauledriver(at)nc.rr.com
Guest

Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 7:19 am Post subject: Carbon Pile battery tester

Bob, I've been staring at this thing for a couple of days and realize 

why I'm enjoying it so much.  My Dad was an electronics hobbyist and 

used to get a lot of surplus electrical boards and boxes to scavenge 

parts from.  He would give a piece or 2 to my brother and I to 

dissassemble.... sometimes to get a particular component, sometimes to 

just keep our busy hands out of the way.



I know that some parts were just so interesting that he'd get them just 

to look at and study.  This would have been one of those.



Thanks

Bill

On 12/24/2012 10:48 AM, Robert L. Nuckolls,

 	  Quote: 	
		      It's one of my favorite examples of creativity in

    electronic controls from the era of copper, steel, rubber

    and Bakelite.



 http://tinyurl.com/d9nyju4



    This control device came out of a steam turbine

    power plant, one of many shepherded by one of

    several favorite uncles. Throughout this assembly

    one can identify a/d converters, d/a converters and control

    logic that presided over line power quality for

    hundreds of thousands of Kansans. Uncle Bill received

    this piece with a plaque on it commemorating his

    decades of service to the only job he ever held after

    graduating college.



    I'm pleased that he saw fit to pass it on to me.

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Mauledriver(at)nc.rr.com
Guest

Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 7:23 am Post subject: Carbon Pile battery tester

On 12/23/2012 9:37 PM, Paul Millner wrote:

 	  Quote: 	

 On 12/23/2012 4:25 PM, Bill Watson wrote:

> If I screw the big knob down and shake things a bit, I can get the 

> stack of carbon plates lined up and it seems that increased 

> resistance results from placing more pressure on the stack.

>

> Does that sound right? 

 Don't know about your unit, but traditional carbon piles *decrease* 

 resistance as you tighten them up, pushing the pack into better 

 contact, or decreasing the total electron path length, depending on 

 how you'd like to think about it.  Relaxing pressure *increases* 

 resistance, as the carbon gets further away from each other, at least 

 microscopically.

Well, this one definitely seems to press the carbon discs together to 

increase resistance.  Your explanation makes more sense to me. What I'm 

seeing in this box makes none, but no matter.  As I mentioned 

separately, it's working fine now.  Nice low cost box that seems to do 

the job.

Thanks.

 	  Quote: 	

 At least, our 1937 2400 volt AC generators' excitation current control 

 widgets work that way... technology may have marched on in the interim.

 Paul

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