History GO CHARGERS!!! ..the vintage ones

battery chargers ... not NFL! Lets see yours.




I acquired this one a few months back. The old mechanic I got it from said it was originally from the TWA (airlines) maintennance shop at SFO ... he wasnt sure what decade. The A radiator shell in background sorta indicates the size



They were usually mounted on the wall at the shop or gas station. The Standard Station where I grew up had one, "SLOW CHARGE - FIFTY CENTS" .. which I frequented in the early sixties.



This one is Allen Electric and Equipment Company brand with "unitron" written on the amp gauge .... and the worlds biggest tube inside the case. I havent fired it off yet ... hoping its all working.

Google search doesnt produce much info ... any information on this charger would be apprecated and if you gots an oldie in your shop then lets see it!

 

Damn! And I had my Arnold Schwarzenegger clip all ready to go.

 

Thought, what's a Musclecar thread doing here?...
...

 

Here is my old (I mean OLD) Valley. There are a few parts missing and only recently the tube type bulb that stuck out the front got broken. When the bulb is in place it looks like the torso from the robots that were often seen in early WB cartoons and such.

 

Nice patina, do you have an idea of age? Too bad on the busted tube.

 

I'll play - mine is not nearly as old though!
When I purchased my air compressor, the old man told me to take this with me if I was handy enough to replace the plug. I did. It's missing a knob, and I can't tell what the volts are set at (simmer, bake or broil) but I can tell you this sucker will jump start a dinosaur. It scares me a little. Military surplus, late 60's early 70's.

 

CHARGE!! Old airfield piece is awesome as is the older tube piece! Cool stuff. ~sololobo~

 

Thanks guys, definitely some cool stuff on here. I would never have thought to start a thread like this and honestly there should be more like it. (maybe I haven't found it yet) It is awesome to see the technology that once kept us and our hobby going. An online museum of sorts. I was told by the elderly gentleman I got it from that it is from the twenties. He said it has been around about as long as cars began using batteries. Judging by the script on the label I'd say he's right. It weighs every bit of 50lbs. It is HEAVY. The original black paint is left in only a few places.

 

Here is my Grandfathers Westinghouse Battery Charger dated 1923. It has the large tube inside and also has a wall mount. I used to use this in the 1960's for my 6 volt batteries.....still works!

 

Cool on that Ron .... Is the date on the spec tag or chassis? (small screen)

 

Thats a nice one Ron. I'll check mine over and see if I can find a date. The tag on front is hard to read.

 

I found this early 40's Allen tune-up device on the net .... the style is pretty simular to my charger.

Sure wish someone could help me identify my chargers YOM etc ....

 

I thought you were talking about Dodge Chargers, like my 66 loved it

 

No. but I always admired Dan Fouts.

 

Maybe someone can help. I just picked this up for $20.00 at the swap meet, I figured it had at least $20.00 + in copper inside. This thing is very heavy. I plan to install new jumper wires/clamps and a new power cord. Are these units any good ? I have a newer Craftsman unit that weighs like 2lbs that feels cheap. Did I pay too much ? Worth restoring ?

 

I think I saw some of those in an old Frankenstein movie...

 

Wish I hadn't seen this, now I want one. On the wall mounts, how long can the cables be, and provide decent current?

 

i got this Kathanode Charger several years ago to restore but haven't got to it yet. it is for sale. it is cool, the glass gauges are kind of convex. pics aren't very good. it is about 4' tall. haven't seen one like it.

 

The one I have got has 10' long cable ... looks like #10 wire.

 

Here is mine from a local yard sale. It works but the power cord is frayed near the chassis and the plug is scary.

 

With low voltage DC power if the wires are more than a mile or 2 miles long you lose significant power. This is why they changed to AC for house current.

This assumes the wires are big enough to carry the current without excess resistance. If they get warm they are too small.

 

This one was in my late father's shop. I did not even know what it was. It has the giant tube inside. It is a unitron rectifier from Newark, NJ. Do not know the age.

 

Very cool thread old stuff rocks....

 

Here's my old Christie. When I got it it had a couple of the big old plate diodes that were burnt up. I replaced them using diodes from a rectifier bridge from a GM alternator

The things just keeps charging away

 

This is an old Atlas I saved from some scrappers who were going to tear it down for scrap metal.. It has had the power cord replaced and didnt work when i plugged it in, so its in my vast collection of "this needs looked at some day. I liked the color and hadnt seen one before, I suspect it at one time was on wheels, the knob is spooky and the voltages have all worn off.. I am not voltage gifted so until I find a utube video on how to test the voltages on a Battery charger with a rectifier bulb in it I will leave it alone for fear of me being the one rectified,,, Its an Atlas Model AT-70 115 volt AC 60 Cycle at 6 amps, Output is 45vDC at 6 amps. Its UL listed so I might possibly be able to find the wiring or something on file with them. I havnt decided if I will keep or sell it. with restoration or rewiring it would be the perfect touch for the shop.. Im guessing restoration would be around 1500 to 2500. but Im just guessing from watching TV shows on restorations. Great blog. Hope to see more postings and maybe an offshoot of it on restoring or repairing them..

 

I got this one from a nuclear physicist in Paducah Ky. I cant find a tag on it to identify.

 

Ya gotta love these old threads


This one came with my 28 Tudor and it still works