You Analog Guys Are Going To Be Giddy...

Yep I got me a analog ohm meter, no holding back now, that is assuming I can find a strong enough magnifying glass to read it...

Weston 689 measuring a 680 ohm resistor, best I can tell it's reading 689 ohms, must be some sort of coincidense... For some reason the camera will only take photos of the meter in B&W... Strange...   

That meter looks to be well preserved. The meter face is white and not yellowed.

Very nice meter.  Maybe the camera knew black and white was all it needed.  I also have a little Weston meter.  A dollar bill would almost cover the front panel.  

75X11 wrote:  I also have a little Weston meter.  A dollar bill would almost cover the front panel.  

A $1 bill will cover this one but no doubt yours is a bit more versatile than mine...

This meter is in the 1934 Weston catalog, it's exceptionally nice for approx 80 years...

A shot in color but I need better indirect lighting, hard to photograph with any detail...

That is extraordinary!
Interesting how many instruments back then were designed for only one type of measurement.

It looks ready for another 80 years. It looks like a lab unit.

Ragwire wrote:That is extraordinary!
Interesting how many instruments back then were designed for only one type of measurement.

I believe there are actually six different versions of this meter, some only have one resistance scale and there is at least one more dual that has different scales than this one...

I have other old meters but none are as nice as this one...

http://www.stevenjohnson.com/weston/weston-april-1934.htm

Glad to see that you finally "saw the light", Tom!   

Nice meter, Tom. Do you collect test equipment?

WC

Wildcat445 wrote:Glad to see that you finally "saw the light", Tom!    

Nice meter, Tom.   Do you collect test equipment?

WC

This thing lights up??? I believe the bulb must be burned out...   

I don't actually collect but came into several pieces a few years back, this Weston is part of that group of meters and other test equipment...

I'm certainly giddy now.   

WC

Wildcat445 wrote:I'm certainly giddy now.    

WC

Alright!!! Now I can go back to using my favorite meters...

Little or maybe never used Xerox version of Simpson 467, other than branding exact same as meter I used from '87/'88 till approx '02... also have my orig 467 with numerous war scars, I used it almost every day for approx 15 years before it got retired...

This one is from 1992, still had orig battery(in place when pict was shot)



Also have two Simpson 461 LCD(other than those being LED are very similar to 467), both are connected and used at my bell tower bench(upstairs of garage)... I use these more than any other as the red display is easy to read at a glance... Got the two good 461 and two parts meters from ebay for $20 shipped... There's a ECG-something LCD, a couple cheapie Harbor Freight, a B&K cap checker with resistance scales(no volts), probably more but these are ones I use frequently...

That is a nice looking meter. If I had more space I would consider a bench size meter. My first model Fluke 77 has done a decent job and has a bargraph movement to indicate fluctuations. I think an important consideration in the meter one uses is the degree of familiarity and confidence one has in it. I was trained to take measurements with digital and analog meters, and the oscilliscope. To that end I have all three both at home and work. Each has their strengths and weaknesses and the others fill each others weak areas. The one item I wish I could afford and have at home would be a service monitor. That is, a oscillator, function generator oscilliscope, spectrum analyzer, wattmeter, frequency counter, scanning reciever, and transmission test set. Sometimes I feel hobbled not having one at home.

These Simpson digital are approx same size as two packs of cigarettes stacked sideways, very small foot print... I have the two 461s in a little shelf(sort of a trough) that i hung on the fluorescent light fixture at the upstairs bench... They are set back maybe 18" and about same above the bench, maybe have a pict will check...

If it makes you guys feel better, I have a Fluke meter. It is broken, but I have it. I am still giddy.   

WC

Here is my bench analog meter.  The window is 6 X 3 1/2 inches with a mirrored scale.  Just the size for these tahrd old eyes.     

75X11 wrote:Here is my bench analog meter.  The window is 6 X 3 1/2 inches with a mirrored scale.  Just the size for these tahrd old eyes.      

Umm that's a real nice meter, I like it...

I have a big old Eico 249(actually two) that just one no doubt takes up more space than all my digitals combined... I keep saying I'm going to restore and use at the bench, but being that I'm solidly a digital guy now, probably won't happen... I've used digital so long, I don't want to go back... They are easier to read, use and for anything I need to see small voltage changes, I'll use a scope...

I used an EICO 249 in the shop for years (my father built it when I was a kid so I've been using it for about 50 years) but a few years ago I switched to a Triplett 850 VTVM. The meter is the same size as the EICO but the Triplett takes up a lot less shelf space in an already crowded shop.

Dale H. Cook wrote:I used an EICO 249 in the shop for years (my father built it when I was a kid so I've been using it for about 50 years) but a few years ago I switched to a Triplett 850 VTVM. The meter is the same size as the EICO but the Triplett takes up a lot less shelf space in an already crowded shop.

I had one of those back in the '70s, was undoubtedly the most unstable meter I've ever owned... Ran across it probably a dozen years ago while going through some stuff from the old house, grabbed it and tossed it in the trash can... Looking back, I should have saved the power transformer...

I learned the procedures for using a VTVM but didn't have enough access to one to get the hang of it. The oscilliscope took it's place.

35Z5 wrote:I had one of those back in the '70s, was undoubtedly the most unstable meter I've ever owned.

This one is quite stable after a proper warmup, but it got a major overhaul before I started using it. Perhaps yours was early production - mine is later production (manual for serials above 7000).

Dale H. Cook wrote:

35Z5 wrote:I had one of those back in the '70s, was undoubtedly the most unstable meter I've ever owned.

This one is quite stable after a proper warmup, but it got a major overhaul before I started using it. Perhaps yours was early production - mine is later production (manual for serials above 7000).

I don't know what was wrong with that goofy meter, at the time I was regularly using it starting around 1972 should not have needed overhauled... Nothing checked bad/out of spec, would warm it up for several hours then calibrate it, was fine for a month maybe two and would be off again... Sometimes I'd leave it on 24/7 but it didn't always drift in same direction... First it wouldn't zero because something was pulling meter low, after calibrated it'd be OK then next thing you knew it wouldn't adj back to zero... I had marks on the pot settings so I could get it close depending on what mood it was in... They are really nice meters I liked using mine, just didn't like trying to keep it cal'd... One I surely don't miss...

After typing all this I feel a bit defeated, but too late to do anything about that now...

[quote="35Z5"]

Dale H. Cook wrote:After typing all this I feel a bit defeated, but too late to do anything about that now...

I know the feeling. I can think of several items that I let go of years ago that I wish I'd kept now that I have the experience and resources to make them play right.

Well if it makes anyone feel better, space and your time (or wasted time) is worth something too.
That 269 that 75X11 has, has got 100,000 ohms per volt DC sensitivity. I have never seen a 100K/Volt VOM in person. Only in books.

These are my two most used analogs on the bench, these days:

If they had test equipment shows like car or pet shows, You'd be the one walking away with all the ribbons. Nice set of meters.