ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Electrical Nostalgia Another wierd item

This was found in an old wiring closet in a school. It was very dusty, and had a large box of papers on top of it; hence the broken light bulb parts in the sockets. It is about 5 feet long, and has a 25 amp fuse, although a 15 amp plug and a 16 gauge power cord. The wire is 14 gauge solid white. I have not plugged this in (and I won’t), but, it seems like this is supposed to teach the differences of series/parallel or something. I assume that you would have to adjust the switches with the power off, seeing as though there is very little insulation. One switch has an entirely metal knife and a partly broken porcelain base. It seems like these parts were meant for low-voltage use, and just got stuck on here. I shudder to think of a time when this would have been part of school curriculum.