ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Greetings

Been a lurker for about a year. Love this sight! Love electricity too, but it hasn't loved me back it seems. I am mostly commercial a little industrial. I enjoy old electrical eqip. ie disconnects, switches,fuses etc... My theory is strong but my code is rusty. Look forward to talking to you.

Glad to have ya Rabbit. Don't hold back, contribute anywhere ya can, we're all willing to learn.....all of us aren't capable, but heck, we're all willing. Jump on in, this ain't no closed pool.

Welcome aboard. If I can be of service to you, let me know.

welcome Rabbit!

Hi, Rabbit! Welcome to ECN. I'm brand new to this forum, also. I've also been lurking for about a year or so. I'm definitely not up to speed on things electrical as are many others in the group, but I have learned that they are a good bunch, and have a lot of experience to share. For me, that's what makes this forum so interesting.

What kinds of vintage (spelled O L D )switches, discos, etc. do you collect? I have a collection of really old equipment (Frank Adam, Bulldog, Trumbull, etc.)given to me over the past 30-40 years by EC's doing service upgrades or demolition contractors removing old buildings, so I'm constantly on the lookout for something unusual.

Hope you enjoy this site as much as I do.

Mike (mamills)

And a welcome from this side of the pond too!

Jump aboard!

Wow Mike I'm envious Only just really got started. One criteria: It has to look "cool" . Knobs, tubes, relays, transformers. Maybe start a museum one day.
Recently aquired a SqD 200A fused disconnect circa 1940 its as big as a 400A! Brass lugs! Also am willing to pay fair price for high voltage trans, neon sign, furnace ignition. Jacobs Ladders!!

Not so much on basic electrical gear, but I've built up quite a collection of vintage electronics/radio parts. I'm always picking up old sets to restore, so it all comes in handy, and of course much of it is just not made anymore.

[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 01-03-2002).]

Hi, Paul. I have a nice collection of vintage public address amplifiers, some of which date back to the late 1940's and, of course, use vacuuum tubes (or "valves" to you guys...a neat term ). Lots of fun if you don't mind working around B+ on the order of 800 volts or so!! They actually work, and I use some of them on my jobs.

Rabbit: If I ever learn how to use a digital camera, I'll send you a pic. of an old 400a. 3 phase disco still in use at my community theatre building here in Wharton. This thing is almost the size of a refrigerator and must have taken five or six STRONG men just to grunt it into the building and mount it on the wall. As it is, the mounting bolts extend all the way through the wall to the outside of the building and through a couple of pieces of strut. Would love to have this behemoth in my collection, but my wife would divorce me if I brought this thing home!

Mike (mamills)

Mike,

I have all sorts of valve/tube gear: Home-brew amplifiers, old test equipment etc. I love it. The A, B+ and (where used) C- supplies were more usually named LT, HT+ and GB- here, by the way.

High B+ voltages don't bother me at all, but I guess those who just grew up with transistors might have a hard time getting used to it.

Famous Last Words #247: "Of course the top cap is the control grid!"

Rabbit,

See? Apart from the basic electrical stuff you may well find some other common interests.