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Pifco All-In-One Radiometer - 1932 approx.

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    Posted 10 years ago

    kjdixo
    (12 items)

    Pifco All-In-One Radiometer - 1932 approx.

    This is a 1920 - 1930's Hobbyist's Multimeter, with 5 ranges and a non-mirrored scale of about 1.5" span (0 to Full Scale).
    It has a Bakelite 3" diameter, 16 sided case - giving an almost rounded appearance - 5 of the sides have terminals.
    16 sides - The designer was probably thinking ahead and allowing for the possibility of more terminals in the future.

    Advertised in The Wireless World 1932 for 12/6 (12 Shillings and Sixpence).

    The instruction sheet (I don't have an original, I downloaded one from the internet) claims that it is possible to test every part of a Wireless Receiver.

    PIFCO ALL-IN-ONE RADIOMETER
    The Sherlock Holmes of Radio.
    Saves Worry, Touble and solves all difficulties.
    Can be used for testing Motor-Car Lighting Circuits.
    H.T. Batteries and Accumulators up to 240 Volts.
    Tests Everything.
    Insulated Test Prods 3/6 (3 shillings and sixpence) per pair.

    The word foreign appears on the front glass, which probably means Germany. Later on in the 1930's they were made in Germany - with all the writing in German.

    The condition of some Pifcos I have seen on the web are stunning, polished and mint condition with boxes and all accessories.
    My example unit (I paid £3 for it) is well worn and has battery corrosion inside from a leaky battery - though that can be cleaned off.
    It did not come with a box or any accessories.
    I have not used this meter to test anything yet.
    It has a battery holder inside for a 1.5V dry cell.
    The meter needle on mine rests at a little bit above zero and when connected to a power supply of 6.92 volts it reads 8 Volts.
    So that is not very accurate.
    I partially disassembled it to look inside - looking for a possible way to get to the meter mechanism, to calibrate (span and zero) it.
    Alas, I cannot see a way to fix this, but that is okay . . . I would not use it seriously for testing modern circuits . . . the item is interesting and is nice to look at.

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    Comments

    1. kjdixo kjdixo, 10 years ago
      Thanks aghcollect.
    2. kjdixo kjdixo, 10 years ago
      Thanks blunderbuss2.
    3. kjdixo kjdixo, 10 years ago
      Thanks PhilDavidAlexanderMorris.
    4. kjdixo kjdixo, 10 years ago
      Thanks kerry10456.
    5. kjdixo kjdixo, 10 years ago
      Thanks tom61375.
    6. kjdixo kjdixo, 10 years ago
      Thanks Manikin.

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