To learn electronics in a very different and effective way, and gain access to Mr Carlson's personal designs and inventions, visit the Mr Carlson's Lab Patreon page here: www.patreon.com/MrCarlsonsLab
About 40 years ago, I was visiting Grandpa and we planned to take out his 1930 Model A Ford the next day. He needed to put the battery on charge...and brought out a charger VERY similar to this one! I remember the Tungar bulb and the angry hum. Thank you for taking me down memory lane.
@@kd5byb I had a smaller version of a charger like this, maybe from the 40s. It didn't work and I was only about 13 or 14 with a very rudimentary knowledge of electrical at the time. This was in the late 80s so the charger was an antique even then. What I remember most was a gigantic label on the side explaining how the tube inside it (same as this one) *could not be used for any other purpose under penalty of law*. The warning label is what makes me think it might have been mid 40s (war time) as perhaps it could have been used for something nefarious. I didn't know how to test it properly, the tube illuminated but no power came out the DC terminals and it probably got thrown away when my parents cleared out my bedroom when I left home.
(IIRC) HV tubes could release a large amount of X-rays and in old tube chassis TV sets, these tubes would be kept in it's own metal enclosure seperate from the lower voltage vacuum tubes. But in this case it would be mercury being the most concern which is very hazardous indoors. I'm wondering if a tube like this also (can) puts out a dangerous amount of X-ray radiation? 🤔 - by autosensoring this reply, YT automatically agrees that it's bullying and harassing me thus causing me lasting psychological harm.
@@plateshutoverlock I'm no physicist, but I believe to get X-rays you need really high voltages? I'd think nothing in this charger would be high enough to cause X-ray emission.
Let's restore it; full wiring replacement, control switch rebuild, gauge renovation, and paint. Awesome find. We enjoy your channel --- thanks again for your instruction.
I could quite believe the time machine part, your stock of tubes and other parts from that era is just like traveling back to a radio shop way back when. The amount of stuff I've learned from your videos is incredible, i value your content greatly.
Yep, that thing was living on a shop wall for decades, because it was just dead reliable. The battery clamps have probably been changed and reattached a dozen times over it's life!
In the mid seventies, I worked for a company here in the UK that made battery chargers. We built all sizes of rectifier sets, from a few amps, up to several thousand amps. I thought that I had seen just about every kind of rectifier; from mercury arc, to selenium plate, to thyristors. Never heard of the 'Tungar bulb'. Thanks for showing this unit. Yes, this deserves a restoration!
Ian, it is wonderful how an old bit of kit can take us to a memory which would otherwise be lost, that is why I hold onto what other see as junk. Best to you from Wirral UK
Rare item to see as many went to scrap drives in WWII. Finding a new Tungar bulb and the literature for the charger is amazing feat in itself! I think this thing was mounted as a wall mount if you notice the " L" brackets along the back. So cool to see it's operation even unrestored! Restore it to a safe level Paul. That would be awesome.
I am a bulb collector and have a few chargers and Tungar and Rectigon bulbs. The Tungar is GE, Rectigon is Westinghouse. There were smaller ones with medium bases, and I believe I have a charger with 2 of the smaller bulbs for full-wave rectification instead of just one for half-wave. These aren’t rare. Still tons out there. Can be had pretty cheap too. Just old car repair garage no longer used obsolete tools. The half wave units buzz so loud because of the half wave rectifier making the transformer and choke, made for 60 cycle, run at 30 cycle, and vibrate. A fluorescent ballast will do the same thing when one cathode at one end fails and the lamp only conducts one direction, when at end of life. The lamp and ballast rectify at 30 cycles. The strobing flicker is another thing indicating a rectifying lamp. Cheers! 😂👍🏻
Not so. It still runs at 60 cps. The dc saturates the transformer which greatly increases the primary magnetizing current. The core vibrates loudly to make the 60 cycle hum. The normal hum from transformers is 120 cps and is much quieter. This is an octave higher.
That thing is right out of a Frankenstein movie. The hum is deep, throaty, and ominous like boiling Merlot, with a touch of mid-50's sci-fi flick thrown in.
I just found a very nice Eico battery charger at the dump last week. It is in great shape and still works perfectly. It has to be from the late 50's to early 60's made. What a great find.
i cant say i speak for everyone, but im sure almost everyone will agree with me, we will watch you restore any and all things simply because this is interesting to watch. between you and CuriousMarc i get to watch lots of old things brought back to life. i will never say "i dont want to see that restored" i enjoy watching the entire process. so yes i want to see this restored lol.
Yes, you need to repair and restore this charger. I like that you always find the manual and schematics for any kind of old equipment. Back then right to repair was not even exists. Everything was repairable, I remember my grandfather replacing vacuum tubes in the old telefunken radio. Every information was in the manual.
As a retired R&D ET who cut his teeth dumpster diving in the late '70s pulling out old tube gear and actually making things with them, this brought back memories. One thing to note is there are no capacitors in that thing, which is why it still works (mechanical issues aside). At the time, electrolytic caps were still in the early stages and would not have had enough capacitance to smooth out the half wave "DC" coming out of that relic. Along the way in my youth, i found a TV serviceman's kit with probably 50 or more tubes in it, still in the boxes. I still have it in my basement. I of course added to it as I went, dismantling old equipment for parts. I have some metal cased tubes, which I think are military grade (6V6 and the like). I also have some of the voltage regulator tubes that had a lovely purple glow. Keep up the preservation of history!
Yes Paul, I certainly would like to see you restore it. Especially since, I'm 91, and it is 93 I think that would be cool.😄 All the best from Gene in Tennessee.
I think a really cool project would be to restore the enclosure, repair the switch, replace the glass on the ammeter and ad just enough modern wiring and circuitry to make it safe for use with modern equipment. So if you could keep the tube rectifier but maybe add a better "backend" (New 3-prong grounded power cord, replace any damaged wiring? better voltage/current regulation? Filter caps? Fuse(s) or maybe circuit breaker(s)?) It's just such a cool enclosure it would be awesome to see it updated for modern (er safe) usage!
I would like to see this restored. It works as it should. Those old school battery chargers can deliver one hell of a charge. The garages who had them would unscrew the cell caps to check electrolyte levels and see if the separator plates were caked in sulphur. They could also tell if one of the cells was shorted by looking at the colour of the electrolyte. Using the current meter on the battery charger, you can tell if the battery is getting close to full charge by looking at the amount of current it is taking.
Definitely would love to see it restored. BUT please keep the outside patina as it is! with this look and with the internals brought back to original spec this would be such a perfect museum piece. Thank you for the videos!
I have the exact same charger. Still works, but I need to place a small wooden wedge behind the wooden knob to keep it securely in position. Came to me via my father and grandfather, who said it was originally used to charge the batteries of the fire trucks in his small town.
I freaking love that thing Mr.Carlson! I most certainly think it deserves a full restoration. I absolutely love that kind of old electronic equipment. It’s amazing to think about the fact that that old stuff can still get the job done nearly 100 years later.
Restore it Mr. C! I am in the industrial battery industry and have seen all kinds of different battery chargers during my 30 year career. This is one of the coolest examples worthy of living in all its former glory!
It looks much better than any modern day charger would look in 93 years. It would probably be just dust. They never heard of built-in obsolescence in those days, they built things to last.
I have a 1925 Model T Ford and great to think something like this may have been in service at the time, really would like to see it fully restored. Thanks for the video.
This kind of thing reminds me of Strong's Garage, repairing old cars using period-correct tools. I can just imagine this being used to charge a battery from a Ford Model A. Wonderful stuff.
Just an amazing video in terms of a unique and intriguing topic!...would like to know more about the history and who manufactured these chargers!!...definitely worth restoring!!!
No way, even the meter worked! And look at that beautiful drawing in the manual 😍 What's the type for this special fuse? p.s. Happy to see Mr. Carlson feeling lit again 🔥 These recent videos give such great energy and humour, a joy to watch!
Working Tungar tubes in 2024 are really antique things on their own since the era of Tungar bulbs came to an end in late 1930s. But a whole working device with a Tungar in it in 2024 that's just a miracle! (telling this as a happy owner of 2 Tungar bulbs, one of which is almost 100 years old - Glz 40/3S) Of course it deserves a full restoration/renovation, and you as an owner have full rights to decide the amount of work on restoration/renovation is to be done - either to just fix the switch and check out the wires connections (i.e. to save the traces of time) or to disassemble the device completely and then to do as much as possible to make it look even better than it was brand new 90+ years before. I personally would prefer the second way, but I also know really well what a HUGE amount of time, efforts, patience, and skills it demands. So yeah, this is up to you what to do with it =) Though I'm sure almost everyone here would like to take a closer look to the insides of this almost one hundred years old device! =D It is really interesting to see and know how they made it in those days
I believe I saw something like that in my grandmother's basement when I was a boy. I knew vaguely what it was but didn't know enough to keep it when the house was sold. Also found a 1930s Delineascope slide projector she used as a teaching aid in her high school English classes during that era. We still have that somewhere - I will have to dig it out and restore it. By all means, Paul, restore the old battery charger. Any Model T owner would be proud to have it mounted on his garage wall.
I definitely want to see a full electronic restoration of this charger. However, I would personally prefer if you didn’t paint it up but just cleaned it and kept it and it’s pretty much current state. Just get it working like it used to and looking old with the wonderful patina it has.
It would be nice, but a complete restoration would be better, materials degrade over time, and if this is a unique item, it wouldn't be nice to keep it degraded like this!
I know it's a simple circuit but in that condition I'm amazed it worked. Good to restore as an example of how earlier chargers worked and how they were constructed.
You've got guts. That was impressive. Usually if I hear something humming that loud I run while pulling the plug. I've never had anything good happen after hearing a 60 decibel 60 cycle hum.
They sure don't build things like they used to. It's astonishing that this charger is still in perfect functional order despite its age and condition! I bet if you hooked it to a dead car battery right as it is it'd charge that battery right up no problem. Definitely deserves a proper restoration. Still, it's absolutely amazing that it is still functional all these years later.
Jeez. If I tried something like this, the transformer would short out after 5 seconds and fill the lab with smoke. Where the heck do you find this stuff 😅
@@chucklemken8639There is a saying at the Hamvention that you don’t dare leave your flea market table unattended or it will have more stuff on when you get back than when you left it.
Paul, You gotta restore that great old beast. I do wonder if the output is half wave rectified like "modern" battery chargers. Also, is there a good reason for the half wave. Thx.
That presupposes there will be anyone around in 100 years. The long term outlook for our species is not looking very bright at this point. You and I will never know without a time machine though. Or will we?
@@1pcfred One hundred years isn't all that long. I have little doubt we will make it that long. Another thousand years, yeah, probably, in some way, shape or form. 10k? Maybe, maybe not. Cro-Magnon people were around 10k years ago. So were Neanderthals. Maybe another robust species will have budded off our gracile lineage by then? Another 100k? Not as the same species we know in its current form, that's for sure. Maybe more in a Wellsian definition of the word "human". Now if we're talking _civilization,_ that's another matter entirely. Civilization is a lot easier to destroy than an entire species. To quote Einstein: "We don't know what weapons the 3rd World War will be fought with, but the fourth will be fought with clubs and stones".
General Electric Tungar charger. My dad had a larger version of this that hung on our garage wall for 50 years. It had two Tungar tubes, two meters, two variable controls instead of the one, and it had two "High/Low" switches. I think it was capable of charging an insane number of 6V batteries in series - perhaps 48. Dad cautioned to NEVER turn those switches to Hi. I sold it on Ebay.
That is amazing Paul.. Yes please to a full restoration.. Your depth of knowledge is also amazing... My Dad (long gone now) worked in a battery factory around that time so he may have even used something similar...PS I love the time machine...
Fricking awesome! Hmm. I think I'd probably have checked the AC volts on those crocodile clips as well as the DC volts, before grabbing hold of them. Yes, the thing does have a pretty convincing rectifier tube in it, but I'd still be wary! Please restore this wonderful artifact!
Great fun to watch this, thank you! A lot of the interest is in how the action and controls of old devices are very different. I would limit to repairing the selector switch, not do a full restoration.😊😊
Well that was awesome! I could even feel the buzzing while holding the iPad …absolutely this piece needs restored, also the “reactor” function in this circuit explained…Great videos Mr. Carlson.
To learn electronics in a very different and effective way, and gain access to Mr Carlson's personal designs and inventions, visit the Mr Carlson's Lab Patreon page here: www.patreon.com/MrCarlsonsLab
100% do it It is so very cool! Explain the reactor also plzzz
Yes, a restoration is requested. It's nice to see that older gear in working condition. Can't wait for the video, Thank you 👍
I was waiting for you to measure the voltage drop across your resistors and do the math to double check the old amp meter for accuracy.
That's awesome vintage battery charger very cool
Worth Restoring vintage very cool enjoyed the video
Where did you find that thing?! Of course we want to see it restored, and charging a battery. Go for it!
What he said! We wanna see some spicy new cloth-spun wires in there! And we want to see that reactor up close!
He got it down at the old radio shop....
@@feynthefallen I'd be more concerned by asbestos voltage droppers, these antiques can be dangerous in various ways.
Yes please!
@tripplefives1402 I saw that after it was opened up, which is kinda my point :)
About 40 years ago, I was visiting Grandpa and we planned to take out his 1930 Model A Ford the next day. He needed to put the battery on charge...and brought out a charger VERY similar to this one! I remember the Tungar bulb and the angry hum. Thank you for taking me down memory lane.
I forgot to add - I'd love to see this restored.
@@kd5byb I had a smaller version of a charger like this, maybe from the 40s. It didn't work and I was only about 13 or 14 with a very rudimentary knowledge of electrical at the time. This was in the late 80s so the charger was an antique even then. What I remember most was a gigantic label on the side explaining how the tube inside it (same as this one) *could not be used for any other purpose under penalty of law*. The warning label is what makes me think it might have been mid 40s (war time) as perhaps it could have been used for something nefarious. I didn't know how to test it properly, the tube illuminated but no power came out the DC terminals and it probably got thrown away when my parents cleared out my bedroom when I left home.
(IIRC) HV tubes could release a large amount of X-rays and in old tube chassis TV sets, these tubes would be kept in it's own metal enclosure seperate from the lower voltage vacuum tubes. But in this case it would be mercury being the most concern which is very hazardous indoors. I'm wondering if a tube like this also (can) puts out a dangerous amount of X-ray radiation? 🤔
- by autosensoring this reply, YT automatically agrees that it's bullying and harassing me thus causing me lasting psychological harm.
@tripplefives1402 Which tube is filled with mercury?
@@plateshutoverlock I'm no physicist, but I believe to get X-rays you need really high voltages? I'd think nothing in this charger would be high enough to cause X-ray emission.
Let's restore it; full wiring replacement, control switch rebuild, gauge renovation, and paint. Awesome find. We enjoy your channel --- thanks again for your instruction.
Nothing short of miraculous to restore that thing! I love your channel, and am a long time subscriber!
I could quite believe the time machine part, your stock of tubes and other parts from that era is just like traveling back to a radio shop way back when. The amount of stuff I've learned from your videos is incredible, i value your content greatly.
Thank You for your kind feedback!
Yes restoration is needed as it maybe one of a kind very rare and fantastic find and learned something great to watch and learned thanks Mike
Glad you enjoyed it
@@MrCarlsonsLab Awesome, definitely deserves a full restoration, I'm really looking forward to it 👍
Nice day 🙂Tom
Mr. Carlson is one person I'd actually believe to have a time-machine. Looks like a fun restoration project.
“That’s got some time on it” is the quote of the day.
Yep, that thing was living on a shop wall for decades, because it was just dead reliable.
The battery clamps have probably been changed and reattached a dozen times over it's life!
In the mid seventies, I worked for a company here in the UK that made battery chargers.
We built all sizes of rectifier sets, from a few amps, up to several thousand amps.
I thought that I had seen just about every kind of rectifier; from mercury arc, to selenium plate, to thyristors.
Never heard of the 'Tungar bulb'. Thanks for showing this unit.
Yes, this deserves a restoration!
Restoration positive. My father (RIP Dad x) was born in 1930, and I'd love to see this restored to view his era. Fantastic project
Thanks Mr C
Ian, UK
Ian, it is wonderful how an old bit of kit can take us to a memory which would otherwise be lost, that is why I hold onto what other see as junk. Best to you from Wirral UK
@WOFFY-qc9te Thank you
This definitely deserves a full restoration. Such a neat old charger. Look forward to seeing it in a future video.
Rare item to see as many went to scrap drives in WWII. Finding a new Tungar bulb and the literature for the charger is amazing feat in itself! I think this thing was mounted as a wall mount if you notice the " L" brackets along the back. So
cool to see it's operation even unrestored! Restore it to a safe level Paul. That would be awesome.
I am a bulb collector and have a few chargers and Tungar and Rectigon bulbs. The Tungar is GE, Rectigon is Westinghouse. There were smaller ones with medium bases, and I believe I have a charger with 2 of the smaller bulbs for full-wave rectification instead of just one for half-wave. These aren’t rare. Still tons out there. Can be had pretty cheap too. Just old car repair garage no longer used obsolete tools. The half wave units buzz so loud because of the half wave rectifier making the transformer and choke, made for 60 cycle, run at 30 cycle, and vibrate. A fluorescent ballast will do the same thing when one cathode at one end fails and the lamp only conducts one direction, when at end of life. The lamp and ballast rectify at 30 cycles. The strobing flicker is another thing indicating a rectifying lamp. Cheers! 😂👍🏻
Not so. It still runs at 60 cps. The dc saturates the transformer which greatly increases the primary magnetizing current. The core vibrates loudly to make the 60 cycle hum. The normal hum from transformers is 120 cps and is much quieter. This is an octave higher.
This ABSOLUTELY needs a restoration! OMG what a crazy piece of history! Mr Carlson - YOU Sir are the electronics wizard I always wanted to be!
Bring it to American Restoration in Las Vegas (like that TV show, they would screw up even more). lol
I would also love to see this charger rehabilitated!!
Watching from Brazil! Please restore! I've been watching your videos all week, it's been my daily program!
I'd get a "charge" out of a restoration, Paul. What a piece of history!
That thing is right out of a Frankenstein movie. The hum is deep, throaty, and ominous like boiling Merlot, with a touch of mid-50's sci-fi flick thrown in.
Perfect timing for the new video,just sat back to relax ....9.30pm here in Scotland.
Now 22.33 in Peterhead.
I just found a very nice Eico battery charger at the dump last week. It is in great shape and still works perfectly. It has to be from the late 50's to early 60's made. What a great find.
i cant say i speak for everyone, but im sure almost everyone will agree with me,
we will watch you restore any and all things simply because this is interesting to watch. between you and CuriousMarc i get to watch lots of old things brought back to life. i will never say "i dont want to see that restored" i enjoy watching the entire process. so yes i want to see this restored lol.
Thank You for your kind comment!
Yes, you need to repair and restore this charger. I like that you always find the manual and schematics for any kind of old equipment. Back then right to repair was not even exists. Everything was repairable, I remember my grandfather replacing vacuum tubes in the old telefunken radio. Every information was in the manual.
Honestly I thought there would be multiple arc flashes when you powered that up, given the state of the wiring. You're very brave.
As a retired R&D ET who cut his teeth dumpster diving in the late '70s pulling out old tube gear and actually making things with them, this brought back memories. One thing to note is there are no capacitors in that thing, which is why it still works (mechanical issues aside). At the time, electrolytic caps were still in the early stages and would not have had enough capacitance to smooth out the half wave "DC" coming out of that relic. Along the way in my youth, i found a TV serviceman's kit with probably 50 or more tubes in it, still in the boxes. I still have it in my basement. I of course added to it as I went, dismantling old equipment for parts. I have some metal cased tubes, which I think are military grade (6V6 and the like). I also have some of the voltage regulator tubes that had a lovely purple glow. Keep up the preservation of history!
I would love to see the restore of this ol' charger. What a fine piece to see it work again
Yes Paul, I certainly would like to see you restore it. Especially since, I'm 91, and it is 93 I think that would be cool.😄 All the best from Gene in Tennessee.
Hello Mr. Gene!
Mr. Carlson's next project is restoring Mr. Peabody's Way-back machine.
I think a really cool project would be to restore the enclosure, repair the switch, replace the glass on the ammeter and ad just enough modern wiring and circuitry to make it safe for use with modern equipment. So if you could keep the tube rectifier but maybe add a better "backend" (New 3-prong grounded power cord, replace any damaged wiring? better voltage/current regulation? Filter caps? Fuse(s) or maybe circuit breaker(s)?) It's just such a cool enclosure it would be awesome to see it updated for modern (er safe) usage!
It deserves a full restoration Paul !!!
WOW! Yes, please do restore this vintage piece of electronics. I found the rectifier “bulb” fascinating.
I would like to see this restored. It works as it should. Those old school battery chargers can deliver one hell of a charge. The garages who had them would unscrew the cell caps to check electrolyte levels and see if the separator plates were caked in sulphur. They could also tell if one of the cells was shorted by looking at the colour of the electrolyte. Using the current meter on the battery charger, you can tell if the battery is getting close to full charge by looking at the amount of current it is taking.
Not only is electronic restoration to my liking but cabinets and other hardware being revitalized is cool too. So GO FOR IT!
Definitely would love to see it restored. BUT please keep the outside patina as it is! with this look and with the internals brought back to original spec this would be such a perfect museum piece. Thank you for the videos!
What a cool find. Have been fascinated by high current tube devices like this and tube welders for a while. Would love to see a restoration.
Very cool!
I like equipment like this!
Restoration please!
Great Video!
RESTORE! RESTORE! RESTORE! The thing is screaming steampunk.
I have the exact same charger. Still works, but I need to place a small wooden wedge behind the wooden knob to keep it securely in position. Came to me via my father and grandfather, who said it was originally used to charge the batteries of the fire trucks in his small town.
Thanks for sharing your story!
Restore that lovely piece of equipment 👍👍👍
Yes please, Mr Carlson, continue with the restoration of that battery charger! Great video!
I freaking love that thing Mr.Carlson! I most certainly think it deserves a full restoration. I absolutely love that kind of old electronic equipment. It’s amazing to think about the fact that that old stuff can still get the job done nearly 100 years later.
Yes this WAS the way a young aircraft company started doing it right Boeing,
Maybe Boeing should start watching Mr. Carlson’s Lab hint hint!
Restore it Mr. C! I am in the industrial battery industry and have seen all kinds of different battery chargers during my 30 year career. This is one of the coolest examples worthy of living in all its former glory!
It looks much better than any modern day charger would look in 93 years. It would probably be just dust. They never heard of built-in obsolescence in those days, they built things to last.
Absolutely a restoration Paul !! Seeing these old devices, really brings a smile to my face.
Mrister Carlsons lab your antique Battery charger is awesome my friend from 1931
I have a 1925 Model T Ford and great to think something like this may have been in service at the time, really would like to see it fully restored. Thanks for the video.
I would NOT have tried powering that thing up with no repairs. He goes out on the thin ice for the channel! 🙂
This kind of thing reminds me of Strong's Garage, repairing old cars using period-correct tools. I can just imagine this being used to charge a battery from a Ford Model A. Wonderful stuff.
Somewhere there is a guy with his Model A parked in his period-correct barn garage - he’d love to have this mounted on the wall. 👍
Just an amazing video in terms of a unique and intriguing topic!...would like to know more about the history and who manufactured these chargers!!...definitely worth restoring!!!
Please restore this wonderful charger, Paul!
This is a beautiful piece of equipment. I would love to see this restored plus other 1910 - 1920s gear! Thank You Mr. C
Looks like a good old fashioned battery boiler to me!
You are a brave man. I wouldn't have dared to test it myself.
ооо у меня есть похожая зарядка 1940х годов или даже раньше работает круто 👍🙂
Mr. Carlson’s Lab is very likely the best channel on all of TH-cam
With a half-wave rectifier no wonder this thing hums like crazy 🙂
I wish I had a clue and you make me realize it
Yes please, do a full restoration, I would like to see it in original fatory-like state !
No way, even the meter worked! And look at that beautiful drawing in the manual 😍 What's the type for this special fuse?
p.s. Happy to see Mr. Carlson feeling lit again 🔥 These recent videos give such great energy and humour, a joy to watch!
Thanks for your kind comment! The fuse is the same type as an old stove fuse.
Great video Mr Carlson sir very impressive work sir nice charger still working condition that's great 👍 😊❤
Working Tungar tubes in 2024 are really antique things on their own since the era of Tungar bulbs came to an end in late 1930s. But a whole working device with a Tungar in it in 2024 that's just a miracle!
(telling this as a happy owner of 2 Tungar bulbs, one of which is almost 100 years old - Glz 40/3S)
Of course it deserves a full restoration/renovation, and you as an owner have full rights to decide the amount of work on restoration/renovation is to be done - either to just fix the switch and check out the wires connections (i.e. to save the traces of time) or to disassemble the device completely and then to do as much as possible to make it look even better than it was brand new 90+ years before.
I personally would prefer the second way, but I also know really well what a HUGE amount of time, efforts, patience, and skills it demands. So yeah, this is up to you what to do with it =)
Though I'm sure almost everyone here would like to take a closer look to the insides of this almost one hundred years old device! =D It is really interesting to see and know how they made it in those days
Nice charger, I would love to see it restored back to its former glory. Thanks for sharing this demo of the unit.
restore it like new, love this old stuff
I believe I saw something like that in my grandmother's basement when I was a boy. I knew vaguely what it was but didn't know enough to keep it when the house was sold. Also found a 1930s Delineascope slide projector she used as a teaching aid in her high school English classes during that era. We still have that somewhere - I will have to dig it out and restore it. By all means, Paul, restore the old battery charger. Any Model T owner would be proud to have it mounted on his garage wall.
I definitely want to see a full electronic restoration of this charger. However, I would personally prefer if you didn’t paint it up but just cleaned it and kept it and it’s pretty much current state. Just get it working like it used to and looking old with the wonderful patina it has.
It would be nice, but a complete restoration would be better, materials degrade over time, and if this is a unique item, it wouldn't be nice to keep it degraded like this!
This thing needs to live on!!!
We can disagree in a friendly way. I more appreciate complete restoration of cabinet too... but it's Paul's choice!
@@ericvintage5725 I also vote no re painting. Its not that rusted, we have the technology to keep it intact.
I know it's a simple circuit but in that condition I'm amazed it worked. Good to restore as an example of how earlier chargers worked and how they were constructed.
It's simplicity is PRECISELY why it works almost perfectly after this many years, with little more than the replacement of "maintenance items".
Unbelievable!!! this thing is indestructible...
I would love to see this gem restored!
You've got guts. That was impressive. Usually if I hear something humming that loud I run while pulling the plug. I've never had anything good happen after hearing a 60 decibel 60 cycle hum.
I absolutely would love to see you do a full restoration on this piece. Your excitement in seeing this spark up sold me entirely.
They sure don't build things like they used to. It's astonishing that this charger is still in perfect functional order despite its age and condition! I bet if you hooked it to a dead car battery right as it is it'd charge that battery right up no problem.
Definitely deserves a proper restoration. Still, it's absolutely amazing that it is still functional all these years later.
I love seeing the insides of these old electronics working. Really appreciate the effort you put into this channel!
Jeez. If I tried something like this, the transformer would short out after 5 seconds and fill the lab with smoke. Where the heck do you find this stuff 😅
This stuff follows me home for some reason.
@@MrCarlsonsLab We know how it is, go to a hamfest and some poor neglected Heathkit just follows you home.
@@chucklemken8639There is a saying at the Hamvention that you don’t dare leave your flea market table unattended or it will have more stuff on when you get back than when you left it.
@@MrCarlsonsLabthey domesticate themselves, like cats.
Amazing! I am highly interested in a full restoration of the charger, wow, just wow!
Paul, if you have a time machine - you deserve it.
I love watching your videos - for me - you really are my 'Holy Grail' of electronic teachers. Looking forward to the restoration very much 😁
Thanks 👍
Paul, You gotta restore that great old beast. I do wonder if the output is half wave rectified like "modern" battery chargers. Also, is there a good reason for the half wave. Thx.
You are correct, it is half wave!
How could that not work it's built like a tank
Thanks for sharing! I'm looking foreward to seeing your restoration.
What I wouldn't give for half an hour with your time machine. I want to see what people think about _our_ tech in a hundred years.
That presupposes there will be anyone around in 100 years. The long term outlook for our species is not looking very bright at this point. You and I will never know without a time machine though. Or will we?
@@1pcfred One hundred years isn't all that long. I have little doubt we will make it that long. Another thousand years, yeah, probably, in some way, shape or form. 10k? Maybe, maybe not. Cro-Magnon people were around 10k years ago. So were Neanderthals. Maybe another robust species will have budded off our gracile lineage by then? Another 100k? Not as the same species we know in its current form, that's for sure. Maybe more in a Wellsian definition of the word "human".
Now if we're talking _civilization,_ that's another matter entirely. Civilization is a lot easier to destroy than an entire species. To quote Einstein: "We don't know what weapons the 3rd World War will be fought with, but the fourth will be fought with clubs and stones".
This is an amazing video and device. Thank you for showing all the details 😮
This is too cool not to restore.
Definitely in need of a restoration, this battery charger is pretty cool for it's age.
General Electric Tungar charger. My dad had a larger version of this that hung on our garage wall for 50 years. It had two Tungar tubes, two meters, two variable controls instead of the one, and it had two "High/Low" switches. I think it was capable of charging an insane number of 6V batteries in series - perhaps 48. Dad cautioned to NEVER turn those switches to Hi. I sold it on Ebay.
Those chuckles you made made it absolutely viable to do the restoration hehe
Awesome piece of technology! Always amazes me the equipment built to get us to where we are today. Thank you for keeping the past alive
That is amazing Paul.. Yes please to a full restoration.. Your depth of knowledge is also amazing... My Dad (long gone now) worked in a battery factory around that time so he may have even used something similar...PS I love the time machine...
This has got to be one of the most rare industrial electrical devices out there. Absolutely, this should be restored !
Fricking awesome!
Hmm. I think I'd probably have checked the AC volts on those crocodile clips as well as the DC volts, before grabbing hold of them. Yes, the thing does have a pretty convincing rectifier tube in it, but I'd still be wary!
Please restore this wonderful artifact!
+1 for a Mr.Carlsons Lab style Restauration.
Great fun to watch this, thank you! A lot of the interest is in how the action and controls of old devices are very different. I would limit to repairing the selector switch, not do a full restoration.😊😊
I was thinking that's way too small to have a rectifier tube in it, learned a new thing today. Thanks!
Loved It !!!! Ireally love old stuff like this
"There's a light at the old Frankenstein place " yes for the restoration. A fun video.
Very cool! Can't wait to see it restored.!!
You find the coolest equipment, please restore it!
Love to see restoration, never seen a rectifier like that before!!
Very excited about a full restoration video on that old battery charger!
I would love to see this beautiful machine restored to it's former glory and mounted on a wall where it should be. Please make it happen!
Love to see it restored and working, Good luck 🎉
I'd love to see it restored and working!
Sounds like my old arc welder, nice one Paul and yes a restore is required.
Well that was awesome! I could even feel the buzzing while holding the iPad …absolutely this piece needs restored, also the “reactor” function in this circuit explained…Great videos Mr. Carlson.