About my gadgets
I have always been fascinated by antique electrical meters. The older ones have a fabulous art-deco style beauty, and even newer analog meters have a utilitarian feel that can’t be reproduced by a digital display. Many people love their retro look and collect and display them. As an engineer, I’m not satisfied by merely displaying them, I want them to do something.
When I approached retirement, I restarted some of the activities I loved to do back in the time before I dedicated all my waking hours to my career. This includes building electrical doodads, many of which employ vintage electrical meters to display some measured quantity, such as time, temperature, or humidity. Many are shown on this page.
I try to keep the look of the gadgets as simple and clean as possible. I use the original housing (if the meter came mounted in a specific device) or mount in a simple vintage wooden box or on a wooden pedestal. I also like to use unmarked toggle switches with ball levers for an added retro look.
Purpose of this page
I have built so many gadgets that they now fill my house. I am starting to give them away to friends and may even start to sell them. So, I created this page to describe the various gadgets I’ve made: what they do, how they operate, and most important to me, the provenance of the meters they use.
My gadgets
Square wooden box with Hickok and Weston meters
What it does
Displays the indoor temperature and humidity
Size
5 H x 4 W x 2 D inches
Status
Available
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Small wooden box with Soviet and miniature meters
What it does
Displays the indoor temperature and humidity
Size
5 H x 4 W x 2 D inches
Status
Available
More information
1940s era plate current meter
What it does
Displays the indoor temperature and humidity
Size
5 H x 4 W x 2 D inches
Status
Gifted
More information
1940s era movie projector ammeter
What it does
Displays the indoor temperature and humidity
Size
6 H x 6 W x 5 D inches
Status
Gifted
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Large talking clock
What it does
Displays the hour on the top meter, and the minutes on the bottom meter. Ticks on the second, and chimes on the quarter, half, and three-quarters hour using the Westminster chimes. Also gongs on the hour. By touching the pads, the clock will say the temperature, time, or humidity in a female voice.
Size
20 H x 11 W x 10 D inches
Status
Gifted
More information