09-08-2024, 12:20 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-08-2024, 12:25 PM by ppppenguin.)
This mercury arc rectifier belonged to the late Lucien Nunes Vaz. Lucien always gave the "squeezy bulbs" female names and this one is Katie.
I collected her from Lucien's store in Bedfordshire last week. The bulb must be removed for safe transport. The control gear is very heavy. Well over 100kg, possibly nearer 200kg. I made up a wooden plinth with castors. I managed to get reconnect the bulb wrong at first. I'd swapped one of the anodes with the cathode. Didn't work at all apart from an odd flash. I'd taken photos but not enough and hadn't made notes.
Katie was made by the Nevelin company of Croydon, She originally powered a carbon arc projector for a mobile cinema. I don't have the projector. The dummy load is a large lamp, possibly a 3kW lighthouse lamp, made by Mazda. At the lowest setting Katie is delivering 40V at 20A into the lamp. There's a lot of light and even more heat.
I was hooked on mercury arc rectifiers as a very small boy. The Science Museum had two on display. One providing DC for the electrical gallery, the other could be started by pushing a button.
I used to own Gertie, a much larger 3 phase MAR: https://www.borinsky.co.uk/mars.html but didn't have any control gear. I never got round to making any and eventually sold her to another enthusiast.
I first met Katie many years ago at Lucien's parents' house in Barnet. She lived in the main living room and was often demonstrated.
At the age of 67 and three quarters I finally have a working mercury arc rectifier at home.
Photos fail to do justice to the mesmerising, shimmering glow.
I collected her from Lucien's store in Bedfordshire last week. The bulb must be removed for safe transport. The control gear is very heavy. Well over 100kg, possibly nearer 200kg. I made up a wooden plinth with castors. I managed to get reconnect the bulb wrong at first. I'd swapped one of the anodes with the cathode. Didn't work at all apart from an odd flash. I'd taken photos but not enough and hadn't made notes.
Katie was made by the Nevelin company of Croydon, She originally powered a carbon arc projector for a mobile cinema. I don't have the projector. The dummy load is a large lamp, possibly a 3kW lighthouse lamp, made by Mazda. At the lowest setting Katie is delivering 40V at 20A into the lamp. There's a lot of light and even more heat.
I was hooked on mercury arc rectifiers as a very small boy. The Science Museum had two on display. One providing DC for the electrical gallery, the other could be started by pushing a button.
I used to own Gertie, a much larger 3 phase MAR: https://www.borinsky.co.uk/mars.html but didn't have any control gear. I never got round to making any and eventually sold her to another enthusiast.
I first met Katie many years ago at Lucien's parents' house in Barnet. She lived in the main living room and was often demonstrated.
At the age of 67 and three quarters I finally have a working mercury arc rectifier at home.
Photos fail to do justice to the mesmerising, shimmering glow.
www.borinsky.co.uk Jeffrey Borinsky www.becg.tv
