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OBJECT TYPE: turn/rotary
DATE: 1912
ARTIFACT NUMBER: 1992.2475.001

MANUFACTURER: Perkins Electric Switch Mfg. Co.
MODEL: Unknown
LOCATION: Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States of America

More Information

General Information

Serial #: N/A
Part Number: 1
Total Parts: 1
AKA: N/A
Patents: N/A
General Description: porcelain base/ brass shell & parts/ hard rubber switch handle/ metal parts

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length: 6.0 cm
Width: 5.2 cm
Height: 6.0 cm
Thickness: N/A
Weight: N/A
Diameter: N/A
Volume: N/A

Lexicon

Group: Energy-electric
Category: User site
Sub-Category: N/A

Manufacturer

AKA: Perkins
Country: United States of America
State/Province: Connecticut
City: Bridgeport

Context

Country: North America
State/Province: Unknown
Period: circa 1912+
Canada: An American made switch of a type used in Canadian households. Part of a large & varied collection of over 7500 electrical items acquired & documented by Ontario Hydro in the 1960s. The collection was thought to be the largest & most comprehensive of its kind in Canada & was donated to the National Museum of Science & Technology in 1992.
Function: An electrical wiring device used to make or break a connection in an electrical circuit, specifically in domestic circuits.
Technical: An example of a rotary switch, turned in one direction to give on-off-on-off alternately. From 1880 to 1890 the great majority of switches were of the turn type. Edison was one of the very first to give serious attention to the question of the branch switch. Out of the many possible movements, he chose that of turning, partly through its association with the gas tap. He thought that it would be a good selling point to allow his customers to turn electricity on or off in the same manner as they were accustomed to dealing with gas (Ref. 3). This type would have been used with metal moulding, which was used from c. 1910 to conceal exposed wires. Wooden cleats were no longer used by 1916, except in factories or for temporary work (Ref. 1).
Area Notes: Unknown

Details

Markings: raised logo on switch handle reads "PERKINS"/ incised lettering on shell reads "PERKINS/ 5A.125V. 3.A 250V."/ raised lettering on underside of base reads "THE P.E.S. MFG. CO. PATENT SEPT 17, 1912
Missing: appears complete
Finish: partially glazed white porcelain/ nickel shell/ black switch handle
Decoration: N/A

CITE THIS OBJECT

If you choose to share our information about this collection object, please cite:

Perkins Electric Switch Mfg. Co., Switch, after 1912, Artifact no. 1992.2475, Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation, http://collection.ingeniumcanada.org/en/id/1992.2475.001/

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