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Ingenium, 1992.2476.001
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OBJECT TYPE: tumbler/single pole/surface
DATE: 1930
ARTIFACT NUMBER: 1992.2476.001

MANUFACTURER: LEKTRIK
MODEL: 2888 134
LOCATION: England

More Information

General Information

Serial #: N/A
Part Number: 1
Total Parts: 1
AKA: N/A
Patents: N/A
General Description: porcelain base/ brass 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: N/A
Width: N/A
Height: 5.2 cm
Thickness: N/A
Weight: N/A
Diameter: 4.8 cm
Volume: N/A

Lexicon

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

Manufacturer

AKA: LEKTRIK
Country: England
State/Province: Unknown
City: Unknown

Context

Country: North America
State/Province: Unknown
Period: circa 1930+
Canada: A British 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 lighting.
Technical: The tumbler switch was one of the most characteristic British contributions to wiring installation practice. Coming into regular use around 1890, it rapidly superceded all other movements in Britain & ultimately went abroad to replace the established turn & two-button arrangements in America & Europe. The Kelvin switch of 1881 showed a radical departure from the influence of the gas tap (Ref. 3). Beginning around 1905, the design of tumbler switches became simpler & thinner. In Canada, the flush type became popular faster than in England because of differences in methods of home construction. Until the late 1920s, the type of switch most commonly offered in Canadian catalogues were the turn (snap) & push-button types (Ref. 1).
Area Notes: Unknown

Details

Markings: royal crest with black lettering on underside reading "BY ROYAL WARRANT/ TO H.M. THE KING"/ raised lettering on underside reads "515.8/ PATENT/ 2888/ 134/ REGD/ L/EKTRIK/ TRADE MARK"
Missing: shell
Finish: glazed white porcelain
Decoration: N/A

CITE THIS OBJECT

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

LEKTRIK, Switch, circa 1930, Artifact no. 1992.2476, Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation, http://collection.ingeniumcanada.org/en/id/1992.2476.001/

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