[NJARC] Mystery Clarostat in Mystery Radio

[Scott Roberts]

That might be the auxiliary generator, for when line
and battery power are down. You fiercely waggle the
waxy plastic thing against the fine felt pad, and
build up static electricity, which builds up in
capacitors, and powers the unit. Constant waggling is
required, so they never were very popular, and a major
cause of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, although in the old
days it was referred to as "Wagglers Wrist"... If you
think the wrist is the only thing being waggled, you
may wish to check your leg, which is being gently
pulled... ;)

No real clue, but I do have humor!
Scott

--- StephenTetorka at cs.com wrote:

> Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> _______________________________________________
> Hi all:
> 
> Picked up this 1931 tombstone radio called
> "President"...most likely made in 
> NYC.
> 
> Trying to figure out who made it....but now trying
> to get it working....
> 
> There's a Clarostat control that looks like a
> potentiometer on the front 
> chassis.
> 
> I got not resistance reading whatsoever...and took
> it apart to see if I might 
> fix it.
> 
> Curious thing I've ever seen:
> 
> There a flat black wax object - 1 in long 1/2 in
> wide 1/8 in thick uder the 
> back rear hard cardboard cover..connected to one lug
> with very fine wire...the 
> other end goes inside to the front section where
> there is NO wire to be 
> seen...just this armature which revolves onto a flat
> soft surface..like very, very 
> fine felt...at the end of the rotating armature is a
> itsy-bitsy gear which 
> travels around the inside outer-perimeter...
> 
> I probed the felt-like material...no ohms
> anyplace...
> 
> Even thought it might be some kind of vintage
> variable capacitor as I got no 
> ohms...???
> 
> One lug on this control is connected to ground...the
> other end to the grid of 
> a 47 amp feeding the speaker...one of two 47's that
> look like they are in 
> parallel.
> 
> Anyone have any ideas?
> 
> Tnx,
> Steve Tetorka
> _______________________________________________
> NJARC mailing list
> NJARC at mailman.qth.net
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/njarc
> 


"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feelings that thinks nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares about more than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." John Stuart Mill, 'The Contest in America', Feb. 1862


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