Artifact Details

Description

This WW II era vacuum tube tester could be used to analyze nearly any piece of electronic equipment from the 1930s onwards, including computers such as the US Army ENIAC (1946). With its 18,000 vacuum tubes, ENIAC was the largest of the vacuum tube era computers but all such machines had the same problem in common: with so many tubes – which become very hot in operation and gradually weakened with time – how do engineers and technicians ensure they are all functioning normally? This tube tester was sold as military surplus in the 1950s and used for repairing radios and televisions by the donor’s father.

The object has a built-in chart which identifies the various tube types used at that time with instructions for setting up this instrument to test them. The object includes 12 12" jumper cables with banana plugs on each end. Attached to the object is a fused power cord. The object includes a JAN-CKR-CJ5 vacuum tube manufactured by KEN-RAD.

Date

March 23, 1942

Manufacturer

Weston Electrical Instrument Corporation

Place Manufactured

U.S.

Identifying Numbers

Model number	1-CV60032
Model number	OQ-1
Serial number	461

Dimensions

overall: 8 1/8 in x 24 1/2 in x 13 1/2 in

Category

Test equipment

Credit

Gift of Paul McJones

Lot Number

X8179.2017