digital millisecond timer
Datecirca 1950
Inventory NumberWJ1058
ClassificationTachistoscope
Subject
Maker
Ralph Gerbrands Company
1930 - 1994
Cultural Region
Place of Origin
Place of Use
Dimensions16.8 x 26.2 x 27.8 cm (6 5/8 x 10 5/16 x 10 15/16 in.)
attachment diameter: 10 cm (3 15/16 in.)
attachment diameter: 10 cm (3 15/16 in.)
Material
Accessoriesround-base attachment
Gray power cord
Pair of green wires
DescriptionBlue metal frame with off-white faceplate, three switchs, and millisecond display.
The faceplate is slanted in relation to the frame so that the top is recessed from the opening of the frame more than the bottom. From left to right, the faceplate consists of a manual start switch, a switch to control the increments by which the timer counts, and a power switch. The manual start switch is black and flat and inserts into a circular hole. The increment switch is long and red, rounded on top, and is labeled "X1, X10, X100," with those three settings organized vertically. The power switch is similar to the increment switch but white. Above the switch is the marking "power," and below it is marked "off." Above the switch is a circular red light. The display consists of two digits, each one selected from ten digits painted on a wheel.
A gray cord connects the box to a circular device. The base is black circular metal, on top of which is a squat cylinder of metal with a notch in it. Inside this cylinder is a taller, thinner metal cylinder.
A green twisted pair of wires is connected to a three-conductor phone plug, which is plugged into the "Remote" phone jack on the rear panel. The green twisted pair of wires are terminated on the other end with a blue and orange wire each ending with button snap connectors.
The faceplate is slanted in relation to the frame so that the top is recessed from the opening of the frame more than the bottom. From left to right, the faceplate consists of a manual start switch, a switch to control the increments by which the timer counts, and a power switch. The manual start switch is black and flat and inserts into a circular hole. The increment switch is long and red, rounded on top, and is labeled "X1, X10, X100," with those three settings organized vertically. The power switch is similar to the increment switch but white. Above the switch is the marking "power," and below it is marked "off." Above the switch is a circular red light. The display consists of two digits, each one selected from ten digits painted on a wheel.
A gray cord connects the box to a circular device. The base is black circular metal, on top of which is a squat cylinder of metal with a notch in it. Inside this cylinder is a taller, thinner metal cylinder.
A green twisted pair of wires is connected to a three-conductor phone plug, which is plugged into the "Remote" phone jack on the rear panel. The green twisted pair of wires are terminated on the other end with a blue and orange wire each ending with button snap connectors.
Signedon front: Gerbrands
Inscribedon left: MANUAL / START
display: 12
under display: MILLISECONDS
next to red switch: X1 / X10 / X100
on right: "300" SERIES / DIGITAL / MILLISECOND TIMER / POWER / OFF
on rear: Ralph Gerbrands Co. / 8 Beck Road / Arlington, Massachusetts / Model 300-1S, Serial 0201.
Curatorial RemarksMeasurements are of instrument with all cords coiled. In good condition. Diameter is of black attachment.
The identity of the attachment is uncertain, but it may be a lamp socket for a tachistoscope.
FunctionTimers such as this would be used in experiments that required precise timing. For instance, in experiments in which it was necessary to control the amount of time a particular picture was flashed, the timer would be hooked up to a tachistiscope that would flash in a specified period. For an example of this usage, see Jo Lynn Caldwell, Rhonda L. Cornum, and Robert L. Stephens, Visual Processing: Implications for Helmt Mounted Displays," United States Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, Report No. 90-11 (May 1990), p.2, available here.
Luft Instruments, Inc.
Date: circa 1964
Accessories: adapter
Object number: 1996-1-0453
Iomec, Incorporated - Digitronics Division
Date: circa 1974
Accessories: paper punch-tape program stored in a plastic bag with the instrument
Object number: 1998-1-0017
Polaroid Corporation
Date: 2003
Accessories: printer ribbon, power cable, adapter cable, original packing materials, instruction manuals (in object file), and gray card (in object file)
Object number: 2009-1-0039
Date: 1890-1930
Object number: RS0501
Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory
Date: 1947-2002
Object number: 2003-1-0291
