Clapp-Eastham high potential condenser
Datecirca 1915
Inventory Number0335a,b
ClassificationCondenser
Subject
Maker
Clapp-Eastham Company
1906 - 1929
User
Cruft Laboratory, Harvard University
founded 1914
Cultural Region
Place of Origin
Dimensions30.2 x 25 x 16.5 cm (11 7/8 x 9 13/16 x 6 1/2 in.)
Material
Bibliography
DescriptionThis condenser is made of glass plates, coated with foil on both sides. The two sections of plates are assembled from 16 of these glass plates, each section separated by a wooden slab. The two sections are mounted in a wooden rack on which brass terminals are attached. They are connected in parallel. This object is called a standard unit, and its capacity is 0.1 mF (0.1 milli farad). The original price in 1915 was $8.
In Collection(s)
Signedon instrument: Clapp Eastham Co. / Cambridge, Mass. U.S.A.
FunctionA condenser acts merely as a storage tank for the energy derived from a transformer, which is rapidly filled and emptied as sparks occur at the spark gap. As the trade catalogue mentions, "You would not consider storing valuable liquids in a leaky vessel or one which slopped over, and yet this is exactly what occurs with most types of condenser. The most evident signs of leakage are heating and (if the condenser is transparent) brushing or spraying at the edges." Although it could have different uses, this condenser was advertised as a component of radio telegraphy.
Clapp-Eastham Company
Date: circa 1910
Object number: RS0803
Clapp-Eastham Company
Date: circa 1923
Accessories: 3 cylindrical batteries (Eveready, Columbia) (removed during FAE inventory). Bracket.
Object number: RS0585
Clapp-Eastham Company
Date: 1922
Accessories: Manual included.
Object number: RS0061
Clapp-Eastham Company
Date: 1922
Object number: RS1170
Clapp-Eastham Company
Date: 1900-1930
Object number: RS0537
Clapp-Eastham Company
Date: circa 1910
Object number: RS0992
Western Electric Company
Date: 1900-1930
Object number: RS0196