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Ingenium, 1992.2460.001
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OBJECT TYPE: knife/double pole/single throw/fuseless/kappa
DATE: 1911
ARTIFACT NUMBER: 1992.2460.001

MANUFACTURER: Unknown
MODEL: Unknown
LOCATION: Unknown

More Information

General Information

Serial #: N/A
Part Number: 1
Total Parts: 1
AKA: N/A
Patents: N/A
General Description: slate base/ metal parts, including copper/ wood handle/ synthetic crossbar

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length: 15.8 cm
Width: 8.9 cm
Height: 4.0 cm
Thickness: N/A
Weight: N/A
Diameter: N/A
Volume: N/A

Lexicon

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

Manufacturer

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

Context

Country: North America
State/Province: Unknown
Period: circa 1911+
Canada: A switch of a type used in Canada. 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.
Technical: Example of a knife switch. At first, all knife switches were mounted on wood or slate panels (later on porcelain) but although these bases were fairly efficient electrically, they were not really suitable for house service work. They were replaced in distributing panels by tumbler & push button type switches but were still found in catalogues around 1950. Kappa switches were designed for light work. Knife switches were best placed as near as possible to the point where the electrical wires enter the building (Ref. 1).
Area Notes: Unknown

Details

Markings: incised lettering on crossbar reads "T [logo] K30A. 250V."
Missing: appears complete
Finish: black base/ copper coloured metal/ black painted handle/ black synthetic
Decoration: N/A

CITE THIS OBJECT

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

Unknown Manufacturer, Switch, circa 1911, Artifact no. 1992.2460, Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation, http://collections.ingeniumcanada.org/en/id/1992.2460.001/

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