Westinghouse Type C Wattmeter, 1906

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Artifact Overview

In the late 1800s, companies that supplied electricity to consumers needed a way to measure how much customers used -- and then charge them accordingly. Inventive electrical engineers developed various methods to measure electric power. Induction meters that employed magnetic fields to rotate a disc or cylinder to register energy usage would become the standard. Continued improvements made these wattmeters more compact and reliable.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Wattmeter

Date Made

1906

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

29.1980.1413

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of the Edison Pioneers.

Material

Metal
Glass (Material)
Paper (Fiber product)

Color

Black (Color)
White (Color)
Silver (Color)

Inscriptions

on face: SINGLE PHASE WATTMETER/ WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MFG. CO./ PITTSBURG, [sic] PA., U.S.A. on plate: PATENTED/ MAY 1, 1888 - JAN. 1, 1895./ AUG. 14. 1888 - OCT. 22. 1895./ DEC. 26. 1893 - AUG. 9. 1898 on readout: 5 AMPERES 100 VOLTS/ KILOWATT HOURS/ 1 DIVISION OF .1S DIAL = .1 K.W. HOURS. on label on back: DO NOT BREAK THE SEALS./ If the meter is received defective or inaccurate, report he fact to us at once. We positively refuse to be responsible for a meter with broken seals./ WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MFG. CO.,/ Shipped from Newark [part of label missing] N. J. PITTSBURG [sic], PA. on back in raised numbers: M4149 stenciled on back in yellow paint: 7200A
Westinghouse Type C Wattmeter, 1906