A number of cells, batteries and pamplets I have gathered over the years.

Interesting collection. I have several Eveready cells and batteries and might take some photos at the weekend. It's funny how many old doorbell systems which were abandoned long ago are still on their last-used battery and more often than not the battery is the second on the left in the second photo.

Thanks Brad for putting the photos up, they came out well.

On doorbell batteries, an old chaps I knew now sadly long departed told me when he was a young lad in a country town and in the era long before electrification, he and a friend used to go around to various places and replenish the chemicals in these doorbells batteries so as to earn a bit of pocket money.

The only people wealthy enough to afford these would be doctors, lawyers and the like.

Back in the 1920's when electrical type devices were something of a marvel.

Think it would have been the cell in the first photo or perhaps the Siemens type.

One photo that was missed was the one of the small glass 2 volt cells and will resend it to you.

Checked the email and the glass one is there if you would not mind putting it up.

Tks.

As for the No 6, the PMG used a lot of them in remote telephone installations and can remember seeing them as a youngster.

Must have been for bell ringing or to actuate various relays etc.

As for the No 6, the PMG used a lot of them in remote telephone installations and can remember seeing them as a youngster.

Not that remote! Here at Lawson in the Blue Mountains we still had a manual exchange up to the mid 70's with a handle on the telephone that had to be turned about 3 or 4 times to get the operator. There was a plastic case in the cupboard below the phone that aroused my curiosity and I discovered after opening it that it contained three number 6 batteries. I've no idea what they did and always figured they had something to do with making the phone ring. I was only young and into all sorts of experiments and to buy even cheap carbon batteries took a few weeks worth of pocket money. These batteries looked like a gold mine to me and I spent weeks pondering what they did and if anyone would notice them missing. To the best of my knowledge they were never replaced in 10 years so I don't think they did much work and no, I never worked up the courage to pilfer them!

The only people wealthy enough to afford these would be doctors, lawyers and the like.

Speaking of which, Victorian-era houses which were commonly occupied by the wealthier people were more often than not fitted with call bells for maids and servants to respond to and these systems usually included a doorbell. Call buttons at the front door and beside each fireplace could be used to summon the correct staff member to provide the landlord with the silver service they could afford.

A panel in the kitchen, consisting of rows of mechanical indicators showing which area of the house the staff were required in would be located in the kitchen.

Yes the No 6 was a venerable and long lasting cell which had many uses.

Casting my memory back now recollect the No 6's I saw were in a farm pump shed which also served as some sort of telephone connection.

They were on a shelf with a wooden PMG box and the place was somewhere in Windsor area.

When I was a kid a friend's dad was a PMG technician and he always had lots of No 6's about.

Those were the days.

I dunno if it is supposed to work like this but once I paralleled two old crank phones and connected a six volt dolphin battery. The two phones worked and rang each others bells when cranked.

Perhaps you saw a similar system.

I dunno if it is supposed to work like this but once I paralleled two old crank phones and connected a six volt dolphin battery. The two phones worked and rang each others bells when cranked.

Yep, that's magneto + local battery for point to point.

When a (manual) exchange is involved it's magneto + common battery -- the battery being at the exchange.

I wish they still made the No 6. They lasted forever and could deliver a few amps when needed.

Dry cell number 6 I believe is still made. abt $12 and they use them on model aircraft glow plugs.

Marc

http://www.prc68.com/I/No6.shtml#F.

^ So, two F cells for $12. Think I'll pass.

I have not seen an "F" cell for a while. They used them in the "B" batteries as well. Technology has changed and the power to weight ratio of batteries is considerably different to what it used to be, albeit some manufacturers have gone Retro and are producing batteries that leak long before they are flat.

I dunno if it is supposed to work like this but once I paralleled two old crank phones and connected a six volt dolphin battery. The two phones worked and rang each others bells when cranked.

Yep, that's magneto + local battery for point to point.

When a (manual) exchange is involved it's magneto + common battery -- the battery being at the exchange.

Read more: http://vintage-radio.com.au/default.asp?f=1&th=680.

Daresay that is the sort of arrangement I saw as a kid, things were simple in those days and the installation was very old even then.

Thanks for the link on F cells and interesting they are still about.

The 45 volt B battery in one of my photos would have been made up of 30 F cells in series.

A heavy thing to lug around and would have been a costly item particulary when two or three of them were needed depending on the radio.

Dad would have dreaded the day when he needed a new set !