I bought this with a box of Model A stuff awhile back. The box says it was patented in 1925. Wondering if anyone knows anything about it.
wonder if it actually does anything? looks like something that would have "as seen on TV" printed on the box if it were for sale nowadays. "$49.99 value, only $9.99 plus shipping and handling"
Those were an "amplifier" that you put on top of the stock coil or at the distributor cap. I'm not really sure what the inner workings were, but it was supposed to strengthen the spark output. That one is for 6 to 8 volts systems (early cars and tractors)
Patent #1537131 from May 12, 1925 is for an automotive lubricator, not something for an ignition coil. Interesting.
Most spark amplifiers were simply a gap larger than sparkplug gap...on a non-fancy (like capacitive discharge) ignition, spark voltage maximum is exactly whatever it takes to jump the plug gap. If spark has to jump a bigger gap before getting to plug you have more voltage, which can sometimes help a feeble or fouled system. If gap is too large, the spark will just find an easier way home, jumping terminals or burning though insulation to ground.
I always feel a little smarter after reading a Bruce Lancaster post. Thanks much for the info, Bruce...for this post as well as all the others I have read in the last few years.
it certainly is neat looking with those graphics. I'd have to look closely to see if I couldn't hollow the 6V guts out and run the coil wire through it so that it is purely decoration. Blasphemy I know.
It's a shame the patent is unrelated...I couldn't find any other patents for Ostreicher either. I'd love to know whether there is something clever in there or whether it was just another gap type hidden inside a tin can. Ever see a pre-modern MSD conversion??
I didnt pay any attention to the picture you posted before, but it shows that you can place it on top of the distributor cap, I think it would look even better there than on the coil. I'd love to find one of those for my Dad's Model A.
..............." but wait, theres more.............. if you order in the next 10 minutes we include another Voltmaster absolutely free!!!........... and we will just bill you seperate shipping and handling.......so pick up the phone and order now ".....................
That is a common stunt from the pre-internet era. Placing a legally held (but un-related) patent number on all of your product packaging or paperwork. It was not exactly honest, but legal as long as the number was not on the device itself. I still find people using bogus patent numbers on stuff - chinese stuff usually... B.