Hi All,
I've worked on various old electronics but this has me stumped. This is the rear of an analog meter display from a 1960's Taylor Weather station and has this black device with 4 attached wires I cannot identify it. The yellow wires are the input to this unit that has a analog meter that shows wind speed. The anemometer uses a simple segmented magnet wheel that rotates in front of a coil sending the voltage down two wires to the terminals of the display where the yellow wires connect. The millivoltages coming down from the anemometer head to this unit are AC.
Sorry about the crude drawing but these are the measured resistances I identified on this mystery device.
Is it a Rectifier?? or Something Else???

Thanks

 

Yellow wires usually mean AC, while red and black usually are + and - DC. Seems to be a rectifier of some sort.

 

The millivoltages coming down from the anemometer head to this unit are AC.

Sure it is not pulsed DC?
Looks like a typical magnetic sensor?
Is there a part No. on it?

 

Something niggling in the back of my mind says it a Copper Oxide rectifier, but I don't know why! Haven't seen one in donkey's years!

 

Something niggling in the back of my mind says it a Copper Oxide rectifier, but I don't know why! Haven't seen one in donkey's years!

https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-craft/copper-oxide-rectifiers-july-1933-radio-craft.htm
Applications and Characteristics of Copper-Oxide Rectifiers

 

Yellow wires usually mean AC, while red and black usually are + and - DC. Seems to be a rectifier of some sort.

Yes yellow are AC. Yes Red and Black are typically DC.

In more testing last night I noticed there is an AC voltage drop after the mystery device when the anemometer spins up. More later on this.

 

My first thought is bridge rectifier.

 

Sure it is not pulsed DC?
Looks like a typical magnetic sensor?
Is there a part No. on it?

It isn't DC coming down from the anemometer. The anemometer sensing unit has a cylindrical magnet about 1/3 in thick and about 2 inches in diameter. This magnet has several segments of magnetism although the whole "magnet" its one continuous piece.

The magnet spins on a shaft coming down from the anemometer wind cups and the magnet segments pulse the coil.

The magnet face passes by a coil, i measured about .119uH and the wires come down to where you see the yellow ones in my picture.


The Mystery Device has no part number and the black color is a paint put on by Taylor in the 1960's after it was assembled.

 

https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-craft/copper-oxide-rectifiers-july-1933-radio-craft.htm
Applications and Characteristics of Copper-Oxide Rectifiers

Sure it is not pulsed DC?
Looks like a typical magnetic sensor?
Is there a part No. on it?

Something niggling in the back of my mind says it a Copper Oxide rectifier, but I don't know why! Haven't seen one in donkey's years!

The Copper Oxide Rectifier in the attached article looks very similar! I will investigate this more..!!

 

Hi All,
I've worked on various old electronics but this has me stumped. This is the rear of an analog meter display from a 1960's Taylor Weather station and has this black device with 4 attached wires I cannot identify it. The yellow wires are the input to this unit that has a analog meter that shows wind speed. The anemometer uses a simple segmented magnet wheel that rotates in front of a coil sending the voltage down two wires to the terminals of the display where the yellow wires connect. The millivoltages coming down from the anemometer head to this unit are AC.
Sorry about the crude drawing but these are the measured resistances I identified on this mystery device.
Is it a Rectifier?? or Something Else???

Thanks

https://www.taylorusa.com/pages/about-us