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1900's electric car automobile - mercury arc rectifier electric car charging station (Original Post) Donkees Mar 2021 OP
That charger looks as dangerous as the car. hunter Mar 2021 #1
Video: 1908 Car Battery Charger with Mercury Arc Rectifier Donkees Mar 2021 #2
Then as now, sex sells! Look at that hottie! nt eppur_se_muova Mar 2021 #3
Great-grandmama Mia! ret5hd Mar 2021 #4

hunter

(38,325 posts)
1. That charger looks as dangerous as the car.
Sun Mar 28, 2021, 02:26 PM
Mar 2021

You'll burn down the house or electrocute yourself if you don't carefully follow the directions.

I have an antique gas water heater from the same era. It was equally dangerous. There were numerous ways it could kill you. The main gas valve has a swastika on it meaning "good luck." (This was before the Nazis stole the symbol...)

Donkees

(31,450 posts)
2. Video: 1908 Car Battery Charger with Mercury Arc Rectifier
Sun Mar 28, 2021, 02:53 PM
Mar 2021


Baker Electric Car Charger from 1908. The huge device consisting of a glass rectifier and transformer act as a power supply to charge the original Edison Batteries. Steve Normandin discovers how the charger worked and puts together the pieces while telling us how it worked. The glass bulb of the mercury arc rectifier glows pink, blue and white as the mercury vaporizes. and it converts AC power from the grid to DC power for the car batteries. The long chord is made with braded cloth, and plug with asbestos insulation. The Baker Electric Car was one of the earliest commercially sold electric cars. The charger and car DC motor was made by General Electric in Schenectady.

https://edisontechcenter.org/MercArcRectifiers.html

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