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1910s

1 (11.1%)

1920s

4 (44.4%)

1930s

3 (33.3%)

1940s

1 (11.1%)

1950s

0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 9

Voting closed: April 03, 2015, 03:00:17 PM

[ta0]

We generally brag that tops do not need batteries like other modern toys, but some do. Here is an Electric Top I got from Don last year:



When spinning it is illuminated by a lamp below a colored celluloid window. The original battery is obviously not working anymore and I doubt I can find a new one with the same format, so I will have to rig something up. As you can see in the photo it still spins well. And a continuity test on the lamp indicates that it should work.

Quiz: how old is it? I am putting up a poll.

[ta0]

Here is a clue from the back panel of the box:



The top is from the first half of the respective decade.

[ta0]

The top is in fact from the 1920's: Illuminated Top, US Patent no. 1,503,006, issued July 19, 1924, to Paul J. Rause from South Orange, New Jersey.

Personally, I was surprised that batteries were common enough at that time for use in toys. So I did a little research on the internet and found that the first commercial flashlight came out in 1899, using the dry cell battery first mass produced in 1896. After the replacement of the carbon filament with tungsten a few years later, they became quite popular and by the 1920's they were common. So the top could have been invented even earlier. 

One of the claims disclosed in the patent is the switch that turns on the light only when the top is spinning. The peg over which the top spins is the switch: when the top is lying down on the side a spring pushes the peg out, but when it bears the weight of the top it goes in and closes the circuit.



I hope I don't burn the 90-year old bulb when I try to power it ...

[Jack]

i was so sure it would have been 30s lol. thats a very complicated setup, i hope u can breath new life into it 

[jim in paris]

what is the voltage ?


don't miss the plus and minus!!

jim

[ta0]

what is the voltage ?
don't miss the plus and minus!!
jim

That is actually a very good question. The battery does not say the voltage!  It doesn't even have markings for positive and negative terminals! (although for flashlights the orientation does not matter and that was probably almost the only use for them at that time). It looks like a pack of two AA batteries side by side, connected in series, covered in Bakelite and wrapped in paper. As it should be a zinc-carbon battery, it would have had about 2.4 V of effective voltage. This coincides with the marking on the bulb that says 2.5 V.

I wanted to be cautious so I tried the bulb with just one AA battery. It turned on producing white light, although not the brightest. I rigged it so it would fit in the battery receptacle and make contact when the peg is pressed on. After so many decades . . . the Electric Top worked!  I will try to upload a video later today. After I record it with one battery I may try two 

[ta0]

Here is a video I made:



The choice of music may sound strange, but there is a reason for it ...

I will wait to try two batteries until I have time to make a more permanent solution.

[lincolnrick]

Looks great!

[ta0]

The choice of music may sound strange, but there is a reason for it ...

Nobody asked, but I'll tell you anyway  : that track uses a theremin, an electronic instrument invented in the 20's. 
Now, the theme is not from that time: it is from the English scifi series Doctor Who.

[silvertop]

So cool that you got it working!  It is fun seeing folks breathing new life into things I've had sitting a round for years.

[RonnieJoeAlso]

You could use the tardis to go back in time, and get a fresh battery.

[Jack]

bravo! looks really cool 

[Larry D.]

That old timer is looking good! 

[Kirk]

Super cool super fun.  I did know that the theremin was so old.  It is interesting what a search for no 950 batteries yields.  #950 has been used for lots of completely different batteries.
I would bet your 950 was 3 volts, but old batteries had a higher internal resistance.  So the voltage under load will drop a good bit.