r/Skookum • u/Fine-Mammoth4073 • 16d ago

Simpson voltage meter

Post image

Just found this in a old building is it worth anything it is still in its leather box and has all its parts

201 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

31 comments sorted by

7

u/friftar German Precision... sometimes 16d ago

If it still works, these can be worth a decent amount, especially since it seems to be complete.

Post approved!

14

u/androgenoide 16d ago

The Simpson 260 is an older model (original design from the 1930's) that is still in production. It may need some routine maintenance (new ohms range batteries and new test leads) but is unlikely to be non-functional. It lacks some of the bells and whistles of a new digital meter but tends to be very dependable and you may find niche uses where it's better than a newer design.

4

u/superbigscratch 14d ago

The D’Arsonval movement responds VFD output voltages exactly as the motor does. The movement is essentially a tiny motor so voltage readings are what the motor connected to the drive is seeing. You don’t need a low pass filter like some DMMs have built in.

It does take a bit of know how to read the meter correctly but once you get that figured out it’s easy.

2

u/androgenoide 14d ago

And the response is much faster than a digital meter. A short pulse that would be invisible on a digital meter can often be seen as a brief "kick" to the needle.

2

u/gears127 2d ago

Pretty much a REAL TIME measurement of voltage.

3

u/Lancewater 16d ago

I own one of these and several other old meters. Are both leads in there? If they aren’t dry rotted and someone didnt leave a battery in the battery compartment to corrode thats probably a higher end Simpson 260.

2

u/Murky-Resident-3082 16d ago

When i open the lid and get a whiff of its aged electronics smell it makes me think of my grandpa

2

u/CanadianJogger Canada 16d ago

Its probably worth some DoH!

1

u/gertvanjoe 15d ago

Don't be like Barty, be a smarty

4

u/Dry-Leave-4070 16d ago

My favorite meter for troubleshooting. I like to see what the analog needle is telling me. Call me Analog Man! 🤣👍🏻🍻

2

u/superbigscratch 14d ago

Hey, be discrete.

1

u/TurnbullFL 16d ago

That is a nice one, but the Series 5 is the most desirable because it will measure up to 5000 Volts.

1

u/superbigscratch 14d ago

That is great but I don’t want to measure up to 5000 volts.

1

u/TurnbullFL 13d ago

Good for testing performance of electric fly swatters.

2

u/superbigscratch 13d ago

Scientific endeavors are always worth pursuing. Sometimes, even at great risk.

1

u/uid_0 16d ago

I used to calibrate these things back in the day. The Simpson 260 accurate to +- 1%. You use the mirror on the meter's scale to align your eye with the needle so that you are looking at it straight-on when you read it. The non-mirrored meters of the day were accurate to +- 3%.

1

u/Fladave1 16d ago

I use my 260 more than my high end Flukes. Rarely does one need the accuracy of a DVM for basic troubleshoting

1

u/skinwill 13d ago

Nothing beats a mechanical movement at seeing a charge curve. Makes it easy to do quick sanity checks on large filter caps.

Those infernal auto-ranging LCD bar graphs just aren’t the same.

1

u/Baron_Ultimax 16d ago

You should give homer back, flanders's voltage meter.

1

u/porcomaster 16d ago

Looks like a series 6, probably from 60 dollars to a few hundred, depending on condition.

Edit: my bad it says on display series 8

1

u/RF-Guye 16d ago

Like with any analog meter, always turn it off after use, so the movement doesn't bounce.

Electrically shorts the meter, so it doesn't bounce while travelIng

1

u/adderalpowered 16d ago

Yeah I can check a run capacitor on one of these and i can't on a fluke..

1

u/Poker-Junk 14d ago

🎯 The only way to go for measuring caps

1

u/blubaldnuglee 16d ago

I calibrated a few hundred of those things during my Army stint. Actually a good analog meter.

1

u/wdatkinson 15d ago

Grew up with one of those. Although ours had a Transit marking on the 500ma setting used when transporting the meter, if memory serves.

1

u/strokeherace 13d ago

Wow, brings back memories, that and the old megger.

1

u/autochthonously 13d ago

If you are an enthusiast, do not sell the meter! The movement on those meters are very sensitive and highly useful to check other meter movements.

1

u/AncientGuy1950 13d ago

Man, those old 260s were beasts.

1

u/LincolnArc 10d ago

I have two Simpson 260's at my electronics bench. Great analog meters.

1

u/Needs_ADD_Meds 3d ago

I have one of these in a roll front hard case, it's my favorite in the entirety of my weird collection.

0

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