This page conforms to the XHTML standard and uses style sheets. If your browser doesn't support these, you may not see the page as designed, but all the text is still accessible to you.

SCHENECTADY DIGITAL HISTORY ARCHIVE

Bringing the heritage of Schenectady County, New York to the world since 1996

You are here: Home » Resources » Schenectady Electrical Handbook » General Electric Rheostat Department
See Also: General Electric Company

Schenectady Electrical Handbook
The Schenectady Works of the General Electric Company

Rheostat Department: Building No. 26

Go back to: Searchlights | ahead to: Sockets, Receptacles and Small Supplies

[This information is from p. 49 of the Schenectady Electrical Handbook by the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. (Schenectady, NY: General Electric Press, 1904). It is in the Schenectady Collection of the Schenectady County Public Library at Schdy R 621.3 A51s.]

On the entire second floor of this building rheostatic controlling devices are made for nearly every conceivable duty: Field rheostats, starting, battery charging, projector, and motor regulating rheostats, as well as controlling rheostats of various types for use with machine tools, printing presses, etc. The sizes of the field rheostats vary from the little hand operated device used in the field of a small exciter or motor, to the large rheostat with cast grid resistance and motor driven dial switch used to regulate a 5000 Kw. alternator.

Motor panels for the United States Government are also made here in various styles and capacities as well as motor panels for the general trade. Both types of motor panels are made with all practical combnations of field control, armature regulation, no voltage and overload release, and interlocking devices to prevent the operator from misusing the motor.

[Photo: A Portion of the Rheostat Department: original size (10K) | 9x enlarged (68K)]

The Rheostat Testing Department is located on the same floor and every device is carefully tested for resistance, insulation and operation before being sent to the Shipping Department. One year's work consisted in manufacturing and testing about 32,000 rheostats of various classes, 450 special controlling panels and 1600 air pump governors.

Go to top of page | back to: Searchlights | ahead to: Sockets, Receptacles and Small Supplies

You are here: Home » Resources » Schenectady Electrical Handbook » General Electric Rheostat Department
See Also: General Electric Company

https://www.schenectadyhistory.org/resources/seh/rheostat.html updated March 30, 2015

Copyright 2015 Schenectady Digital History Archive — a service of the Schenectady County Public Library

Statcounter