Wiedenhoff Magneto/starter/generator test bench

I have a Wiedenhoff Magneto/starter/generator test bench. I am looking for instruction/parts manuals for it. I can't find a model number on it.

Did you get that from Frankenstein ?
nice if you get it to work.

It came from the garage of a Dr. Frank N. Stein. A European immigrant.

chris,

very cool! westinghouse solid brass meters?

what is the backing plate made of? marble or bakelite?

john

Igor... the switch! the switch!

[quote="john HD"]chris,

very cool! westinghouse solid brass meters?
Actually Weidenhoff meters.

what is the backing plate made of? marble or bakelite?
Bakelite

I really need to find information on this unit so I can make it work again.

chris,

i would love to help you out but that is only the second time i have ever seen one.

our local authorized delco repair shop had a work area with 3 work stations with devices like yours. they did all the repair work for the car dealers in town.

long gone now.

have you tried a document search with the national archives?

and, what does it have for a power supply? i imagine it would be about the size of a small welder.

john

chris,
have you tried a document search with the national archives?

John

How do you do that?

chris

http://www.archives.gov/search/


unfortunately i tried about every combination of wiedenhoff or wiedenhoff+electric etal with no luck.

still an interesting site to poke around in. i found a bunch of wla manuals buried in there a while back.

john

hmmm.

looks like joseph wiedenhoff co. was absorbed into snap on tools in 1956.

perhaps you could contact them and see if they have a corporate archive.

john

Weidenhoff became Sun.

[Pa]

I hear Bosch sold their products for a spell. Tractor repair folk used them as well. You might try them. Pa

Chris,

Check out this link:

http://www.justanswer.com/questions/1tz ... e-on-it-is

Scroll down and you will see some mimeographed pages that you can click on and then print. Can't tell if its the right model, but it would be a start.

Mark

WHAT A MARVELOUS PIECE OF HARDWARE, I'D SELL MY FIRSTBORN FOR THAT! And you can be sure I didn't give it to Chris, something like that would never leave the my barn, for sure.
I read through some of the info posted on the site, and that machine is a real masterpiece. Brush rotator to reverse motor direction, switch to reverse polarity of generator, back gears to shift speed range, tach reading both directions. The neat list goes on and on.
Have fun Chris, I envy you,
The tearful Doc,
DD

I read through some of the info posted on the site, and that machine is a real masterpiece. Brush rotator to reverse motor direction, switch to reverse polarity of generator, back gears to shift speed range, tach reading both directions. The neat list goes on and on.
Have fun Chris, I envy you,
The tearful Doc,
DD

Where did you find that information?

looks like getting it hooked up shouldn't be too bad.

appears to be set up for delta voltages 120, 240



john

Well, I got a little carried away. It appears you don't have the same machine described in the manual at the link. It doesn't look like yours has the back gears for speed shifting. Can't tell for sure about the brushes shifting, but it makes sense as a way to change direction. I think you're right John, it should be good to connect to the grid.
DD

if chris pays my ticket i'll fly out sans underwear to hook it up.

john

Here are some more pictures of it.

Well John, he better spring for 2 tickets, 'cause I'd want in on the setup too!, (I'd keep my drawers on though)

So, here's my guess as to functions of various components:
Big switch labeled "1": main connection of generator to board, can switch polarity of generator connection to board with with switch. Switch 6 may perform this function, but I'm guessing 1
Knife switch to right of amp meter: sets the shunt for meter for the two different ranges (0-30,600) shown on the gauge.
Can't read smaller central gauge, but below is the cutout and below that the regulating relay for the
unit's built in voltage regulator. The regulating coil has a knob on the right for adjusting regulating voltage.
just to the right of the regulating coil and directly above switch "4" is what looks like an adjustable spark gap for magneto testing.
That's all I can make out on the board.
sure would like to know what the scale on the meter on the motor reads, has my curiosity aroused.
I can't decide if the rag on the motor's left end is to keep it from throwing oil or grease around or to tie the brush rotating mechanism in position.
Lastly, I'm thinking the black box in your first picture is some kind of decade resistance box. For making load tests on generators?
As for powering the unit, besides the 120vac to run the motor, they may just have used a battery for the fields, but it wouldn't have been necessary for most work, as the generator, if working should energize itself.
If it's not a problem, take some more closeup pics of the labels, us electrogeeks here on the board might figure out more.
Interrresting,,, verry interesting.
DD