Bunnell "Weiny-Phillips" telegraph relay - repeater
date: label: date made
content: ca 1893
name: label: maker
content: J. H. Bunnell & Co.
notes: label: Description
content: Telegraph relays amplified electrical signals in a telegraph line. Telegraph messages traveled as a series of electrical pulses through a wire from a transmitter to a receiver. Short pulses made a dot, slightly longer pulses a dash. The pulses faded in strength as they traveled through the wire, to the point where the incoming signal was too weak to directly operate a receiving sounder or register. A relay detected a weak signal and used a battery to strengthen the signal so that the receiver would operate.
label: Description
content: A plate on this Bunnell relay associates the unit with "Weiny-Phillips" U.S. patent 479178. However, that 19 July 1892 patent was issued solely to Roderick H. Weiny with no mention of Phillips. The relay differs in appearance from the unit depicted on the patent so perhaps Phillips modified Weiny's design.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Electricity
label: See more items in
content: Communications
label: See more items in
content: Telegraph Relays & Repeaters
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: from Western Union Corporation
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: EM.331671
label: accession number
content: 294351
label: catalog number
content: 331671
label: collector/donor number
content: 12-05
label: patent number
content: 479178
objectType: label: Object Name
content: relay repeater
label: Object Name
content: telegraph relay
label: Other Terms
content: telegraph relay; Telegraphy
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 1/2 in x 8 1/2 in x 4 5/8 in; 11.43 cm x 21.59 cm x 11.7475 cm