H-K Toy Electric Motor
date: label: date made
content: 1906
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This toy electric motor was made by the H-K Electric Toy Company of Indianapolis, Indiana around 1906. The patents on this object refer to an electric toy that recreates mechanical motion. A dry cell battery could fit in the center of the toy, energizing the electromagnets on the side, contracting its three lever-arms. When this contraction happens, the shaft rotates, and the protruding part of the shaft comes into contact with the metal prong causing the circuit that powered the electromagnet to break. This releases the lever-arms, which rotates the shaft as they rise, re-engaging the electromagnets and continuing the cycle. The weighted flywheel and staggered strength of the levers helped ensure that the drive shaft continued to rotate. The drive shaft could be connected to a variety of factory toys and provide them with a sense of realistic motion like their full size counterparts.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering
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content: Family & Social Life
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content: Engineering, Building, and Architecture
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content: Engineering Steam Toys and Models
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Maass, Eleanor A.. Greville Bathe's "Theatre of Machines": The Evolution of a Scholar and His Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Bequest of the Estate of Greville I. Bathe
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MC.329034
label: catalog number
content: 329034
label: accession number
content: 278175
objectType: label: Object Name
content: toy, electric motor
label: Object Name
content: engine, electric, toy
label: Object Name
content: toy, electric engine
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 6 in x 5 3/8 in x 7 5/8 in; 15.24 cm x 13.6525 cm x 19.3675 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall - from catalog card: 6 in x 7 in x 5 in; 15.24 cm x 17.78 cm x 12.7 cm
label: Measurements
content: flywheel - from catalog card: 3 1/2 in; x 8.89 cm