BY STEVE JOHNSON ()
The handheld meter has been a staple of almost every technician’s tool case for almost 100 years. In fact, a handheld meter is often the first piece of test equipment most of us acquire.
Today the majority of handheld meters sold have a digital display. However, meters manufactured up until the 1970s had an analog readout. It was up to the operator to properly read the position of a needle on an analog scale. Digital readouts did not appear until the 1950s and digital displays small enough for handheld use were not widely available until the 1970s.
Handheld meters found widespread use as far back as the 1920s. Surprisingly, one of the first uses of handheld meters was not by electrical servicemen. In the early 20th century, two new technologies that used battery power, the automobile and the radio, created a need for an easy way to quickly test batteries. Handheld meters were developed to check battery charge and sold to the rapidly increasing numbers of automobile and radio enthusiasts. Typical selling price at the time for one of these home battery testers was $1 or $2.
Examples of “Pocket Watch” meters from the 1920s.
The “Pocket Watch” meter was the most common handheld meter sold in the 1920s. It resembled the small size and shape of a pocket watch. In fact, some of the more sought after versions are made in cases that look exactly like a pocket watch. Pocket watch meters were sold in three basic configurations for measuring storage batteries. These included voltage, amperes, and a combination meter that could measure both voltage and amperes. The typical pocket watch meter had one or two test points protruding from the bottom and a short cloth covered wire with a nickel plated tip coming out of the tip. Some of the more common brands of early pocket watch meters you might find are Sterling, Readrite, and Eveready.
No one knows how many of these pocket-watch-style meters were produced through the 1920s, but they were found in most households with early battery radios. Small and easily tossed in the back of a drawer and forgotten, many survived and are still a very common find at swap meets and flea markets today. It's not hard to find a good example for $5 to $8. Unfortunately, more often than not, the original test lead is missing.
Early Hickok handheld meter.
Unlike the ergonomically shaped handheld meters with rubberized cases found today, early handheld meters were usually manufactured with wood, metal, or Bakelite cases. The Hickok meter above was most likely produced in the late 1920s. It has a metal case and used binding posts to connect test leads. This model measured resistance and DC voltage. There is a number 48 on the meter face but little sales documentation has been found on early Hickok models and many did not have model numbers.
Early Hickok test equipment is very popular with collectors, and good examples from the 1920s and early 1930s can sometimes sell into the hundreds of dollars at auction. You can even expect to see an early Hickok meter like this one sell for upward of $50 to $75 in good cosmetic condition.
Hickok automobile service meter.
Hickok also manufactured handheld meters for servicing automobiles. The Packard labeled model 150 shown above was a DC voltmeter designed for use on automobile electrical systems. It measures from 0 to 10 Vdc and by pressing the button on the top switches to a 0 to 3-Vdc range. It also has a brass hook attached at both sides that rotates to allow hanging the meter under the hood of a car. The wood-handled probe is attached by a 27-in. cloth-covered wire.
You might also find this meter in a set along with a current meter of the same style. I have seen individual meters sell for $30 to $50 and a set with original case and cables sell for over $100 in good working condition.
The Supreme 542, Minimeter, and “Pin Tip” plugs.
The Supreme model 542 handheld multimeter used a series of “Pin Tip” jacks for selecting ranges. Its only knob was for adjusting the ohms range. Pin Tip jacks were the predecessors to the wider banana jacks found on most of today's digital meters. Many handheld meters manufactured before the late1950s lacked selector switches. This may have been more to reduce the overall size of the meter than to cut production costs. The 542 was very popular, and many thousands were produced. Ruggedized versions were produced for the military with steel cases and flip-down covers to protect the meter. After World War II, the same ruggedized design was also used by telephone companies in the field. They are fairly easy to find today, and most still work fairly well.
Supreme also produced a “Minimeter” series of tiny handheld meters in the late 1940s. Less than three and a half inches tall, these Minimeters were the smallest handheld meters of the time. Due to their small size, you needed separate meters to measure DC volts and current. Both the versions of the Supreme 545 and the Minimeter series may often be found at swap meets for under $20. New Pin Tip test leads and plugs are still available today through major distributors.
The Simpson Model 390 Volt-Amp-Wattmeter.
Simpson Electric Company of Chicago is probably most famous for its Simpson 260 series multimeter, but Simpson also produced a number of different handheld meters throughout the 1950s and 1960s. One of my favorites is the model 390 Volt-Amp-Wattmeter. The etched and filled Bakelite case and color-coded leads showed the technician which binding posts to connect the test leads to for a particular function and range. Once the dual sets of test leads were connected, readings could be changed from volts to current or watts by pressing one of two buttons. Most examples found now show signs of heavy use and may be picked up for $5 to $10, but a good working example in its original box with the test leads and instructions may sell for four or five times that.
Unlike many of today's digital meters that warn the operator of or protect the meter from incorrect hookups, early analog meter movements were often damaged by reversed or incorrectly connected leads. It's always a good idea to test and make sure the meter movement still responds in any vintage meter you may be considering buying.
For more information and examples of early electronic technology, view my collection at StevesAntiqueTechnology.com
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