I have several questions concerning photo electric controls.
Several months ago, someone was selling on eBay a General Electric advertisement in American City Magazine from 1959.
The ad showed what GE called their new photoelectric control. The photo showed a control with a long horizontal window, much the same as GE’s controls from the early 1960’s that used a cadmium sulphide photocell enclosed in the envelope of a seven pin electron tube. But the photo in the ad showed a control twice the height containing a phototube, a transformer, two seven or nine pin miniature tubes and what appears to be a relay. This is very curious. The micro balancing company had introduced a simplified circuit back in 1954 that used only one tube along with the phototube. By 1959, precision magnetics company had a photoelectric control that had reduced the circuit to a cadmium sulphide photocell, a thermal bimetallic relay, and an open gap surge arrestor. This control by the precision magnetics company( which I assume became the precision multiple control company) must have cost only a small fraction of any control that contained tubes. Does anyone have GE control like the ad mentions?
My second question concerns controls like the Intermatic k4236c swivel type control and the lc436 twist lock control. These are 120/277 volt controls that are unique. It appears that when used on the higher voltage something like a fuse wire burns away, making them unusable for the lower voltage. The instructions mention this. The precision multiple controls cat # p26-275, which is listed for 100-300 volts is similar( no longer made). Are there any other controls like these?
The last question is does anyone know the company that made the control that is listed on ebay# 224548088514. This is one of the oddest looking control I have ever seen. I do remember seeing this control being used to switch lights on the outside of an apartment house.
Thanks for any information!