“Car Charger”
The instructions etched on a red plate reinforce their importance. The capitalisation makes it almost life and death.
“REPLACEMENT FUSE MUST BE FOR 5AMP. NOT MORE NOT LESS.”
The vintage look of this Allied car battery charger is beautiful. If ever there was a case of they don’t make ’em like they used to then this is it. From the protective light bulb cover to the red ends on the handle this item would have had its own special place on a garage shelf.
Donated from a farm in Serpentine (WA) it kept several farm tractors in operation.
The original power lead is gone so the colour references don’t matter anymore but they would have been helpful for the most layman user. “Red lead (clip marked) + of the charger to the + battery,” the instructions read.
“Black lead of the charger to the – Battery pole.”
But how do you know when the battery is charged?
In a pre light-emitting diode world, a standard incandescent light bulb indicates the progress of the charging. When first switched on you might think the bulb is broken but if you look carefully a whisp of light can be seen. Leave the charging overnight and you come back to a light which is significantly brighter.
When you are able to read the newspaper by the bulb the battery should be suitably charged.
The protector for the bulb is a work of art and it gives the impression the bulb is more important than the whole device. Two screws lock the cage firmly in place resigning the bulb to its use in life.
