HISTORY:
An interesting antiquity! Dating from the 1950's ~ 1960's and removed from Military HF Transmitting Equipment of the day.
This is 4 small value capacitors in one package and was used in the Transmitter Power Output section for electro-mechanical based tuning. As the TX frequencies changed, the RF output tuned circuits would "automatically" switch in different capacitors.
Please read this SPECIAL NOTICE below! ... it is important for your personal health and that of the environment.
PRODUCT SAFETY NOTICE:
It is extremely likely that the dielectric oil used inside this capacitor contains PCB's - production and use of PCB's in NEW equipment has been banned worldwide since the 1970's - it is nasty stuff!
This capacitor MUST be handled with care and in the event of ANY leakage, this capacitor must be treated as an item containing chemicals which are hazardous to human health (carcinogenic).
IF A LEAK DOES SOMEHOW OCCUR, NEVER EVER TOUCH ANY LEAKED LIQUID
NEVER DISPOSE OF THIS CAPACITOR IN HOUSEHOLD WASTE!
PCB's were in very wide use right up until the late 1960's, especially in products such as these capacitors.
HERE is a link for very detailed information about the chemical compound, its dangers and recommended disposal of components containing PCB's
This capacitor is offered in the interests of electronic equipment restoration using authentic components "from the day" OR a custom designed project and is absolutely safe to handle as offered - no leaks!
HOWEVER if this component ever shows signs of leakage, it must not be touched without protective clothing and it must be disposed of in an approved manner.
MILITARY GRADE - Capacitor
Cornell Radio - Dubilier (CDE)
Made in USA (American Military communications equipment)
Ex high power RF output switchable tuned circuit
Type: 184-2
1500V AC
Paper In Oil (PIO)
Multi-points on the top of the capacitor providing:
70.5pF (2%)
84pF (2%)
200.5pF (1%)
360.5pF (1%)
The number in brackets is the stated tolerances of these capacitors
All metal case construction, completely sealed
Outer case has two connection points
Each capacitor has a 5mm ceramic insulator with the connection conductor (1.65mm diameter) coming through the centre of the insulator
The connection points to the capacitors are 8.5mm in length for each
BODY DIMENSIONS:
57.85mm x 47.75mm wide x 13mm deep
Weight: 100g
COSMETIC CONDITION:
NO damage to the casing
NO damage to the connection points (other than they are shorter than they used to be!)
All printing is legible and easy to read (to identify which capacitor is which)
The case markings are:
184-2
1500 VACT
CDE
Each capacitor has a serial number on the side of the casing and I refer to these numbers in my test results below
TESTING:
Only a basic capacitance test made, no tests of the dielectric or operation under high voltages were made.
After I made the tests, I recorded the results on a sheet of paper and you can see the results in the photographs.
The first number for each capacitor is the specification value printed on the case. The number in brackets is the actual test measurement result.
You can see from these test results that just one capacitor still meets specifications, Serial # 661317
The remaining two have both drifted higher by around 2~4% - not bad after around 75 years!
