Hamilton telegraph repeater patent model
Hamilton telegraph repeater patent model
Previous
Next
- Description
- Telegraph repeaters amplified electrical signals in a telegraph line. Telegraph messages traveled as a series of electrical pulses through a wire from a transmitter to a receiver. Short pulses made a dot, slightly longer pulses a dash. The pulses faded in strength as they traveled through the wire, limiting the distance a message could travel. Repeaters remedied that problem by detecting a weak signal and using a local power source to re-energize and re-transmit the signal down the line.
- This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office by inventor William Hamilton of Albany, New York, along with his patent application. On 12 September 1865, he received patent #49875 for his "Improvement in Telegraphic Repeaters." Hamilton's idea was to improve automatic repeaters that could switch between lines without the aid of an operator. He modified the two sounders by lengthening the lever arms so they could activate a new switch and circuit design. The cylinders represent batteries that may be of the Grove type. Hamilton used real relays and sounders made by A. S. Chubbuck of Utica, NY, on his model.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- repeater
- telegraph relay
- telegraph repeater
- Object Type
- Patent Model
- Other Terms
- telegraph relay; Telegraph; Receiver
- date made
- 1865
- maker
- Chubbuck, Arinaldo S.
- Hamilton, William H.
- Physical Description
- wood (overall material)
- brass (overall material)
- copper (overall material)
- paper (overall material)
- cloth (overall material)
- plastic (overall material)
- steel (overall material)
- silver (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 3 1/2 in x 11 7/8 in x 7 3/4 in; 8.89 cm x 30.1625 cm x 19.685 cm
- ID Number
- EM.251261
- catalog number
- 251261
- accession number
- 48865
- patent number
- 49875
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Electricity
- Communications
- Telegraph Relays & Repeaters
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.
Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.
