Now the proud owner of the much revered ...............

[Evans Electric]

............AVO   meter !!!!  

Customer paid me for a small job yesterday  followed by  " Is this any good to you ?"    

Gave the volts a quick try as I was parking up , seemed to work fine , leads a bit  worse for wear  but looking at it , the whole thing indicates quality build . 

 

[ProDave]

Are we talking "proper" Avo as in model 7 or 8?

 

[Evans Electric]

I'd have to take another look ...its the big square one  that I remember from the 60's  .      I'm sure it said  "Universal AVO "       I'll take a photo  later .    Andy the Sand Dancer will be really jealous :innocent      There was always at least one everywhere I worked .    The  only meters  we had  in our kit on the tools ,   were meggers    (   Seem to be called  Insulation testers these days  ,  no idea why :C )   From the wind ups  to the super duper  press button ones  Ohms & MegOhms   ,   Edgecombe   I think .

Does my electrical status rise if its a 7 or 8 ?  

 

[Tony S]

If you bought an AVO8 Mk3 your bank balance took a knock. The company bought me one 25+ years ago, with the case, just shy of £1000.

 

[Evans Electric]

Didn't buy it Tony ,  a gift from a customer whose late husband was , apparently , a sparks . 

I assume it will need batteries  for resistance readings . 

Didn't know they were that expensive .       The firm I was with in Stourbridge  had an 11,000 V   insulation tester  that must have been costly .    I remember it had an on board spirit level ,  one man holding it down , another winding .     

 

[Geoff1946]

It was late in their history that they went really expensive, perhaps a result of falling demand for something that was hand built. I have a couple that I've picked up at car boots for around £10. One of them has the original receipt if I can find it. They are an excellent instrument to use, except they need half the bench! 

 

[ProDave]

Didn't buy it Tony ,  a gift from a customer whose late husband was , apparently , a sparks . 

I assume it will need batteries  for resistance readings . 

I believe there are two batteries in an Avo. For a while the 15V one was impossible to get  but now replica replacements seem available on ebay.

 

[Bruspark]

I believe there are two batteries in an Avo. For a while the 15V one was impossible to get  but now replica replacements seem available on ebay.

Mine certainly did.  Beautifully engineered but switches wore out after only about 20 years use. . .     Not sure if my Fluke will last that long but it has some nice additional functions while it does

 

[kerching]

I have the Panclimatic version....not sure if it's the 7 or 8

had it calibrated a few years ago....it had a Bakelite back with a huge hole in it. They calibrated it AND rehoused it in a metal back case and didn't charge for either. Said it was a change to work on something like that

 

[Tony S]

Despite time, they still are a beautifully engineered reliable piece of kit.

They are the King of the Hill in the meter world.

At the foundry I found two plug in units for the 6 & 7. The current unit could read 4000A, voltage 4000V. I might be daft but I’m not suicidal, I didn’t try them out.

 

[Geoff1946]

Found the receipt for my Mk8. It cost a few (old) pennies short of £50 in 1960. 

I paid £10 at a car boot about 8 or 9 years ago. It looked virtually unused , and still does.

Whilst they are really nice instruments it's easier to grab the little digital ones so sadly it tends to remain on the shelf, (keeping the Mk7 company).

 

[Evans Electric]

Its a Model 8    Mk 3     Please tell me its the Stradivarious  of  testers worth thousands  .  

"Tomorrow Rodders  we'll be millionaires"  

 

[Tony S]

On an AVO 8 Mk 3 there would be two P/Bs to the right and three resistance pots to the left for zeroing the various ohm ranges.

The raised range selectors looks like a 7, on an 8 they are recessed.

 

[ProDave]

Don't bet early retirement on it. They are not that valuable. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-AVO-Universal-Avo-Meter-Multimeter-Model-8-In-Original-Leather-Case/283121955475?hash=item41eb623293:gAgAAOSwI2xbgFDb

 

[Geoff1946]

If you want to try to date it, I've "borrowed" the following from a post on Vintage Radio Forum, where there is an extensive string about AVOs in the vintage test gear section.

All models from c. 1947 to 1973, XXXXX-V-M(M)YY,
e.g. 656-B-248, Model 40, serial no. 656, variant B, Feb. 1948 (Variant B of the Model 40 does not have reverse AC overload protection diode across movement and has modified swamp coil). 
Air Ministry Model 'E' is an exception, e.g. E349 1954
Serial no. 349, made 1954.
 

 

[kerching]

Don't on his

I shall dig mine out tomorrow....forgot all about it and I've locked up now