WORK No. 128 - Published August 29, 1891

Whether or not you intend to get knee-deep in circuit-bending or you just find yourself dabbling with a soldering iron once in a blue moon, circuits like the Wheatstone Bridge seem to be major cornerstones to understanding, as well as sophisticated tools in their own right.



I know there are plenty of readers and resources out there in a better position to explain the the construction and application of the Wheatstone Bridge using modern components. By all means consult and compare! Still, I think there is unique and intense value in taking the time to understand how such circuits were constructed in an era before mass-produced components were a staple of the hobbyist tinker.



For a duffer like me that needs a refresher course every time he picks up a volt/ohm meter, the act of puzzling over these instructions is a rather enjoyable way to shake the dust. That said, I won't pretend that I didn't look to you tube for reinforcement. There I found this amazing video produced only this year by MIT students:



Oh look! You could just buy one of these on ebay. The auction will be over soon but the item has a metre-length scale as described below.






Disclaimer: Articles in Work: The Illustrated Weekly Journal for Mechanics describe materials and methods that would not be considered safe or advisable today. We are not responsible for the content of these magazines, and cannot take any responsibility for anyone attempting projects or procedures described therein.
The first issue of Work was published on March 23rd, 1889. The goal of this project is to release digital copies of the individual issues starting on the same date in 2012, effectively republishing the materials 123 years to the day from their original release.
The original printing was on thin, inexpensive paper. There are many cases of uneven inking and bleed-through from the page behind. Our copies of Work come from bound library volumes of these issues and are subject to unfavorable trimming, missing covers, etc. To minimize harm to these fragile volumes, we've undertaken the task of scanning the books ourselves. We do considerable post processing of the scans to make them clear but please bear with us if a margin is clipped too close, or a few words are unreadable. We would like to thank James Vasile and Karl Fogel for their help in supplying us with a book scanner and generally enabling this project to get off the ground.
You are welcome to download, print, and pretty much do what you want with the scan for your own personal purposes. Feel free to post a link or a copy on your blog or website. All we ask is a link back to the original project and this blog. We are not answering requests for commercial downloads or reprinting at this time.

• Click to Download Vol.3 - No. 128 •