Unusual relay? "Barber Colman Micropositioner" Said to be 'fast'.

[Opcom]

This is a "Barber Colman Micropositioner type AYLZ 7383-100".

I found three of these in a junk shop. The owner said they are very fast but didn't know any more. There's an octal pin arrangement on the bottom side. It says "micropositioner" on it but I can find nothing that moves on the outside.

Thing is, I have no idea the proper coil voltage or contacts arrangement or capacity so as to get the most performance out of it. I'm not sure what it really is.

It must be something a little special because of the way it's tamper proofed with glob of factory red pain over the screws on the cover. There seems little to nothing in the usual search results except a few ebay ads and brokers with little info.

Has anyone run into these 'relays' and can shed some light on what they are for and their specs are?

[W3SLK]

Looks like it was made for Class I Div. I electrical atmosphere. Judging by the going price of used ones, (~$500) I would suspect I'm close to the truth. Some of the stuff I worked on used relays with octal sockets but they were inside a cabinet that was Class I Div. I. The only other thing is that it was designed to work with intrinsically safe wiring. That would also elevate the price tag!

[W7TFO]

Open one up & see...

73DG

[KD6VXI]

The parent states it's a polarity sensitive relay.

PUT coil voltage to it, two sets of contacts short.  Reverse coil voltage, different contacts short.

The company itself was huge in HVAC 50 years ago.

I find nothing that indicates it's for classified.  Typically you'll have a lot more screws to ensure you have a clean mate to the other surface.

The paint more than likely is for tamper proof.  According to the patent it's a pretty high tech device.


--Shane
WP2ASS / ex KD6VXI