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 Table of Contents
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles
from
QST, published December 1915 - present (visit ARRL
for info). All copyrights hereby acknowledged.
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This could be a modern day photo of an
American DHS (Department of Homeland
Security) or an Israeli IDF (Israel Defense
Forces) agent displaying a body bomb found on an attempted
suicide bomber after thwarting an attack, but it's not. In actuality, it is a 1934
Burgess battery advertisement that appeared in QST magazine with the intent of demonstrating
to Hams the kinds of research the company was doing. This design was called a "ribbon
battery," and it could conveniently be wired in a flexible manner with almost any
number of series and parallel connections to accommodate required voltage and current
combinations, including taps for multiple voltages needed for vacuum tube radios.
The packs could be "wrapped about one's body for portable receiver use." Hmmmm,
maybe that's what made me think of the body bomb.
Burgess Advertisement
 Ribbon Type Battery
A New Burgess Product
Believing that Radio Amateurs are interested in new developments, it is our plan
to tell QST Readers about some of the ideas, methods and products evolved by Burgess
engineers.
For example - Mr. W. B. Schulte is showing here a new ribbon or flexible type
of dry battery designed for, and especially useful in laboratory, experimental and
testing work. It has these characteristics: - (1) Flexible; it may be rolled into
a compact cylinder, folded into two or three layers, or laid out flat. It may be
hung on the wall, against a receiver cabinet, or even wrapped about one's body for
portable receiver use. (2) A potential of 114 volts with taps every 6 volts. (3)
Weight, 6.2 lbs. (4) Cost approximately 2¢ a volt .• To any radio amateur who may
be interested in this, a detailed description will be forwarded upon request. The
Ribbon Battery is a laboratory product, and offered for laboratory rather than general
commercial use. Burgess Battery Company, Freeport, Illinois, U. S. A.
Burgess
Posted August 15, 2022
(updated from original post
on 6/10/2016)
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