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 or an Israeli IDF 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 June 10, 2016
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