Fig. 2,607.—General view of electro-magnet form of Duddell moving coil oscillograph, showing oil bath and electro-magnet. This instrument is specially designed to have a very high natural period of vibration (about 1/10,000 of a second) so as to be suitable for accurate research work. It is quite accurate for frequencies up to 300 per second. In the figure, A is the brass oil bath in which two vibrators are fixed; B, core of electro-magnet which is excited by two coils, one of which, C, is seen. The ends of these two coils are brought out to four terminals at D, so that the coils may be connected in series for 200 volt, or in parallel for 100 volt circuits. The bolts, E,E, hold the oil bath in position between the poles of the magnet. F,F,F (one not seen), are levelling screws; G,G, terminals of one vibrator; H, fuse; K, thermometer with bulb in center of oil bath.
Figs. 2,608 to 2,612.—Vibrator of Duddell moving coil oscillograph and section through oil bath of electro-magnet oscillograph. The vibrator consists of a brass frame W, which supports two soft iron pole pieces P,P. Between these, a long narrow groove is divided into two parts by a thin soft iron partition, which runs up the center. The current being led in by the brass wire U, passes from an insulated brass plate to the strip, which is led over an ivory guide block, down one of the narrow grooves and over another guide block, the loops round the ivory pulley O, which puts tension on the strip by the spring N, back to the guide block again, up the other narrow groove, and out by way of the insulated brass plate and lead U. Halfway up the grooves the center iron partition R is partially cut away to permit of a small mirror M, bridging across from one strip to the other, being stuck to the strips by a dot of shellac at each corner. The figure illustrates one type of vibrator in which P is removable from W for ease in repairing. In type 1, these pole pieces P,P are not removable. The vibrators are placed side by side in the gap between the poles S,S of the electro-magnet, [ see fig. 2,610]. Each vibrator is pivoted about vertical centers, the bottom center fitting in the base of the oil bath, and the one at the top being formed by a screw in the cock piece Y. It can thus be easily turned in azimuth, its position being fixed by the adjusting screw L, a spiral spring serving to keep the vibrator always in contact with this screw. Since each cock piece can be independently moved forward or backward, each vibrator can be tipped slightly in either of these directions so that complete control over the mirrors is obtained and reflected spots of light may be made to coincide with that reflected from the fixed zero mirror, which latter is fixed to a brass tongue in between the two vibrators. A plano-convex lens of 50 cm. focal length is fixed on the oil bath in front of the vibrator mirrors to converge the reflected beams of light. It will be noticed that this lens is slightly inclined so that no trouble will be given by reflections from its own surface. The normal distance from the vibrator mirrors to the scale of photographic plate is 50 cm., and at this distance, a convenient working deflection on each side of the zero line is 3 to 4 cm. This is obtained with a R.M.S. current through the strips of from .05 to .1 of an ampere according to wave form, etc. The maximum deflection on each side of the zero line should not exceed 5 cm. while the maximum R.M.S. current through the strips should in no case exceed .1 ampere.
Each strip of the loop passes through a separate gap (not shown in the figure). The whole of the "vibrator," as this part of the instrument is called, is immersed in an oil bath, the object of the oil being to damp the movement of the strips, and make the instrument dead beat. It also has the additional advantage of increasing by refraction the movement of the spot of light reflected from the vibrating mirrors.
The beam of light reflected from the mirror M is received on a screen or photographic plate, the instantaneous value of the current being proportional to the linear displacement of the spot of light so formed.
With alternating currents, the spot of light oscillates to and fro as the current varies and would thus trace a straight line.
To obtain an image of the wave form, it is necessary to traverse the photographic plate or film in a direction at right angles to the direction of the movement of the spot of light.