Stewart-Warner Model 746 (1920s, 1930s)	Back	Up	Next
This meter was conceived by some people within FDR's administration who thought the average price of $20 being asked by the meter manufacturers was too much, thinking $5 would be a reasonable price for meters being purchased by the rural electric coops springing up at this time. Stewart-Warner (whose experience was mainly on various types of voltmeters, spedometers etc.) was the only company willing to take up the challenge and developed two models. The one shown cost a little more than $5, but was close enough to satisfy those who commissioned its design. S-W did make an even more primitive model (it had only a 3-digit cyclometer) that did sell for $5 each, but very few of this model were sold or they have all been junked. Both models mounted on a combination terminal chamber / fuse box. Many features of this meter are radically different from other companies' models. Instead of the satin black finish normally seen on older meters, this has a 'crinkle' paint finish. The base and all internal support pieces are made of steel punchings (as done on the Westinghouse OB and a few other models). The register mechanism uses an absolute minimum of parts - there is only ONE gear between the disk and the register drums. The register drums are unique as the spindles that advance each drum are concealed between the drums themselves. Instead of the normal sliding or hook-type test link, the test link is a knurled nut on a screw that can be backed out to break contact with a spring. The most unique feature of this meter is the push button switch on the right side behind the cover interlock - this illuminates the light seen just to the right of the register. Despite efforts by FDR's administration to force rural coops to use these meters (this model performed very poorly in service anyhow), they ended up purchasing socket-type meters from the 'big 4' manufacturers.	May Engineering Labs. collection