General Information

Serial #

92209

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

metal base, frame, weighing mechanism casing & working parts, funnel, tube, collecting vessel/ synthetic parts/ fibreglass shield

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

230.0 cm

Width

108.0 cm

Height

231.0 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Meteorology

Category

Precipitation amount, rate & duration measurement

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Belfort

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Maryland

City

Baltimore

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

1990's

Canada

A precipitation gauge of the type used by the Meteorological Service of Canada to gather precipitation data across Canada. Part of a large collection of meteorological instruments acquired from the Meteorological Service of Canada (previously Atmospheric Environment Service) by the CSTM since 1967. MSC is the government agency responsible for collecting and disseminating meteorological data and forecasts in Canada. It was founded in 1871 in Toronto where it is still headquartered. The MSC was originally on the University of Toronto downtown campus but moved to Downsview in 1971 on land owned by UofT. The headquarters houses laboratories, research facilities and calibration and instrument maintenance facilities (now largely contracted out).

Function

An instrument that collects, measures, and records amounts of rainfall or snowfall; it could be used during winter and summer to collect snow or rain for readings in remote areas and the data was transmitted electronically to the meteorological service headquarters.

Technical

A commercially made weighing precipitation gauge modified by MSC for use in its observing stations. Originally this instrument was a Fischer and Porter design but was made by Belfort Instruments from the 1970's. It contains a Belfort and Garret Mfg. recording / transmitting device (containing a 1000 bit BEI shaft encoder). The Nipher type cone was made by MSC in Winnipeg. This gauge was the prototype which was slightly modified and then used across Canada, with 200 currently in service. The data was automatically radioed to MSC via the data network. This type of precipitation gauge could be used in sheltered positions with an Alter type shield, and in exposed locations with a Nipher shield, as in this case. The gauge mechanically converts the depth of accumulated atmospheric precipitation (rain or snow) during a given period of time into angular positions of a rotating shaft and then into an analogue or digital output for transmission. The instrument is designed for permanent location in remote area. The measuring device consists of a collection bucket for receiving and storing the precipitation, a weighing device with a spring scale for measurement, and an indication via shaft position of the amount of precipitation gathered by the collector. (Refs. 1 & 2).

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

Exterior label with Belfort logo reads 'BELFORT INSTRUMENT COMPANY/ 727 S. WOLFE STREET/ BALTIMORE, MARYLAND/ 21231'/ Interior label reads 'BELFORT INSTRUMENTS COMPANY/ BALTIMORE, MARYLAND 21231/ MODEL 35-1559 P/N 21134-3/ SERIAL 92209'/ Label on encoder reads 'BEI MOTION SYSTEMS COMPANY/ Chatsworth Encoder Division/ 9223 Deering Chatsworth, CA 91311 Tel: (818) 341-6161/ MOD. NO. M25G-X-LT000B3-GX-CR-S-C14-ST-5/ W/NO. 12091-D SERIAL NO. 91070041' and 'MANUFACTURED UNDER ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING U.S. PATENTS: 3,670,325 3,688,302 3,710,375 3,815,125 3,974,428/ 3,976,997 4,162,399 4,338,517 4,359,688 4,362,358/ 4,383,317 4,385,234 4,427,972 4,445,112 4,504,776/ 4,602,155 4,628,928 4,678,908 4,698,608 4,736,141/ 4,752,683/ CANADIAN: 1971, '73, '74, '75, '78, '84, '86'

Missing

unknown

Finish

grey metal base and frame/ glossy white painted instrument casing/ grey instrument casing interior, metallic and multicoloured synthetic working parts/ glossy white painted funnel section/ black nipher shield, shield/ grey tube

Decoration

N/A