Scientific Instrument Society 25th Anniversary Exhibition
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21 Skopeo Spark Plug Tester
I am not an instrument collector. I spend most of my time working with some of the most important collections in Italy and elsewhere and I do not feel the need to own such artefacts. But there are exceptions. When I see an unusual, original (and cheap) object, I buy it. The Skopeo is just such an object. I found it on a Saturday morning a few years ago in a little flea market in Paris. Initially I did not know what it was but, after a bit of research and thanks to the labels on the box, I was able to discover the function of this unusual device.
The Skopeo is used to test the spark plugs of a car engine. Inside its metal case is a small vacuum tube connected to a short protruding electrode. When the electrode is put into contact with the conductor or wire of the plug, a red flash is produced in the evacuated neon tube each time the plug sparks in the cylinder.
Collection: Paolo Brenni, Mendrisio, Switzerland