EDISON "IRONCLAD" BATTERY-POWERED FAN
Ca. 1893

The Edison "ironclad" fan is a particularly rare and unusual early battery-powered fan. Very small in size, the blades measure only 7" in diameter. In its earliest incarnation, as seen here, there was no protective cage around the blades, which rotate at 1,000 rpm. The fan was originally powered by a set of 3 large Edison-Lalande cells, Type Q, in a heavy wooden carrying box. This battery set was considerably larger and heavier than the fan itself, and very inconvenient.

The early ironclad fans, as seen here, had a flat commutator enclosed within the main casting, and a glass back for inspection. Later versions had a redesigned motor and castings with a larger cylindrical commutator coming out of the rear opening.

RETURN TO HOMEPAGE