Technology!

[Manalto]

Picked up this Craigslist gem yesterday. Can you guess what it is without looking up the name?

[1918ColonialRevival]

I've encountered those before, especially in the Southern states. It's a small swamp cooler. Mid '50s I'd guess from the styling.

Nice find!

[Gothichome]

A swamp cooler eh! I am familiar with the auto version
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi ... agon_(1954)_with_Thermador_Car_Cooler_-_8857416378.jpg

[Manalto]

I suspect those car coolers were more popular in the arid West than they were in the humid Northeast. This is the first I've ever seen of this technology.

The Port-A-Temp is not exactly an evaporative cooler. There are two compartments in the back of the unit to hold frozen canisters (with cups to catch the condensation) the principal being that the two squirrel-cage fans will blow chilled air out the front. It's a little more sophisticated than blowing a fan across a bowl of ice - and probably a little less effective.

The plug is currently (sorry, couldn't resist) designed to connect to the this is lighter of a vehicle or camper. It's a different size from today's dashboard outlets - presumably a 12-volt system, but not compatible with my Acura. I'll have to figure out the best way to convert it so I can see if the darn thing even works. I'd like to enjoy it for more than its mid-century beauty.

[phil]

my guess was a cat cage lol..
on my way home yesterday I spotted a curb find. an old electric heater fell out of a truck that came by earlier I guess, so I picked it up. It didn't work until I did the fonzie thing and whacked it. then it worked , so I said AAAAYY ! It has a switch in case it tips over to shut it off and that was stuck.
the styling of that thing looks sort of italian.
I've never seen a car lighter any different size than normal. could it be 6 volt? maybe they were different?

a weird thing I bought on ebay is some transformers, they plug in the wall and put out some sort of power. I think maybe they were used to power accessories, maybe a radio. Its sort of a black Bakelite cube with a lighter socket in it that is made to sit on a desk or something. has the old RCA logo. looks maybe 50's or something close. I could probably hide a cell charger in it. I have a lighter socket thing that has USB outlets.. so it would look funky and charge a phone maybe.

they didn't seem to have a rectifier inside. the input is a wall plug which is AC so they must have an AC output. I thought that was weird because those kinds of outlets for lighters are usually 12VDC.
I thought maybe if a radio came with a car outlet then maybe if you had this then it would run the radio ,, from AC? not sure ..

I'd research that thing , see if you can find out what the expected voltage is , if it is AC or DC and what amperage. its always possible to supply what it wants but you need that info if available otherwise its a crap shoot.

I have a little cooler that has a peltier cooler, they are a relatively recent innovation and make cold by connecting to power, no moving parts.. so you might modernize it by adding one of those perhaps? if you find a sort of modern bar fridge they would likely to have one. some fridges like that are completely silent. cheap to make I guess because there is no compressor gas or lines..
then it wouldn't need ice or water or anything just blow the fan it has across the thing. it probably wouldn't be the most efficient thing but it might be fun anyway.

failing that you could make it into a cool ghetto blaster..

[phil]

maybe the weird lighter size outlet is a trailer plug?

[1918ColonialRevival]

I meant to ask, what kind of condition is the interior in? The ones I've seen have usually had rust issues.

[Manalto]

I just looked it up and learned that 12-volt systems became standard in vehicles in 1955. (later than I thought) Maybe 6 volt cigarette lighters were different size so they couldn't be interchangeable?

No rust, 1918. I suspect it didn't get much use.

[Gothichome]

“a weird thing I bought on ebay is some transformers, they plug in the wall and put out some sort of power. I think maybe they were used to power accessories, maybe a radio. Its sort of a black Bakelite cube with a lighter socket in it that is made to sit on a desk or something. has the old RCA logo. looks maybe 50's or something close. I could probably hide a cell charger in it. I have a lighter socket thing that has USB outlets.. so it would look funky and charge a phone maybe. “
Phill, I think I have a idea what your transformers are, they are step down transformers for the old DC home power systems. As an example, to power a 6v automotive trouble light from a 32vdc home power system or even from a dc grid.
It was common for home power to be generated in rural areas of various voltages, some towns even installed their own DC power grids, guess they believed Edison more than Tesla. It was common that the plugs for the system were (still are) standard two prong arrangements. The fact it has a Bakelite case and no rectifier suggest DC to DC a step down.
Just my thoughts

[1918ColonialRevival]

I agree - the 32 VDC farm power systems were still relatively common in rural areas through the WWII era. A few holdouts kept them even longer, sometimes for decades.