TitleSingle-dial Ayrton shunt, H. W. Sullivan Ltd.Date1882 - 1917About this objectCommonly known as a universal or parallel shunt, this device was used as an active component of a galvanometer to extend their measurement range without affecting other variables. While galvanometers were used to detect and measure electric currents, the Ayrton shunts helped increase the sensitivity and measuring range of galvanometers – though seldom for currents exceeding ten amperes.
H. W. Sullivan Ltd. was known for manufacturing precision electrical instruments, including telegraph signalling equipment, Wheatstone and Kelvin bridges and standard resistors, capacitors, and electronic test equipment.
An account from a former employee who worked there during the 1950s and 1960s threw light on the craftsmanship behind such instruments: ‘Sullivan’s did virtually everything inhouse, carpenters would make beautiful teak boxes to house instruments, a French polisher would add his finish, metal workers would cut machine parts from steel, aluminium, copper, brass, phosphor bronze. The boxes for most large instruments would have an inner liner of copper to act as an electrical screen, and these would fit so perfectly, they often slid slowly down into the box under their own weight, pushing the air out as they went.’ (Grace’s Guide to British Industrial History) Object No.99.77CreatorH. W. Sullivan Ltd.DimensionsH: 100mm
W: 182mm
D: 203mmPlace madeLondonSourceLa Perouse MuseumOn displayNoTypeMuseum objectsOrganisations (Detailed entries)La Perouse Museum (La Perouse, N.S.W.)ThemesScience and communication
H. W. Sullivan Ltd., Single-dial Ayrton shunt, H. W. Sullivan Ltd. (1882 - 1917). Randwick City Council, accessed 13/01/2026, https://ourstory.randwick.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/12393
