One of my Opticians got this off Ebay. She was told it doesn't work (correct) but it's not like the old AO lensometers I remember. The (603?) had power/axis wheels on both sides, this one only has an axis wheel on one side. There is a secondary wheel next to the axis wheel I'm assuming is a power drum wheel, but there are no markings on it for power. Anyone know what it is that's missing? Dick, do you remember these?
That's an old AO Powerite, the power was read internally. usually the wrong bulb was used and melted the pickup rod that carried the readings to the eyepiece. these were just a
professional unit to read rx's. If you cannot see the power in the eyepiece, it's a throw away
Bingo.
Tough to find anything on a Powerlite. It does have a AO Lensometer plaque on the front. I can shine a flashlight through the back and pick up clear mires with plano and a -2.00. I also see axis marks around the mires but no power reading. Where in the eye piece should the power show up?Originally Posted by Glenn Fluegge
You might want to contact Dick Whitney at the AO Optical Heritage Museum in Southbridge , MA. He may be able to connect you with a link to the original manual.
dickwhitney@charter.net
Thanks Dick, I'll give her the info. And thanks to you too Glenn!
Hey, I have one of those! The "power drum" has no numbers, you turn it until the mires are clear and the power of the lens shows up internally. Mine works!
Hey CME, where exactly does it show up/ Center/left/ right/ Bottom?
lower left corner
it looks like a little screen
I didn't really see it at first
ok, thanks!
I tried to get a pic and was not successful
Sweet find! It's always fascinating to come across these little footnotes in optical history. Always makes me wonder what brave new technology of today will be remembered as a flash-in-the-pan tomorrow.
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