The LEWYT Electronic Patent Papers

From careful reading of Columns 4 & 5 in the above patent application it is clear that Mr Meyerhoefer was well aware that 110 Alternating Current Volts feeding through the hose to the metal wand handle and wands - which one naturally grips to manipulate and guide the Power Nozzle - through bare skin to energized bare metal contact into the Operator whilst grasping, accidentally or for support, a water pipe, steam radiator or radio chassis while dusting the radio tubes, would most certainly set the stage for a full on shock.

It was Mr Meyerhoefer's contention that even under careless handling this could not and would not happen with the 12-24 Direct Current Volts the secondary windings were to supply, and in this he was correct. There would have been no shock hazard with DC, especially not at a low 24 volts. Who hasn't stuck their tongue on a DC power supply output plug to test it for use with HO train or slot car sets, portable devices like 'Walkman' cassette and CD players and answering machines? The buzz is so mild as to be pleasant if not addictive. :-)

Meyerhoefer further goes on to excruciatingly explain that the main motor specified to spin the suction turbine fans was of the Universal type that would operate on either AC or DC current (as could still be encountered in rural areas) but he knew better than to feed the AC transformer current output - even at a stepped down 12 AC volts - down the hose, using the exposed metal wand's tube to the PN as a live conductor.

He wanted a simple visually elegant 'cordless' connection and so came up with the DC current idea to retain his design engineering brilliance. Remember the first Electronic Power Nozzle WAS 110 AC volts but it was supplied by a loooong two wire cord clipped to the outside of the wands and hose, running from the vacuum body plug socket. That's the one I have - the Model 107 - essentially the same fully insulated and isolated two wire 120 AC system used to this day for Power Nozzles and Handymates with protectivly sheathed two-pin connectors at detachable connection points. (Oddly enough Filter Queen and I think some other brand's connections are the insidious and incompatible reverse pin orientation to the norm but that is neither here nor there when it comes to a safe AC connection)

An elegant idea he had. It's just too bad he didn't specify a separate and isolated step-down transformer fixed to the side of the main motor or elsewhere in the vacuum chassis to supply his 24 DC volts. That would have been simple, reliable and safe under any conditions other than Biblical Flood Deluge Immersion.

As Doug says, it was incorporating the DC transformer windings adjacent to and an integral part of the main AC motor windings that set the Electrocution Bomb a-ticking. The motor's operation heat gradually softened and melted insulating varnish on the secondary windings with prolonged use, with the very disastrous result Meyerhoefer thought he had planned against.

If one finds or has a Model 111 or 121 Electronic, which will still run the main fan and likely has had it's DC connection disabled for use with non-power accessory nozzles and tools, retrofitting a separate step down 24 vDC transformer elsewhere within the motor cavity (there is ample space) and renewing the hopefully surviving hose, wands and DC PN will put things right as rain again.

That's the conditions I want in the 2nd or 3rd version Electronic Big Wheel I hope to find some day so I can restore them to faithful safe operation. The utter lack of visual electrical connections as well as the thin-as-possible hose handle and wands for grasping is a beautiful thing when compared with Electrolux's evolution of the hose handle and triggers for small hands. Meaty-fisted fellers like Crevicetool likely find them awkward as well...

Dave - running, weaving, ducking and dodging Georgia flames...

Fred Stachnik, this is one of your 2008 Convention pictures of an AC corded Motorized Beater Sweeper.

Does anyone have an intact Model 111 or 121 Electronic we could see in detail, please?


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Post# 120792 1/9/2011 at 23:10 (4,854 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)
Checkrate/Likes This outlines the principles involved for the fully electric hose, wands and Power Nozzle application for the 1958 Model 111. Drawings first then 3 pages of explanation...

Post# 120793 , Reply# 1 1/9/2011 at 23:11 (4,854 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)
Checkrate/Likes Sheet 2

Post# 120794 , Reply# 2 1/9/2011 at 23:12 (4,854 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)
Checkrate/Likes Column 1 & 2

Post# 120795 , Reply# 3 1/9/2011 at 23:13 (4,854 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)
Checkrate/Likes Column 3 & 4

Post# 120796 , Reply# 4 1/9/2011 at 23:15 (4,854 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)
Checkrate/Likes Last page

Post# 120891 , Reply# 5 1/10/2011 at 21:29 (4,853 days old) by kirbyvertibles (Independence, KS)
Checkrate/Likes Is the 111 the green model? I have the green electronic. I love it, such a neat vacuum. Wasn't there three electronic models, one green and two blue? The later one being a pig tail model?

Post# 121010 , Reply# 6 1/11/2011 at 23:08 (4,852 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)
Checkrate/Likes The 1957 Lewyt Electronic with the external pn cord is hammertone sky blue with a graphite gray lower base.

Post# 121011 , Reply# 7 1/11/2011 at 23:15 (4,852 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)
Checkrate/Likes The 2nd Electronic is the 1959 model 111 which is pale green with a silver lid, matching green electric hose and gold anodized electric wand sections. No exterior cord or connections.

Post# 121012 , Reply# 8 1/11/2011 at 23:19 (4,852 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)
Checkrate/Likes The 1960 Electronic is pale blue with an even paler silver-gray lid and copper anodized wands. Also the lid window for the See-Thru Speedsacs. Pictures from Doug Smith's currently shut down site. Dave

Post# 121025 , Reply# 9 1/12/2011 at 07:11 (4,852 days old) by countryguy (Astorville, ON, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes I don't mean to go off topic but I noticed that Doug's site was not available. I hope he is going to have it back soon. Gary

Post# 121028 , Reply# 10 1/12/2011 at 07:54 (4,852 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes Did anyone actually get injured, or killed, by the dangerous electrical set-up used on the last models? (hey there Gary!!!! :-) )

Post# 121191 , Reply# 11 1/13/2011 at 16:52 (4,850 days old) by collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk)
Checkrate/Likes Hi Gary: I havnt had time to find a new host for my site - let alone do all the work to move the stuff. 50 megs appears to be trying to pull a fast one. They tell you that you are allowed up to 50 megs of content and x bandwidth for free. Mine is under 20 megs yet and, since it has been down for the last 6 months or more has used no bandwidth yet every time I try to do anything with it I get a message that it is over the limits and I have to pay them to get it back up or wait till the end of the month (which never seems to come). Eventually I will find a different free host but till then it will have to stay down. Anybody have any suggestions? Doug PS - Re the electronics - there were a number of injuries from shocks delivered by the machines which led to the lawsuits which bankrupted Lewyt.

Post# 121233 , Reply# 12 1/13/2011 at 21:18 (4,850 days old) by Rainbowkid107 ()
Checkrate/Likes *Hope you don't mind me asking...* What exactly caused the shocks? Was it the hose itself? Or maybe the swivel connector?

Post# 121261 , Reply# 13 1/14/2011 at 07:33 (4,850 days old) by countryguy (Astorville, ON, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes Hi Doug, I hope that you can find a site that will suit your needs. It would be a shame to not be able to have your incredible website available. Gary

Post# 122239 , Reply# 14 1/19/2011 at 16:23 (4,844 days old) by collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk)
Checkrate/Likes Hey Josh: Sorry to take so long to reply - just been too busy to log on. What caused the shocks was a really dumb system. Lewyt incorporated the secondary winding which produced the 24 volts for the power head into the motor winding. Effectively making the motor both motor and transformer. In iteslf not a bad idea except that when the motor overheated it melted the varnish off the wires and allowed the 120 Volts to feed directly into the 24 volt system. Even at that, it would normally only burn out the powerhead motor, except for the second stupid idea which used the case of the machine and metal of the wands as one contact for the 24 volt system. It made it so that they only had to run one wire from the pn to the machine but, when charged by the 120V it gave a shock to anyone touching a metal part. If by some chance you were touching something like a pipe, sink or radiator that was grounded when you touched the wand or vacuum you got a really bad shock, possibly fatal. Hence the lawsuits.

Post# 122258 , Reply# 15 1/19/2011 at 19:16 (4,844 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)
Checkrate/Likes From careful reading of Columns 4 & 5 in the above patent application it is clear that Mr Meyerhoefer was well aware that 110 Alternating Current Volts feeding through the hose to the metal wand handle and wands - which one naturally grips to manipulate and guide the Power Nozzle - through bare skin to energized bare metal contact into the Operator whilst grasping, accidentally or for support, a water pipe, steam radiator or radio chassis while dusting the radio tubes, would most certainly set the stage for a full on shock. It was Mr Meyerhoefer's contention that even under careless handling this could not and would not happen with the 12-24 Direct Current Volts the secondary windings were to supply, and in this he was correct. There would have been no shock hazard with DC, especially not at a low 24 volts. Who hasn't stuck their tongue on a DC power supply output plug to test it for use with HO train or slot car sets, portable devices like 'Walkman' cassette and CD players and answering machines? The buzz is so mild as to be pleasant if not addictive. :-) Meyerhoefer further goes on to excruciatingly explain that the main motor specified to spin the suction turbine fans was of the Universal type that would operate on either AC or DC current (as could still be encountered in rural areas) but he knew better than to feed the AC transformer current output - even at a stepped down 12 AC volts - down the hose, using the exposed metal wand's tube to the PN as a live conductor. He wanted a simple visually elegant 'cordless' connection and so came up with the DC current idea to retain his design engineering brilliance. Remember the first Electronic Power Nozzle WAS 110 AC volts but it was supplied by a loooong two wire cord clipped to the outside of the wands and hose, running from the vacuum body plug socket. That's the one I have - the Model 107 - essentially the same fully insulated and isolated two wire 120 AC system used to this day for Power Nozzles and Handymates with protectivly sheathed two-pin connectors at detachable connection points. (Oddly enough Filter Queen and I think some other brand's connections are the insidious and incompatible reverse pin orientation to the norm but that is neither here nor there when it comes to a safe AC connection) An elegant idea he had. It's just too bad he didn't specify a separate and isolated step-down transformer fixed to the side of the main motor or elsewhere in the vacuum chassis to supply his 24 DC volts. That would have been simple, reliable and safe under any conditions other than Biblical Flood Deluge Immersion. As Doug says, it was incorporating the DC transformer windings adjacent to and an integral part of the main AC motor windings that set the Electrocution Bomb a-ticking. The motor's operation heat gradually softened and melted insulating varnish on the secondary windings with prolonged use, with the very disastrous result Meyerhoefer thought he had planned against. If one finds or has a Model 111 or 121 Electronic, which will still run the main fan and likely has had it's DC connection disabled for use with non-power accessory nozzles and tools, retrofitting a separate step down 24 vDC transformer elsewhere within the motor cavity (there is ample space) and renewing the hopefully surviving hose, wands and DC PN will put things right as rain again. That's the conditions I want in the 2nd or 3rd version Electronic Big Wheel I hope to find some day so I can restore them to faithful safe operation. The utter lack of visual electrical connections as well as the thin-as-possible hose handle and wands for grasping is a beautiful thing when compared with Electrolux's evolution of the hose handle and triggers for small hands. Meaty-fisted fellers like Crevicetool likely find them awkward as well... Dave - running, weaving, ducking and dodging Georgia flames... Fred Stachnik, this is one of your 2008 Convention pictures of an AC corded Motorized Beater Sweeper. Does anyone have an intact Model 111 or 121 Electronic we could see in detail, please?

Post# 122299 , Reply# 16 1/20/2011 at 04:00 (4,844 days old) by kirbyvertibles (Independence, KS)
Checkrate/Likes I have a 111 with the original hose as pictured above but it's pack away in a box someplace. I don't know if it still works as the power nozzle isn't with it. I love the hose but sadly it's in BAD shape. I wish I could get to it now, I guess without the PN it really doesn't matter.

Post# 122476 , Reply# 17 1/21/2011 at 13:37 (4,843 days old) by collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk)
Checkrate/Likes I have a 111 too but no powernozzle there either. Does anyone have a spare? :) Doug