Information
about The Triplett Electrical Instrument Company,
and Bluffton, Ohio.
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Click on the photo's
to get a larger one! |
last update:
2018-11-28 |
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Links to my other
Triplett pages |
Links to other
Triplett related pages |
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Steven Johnson's Triplett & Readrite Collection
Triplett
- Jewell website
Schematics & Manuals of some Triplett meters
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This is
an excerpt of what Darrell E. Groman wrote on 08-29-2007. To fully
understand, you will have to read about the retoric question on the
Triplett Tube Tester I-177B-page :
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"Our village
of Bluffton is inhabited by 3,500 and is a location of
Bluffton University
with a student body of another 1300 (?) students. Many of the local
residents are of Swiss - German Mennonite or German Reformed origin. My
family can be traced back to Krankengen, Germany. My ancestor left
Krankengen in 1850 to arrive in this community in present-day Bluffton
area.
Our town's web
site can be found at http://www.bluffton-ohio.com. This shows photos
of the tragic flood we had 7 days ago, last Tuesday (08-21-2007). This
was the worst flood since 1913. Our home was not damaged as we do not
have a basement.
My office
in Pandora was not harmed, either (http://www.optometrists.org/groman.)
Pandora is village of 1,000. The flooding damaged many homes and
businesses in Bluffton and neighboring towns, cities and counties."
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To learn more about every-day-life in Blufton, Ohio, a good starting
point would be a visit to:
www.blufftonicon.com |
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| Next, is
an overview of The Triplett Electric Instrument Company's history. This
information was taken from www.triplett.com
and completed with information and photo's from the the Triplett-family
archive. |
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Triplett Corporation was
founded in 1904 in Bluffton, Ohio by Ray L. Triplett.
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| When: |
What: |
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1902 |
| Ray L. Triplett (R.L.) worked for a local watch maker while attending High
School.
R.L. Triplett. Photo taken around
1950~60. |
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| 1903 |
R.L. went to Jewell Instruments in Chicago after graduating from High
School. After a few months, R.L. was a Production Line Supervisor.
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1904 |
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R.L., returning to Bluffton after the death
of his mother, felt that he could make a better product than Jewell.
So, at the age of 19, R.L. launched the
TRIPLETT METER COMPANY.
The Triplett Meter Company was housed on the
2nd floor of a building on Main Street in Bluffton. The 1st
product that the company developed was the "Hot Wire" meter which was
housed in a nickel watch case. The first meters were marketed
under the name POCKET METER COMPANY.
A picture of Triplett's first
meter (1904-1905), built into a pocket watch case as a "Pocket
Meter". This instrument was used frequently by earlier owners
of
automobiles to test their electric starter batteries. It's
portability allowed it to be easily carried in a pocket or in
the tool box. |
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| 1907 |
| Triplett developed
a new Recording Meter under the name
READRITE.
A picture of the
Triplett Meter Co. employees in front of their second building
(taken in 1907) |
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1910 |
Triplett developed a new 8-12 volt READRITE Telephone Tester. This
tester was used by hundreds of "handy-men" to repair rural telephone lines
throughout the U.S. |
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1911 |
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Triplett expanded and merged
READRITE Meter Company with Diller Manufacturing. The
company then moved into a manufacturing building on Cherry
Street in Bluffton (the building was razed in 1962).
This is a photo of the assembly
of the early meters. The key point of interest is, that this was
the first of its kind building which used natural daylight for
manufacturing. The large wall of windows provided plenty of
light for the delicate assembly required for the precision
meters. Other manufacturing companies at this time did not have
such a large wall of windows. It also gave a very cheering
environment for the workers. |
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1920 |
Triplett worked out "wire size & winding" procedures which led to the
development of the new 50 Volt Meter used for Battery Testing. Demand
was so high that Triplett produced 1,200 of these Battery Testers per day.
Triplett also introduced the use of hair springs to provide the necessary
torque for meters. |
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1925 |
Triplett introduced the READRITE Model 201 Tube Tester. Most of
Bluffton's production of the Tube Tester went to the Montgomery Ward mail
order house since it was featured in their catalog. During this time,
Triplett introduced the first "dual" meter (amperes and volts) and developed
the Model 9 & 11 which housed 9 meters and 11 meters in one case for use by
radio repairmen. |
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1932 |
| The company name was changed to:
TRIPLETT ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENT COMPANY.
Various
products continued to be marketed under the name READRITE until 1945 when
the line was sold to JBT Instruments (the T stood for Triplett). |
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1935 |
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Triplett introduced the 1200 series Radio Tuning Tester, producing 2,000
units per day. A new modern brick building was erected on Harmon Road
in Bluffton (currently corporate headquarters and the main production
facility on Triplett Drive (27,000 sq. ft.). |
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| 1940 |
Triplett & Readrite employed approximately 300 full time employees. |
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1942 |
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Pearl Harbor was attacked, deeply involving the U.S. in WW II. Because
very few 1st line meter manufacturers existed at this time, Triplett was
chosen to supply the needs of the U.S. Signal Corps. The demands were
so great that Triplett trained GRUEN Watch Company to make meters. In
return, BULOVA Watch Company trained Triplett employees to set and
polish jewel bearings and pivots, hence the Pivot & Jewel movement.
Due to the demand, Triplett built a new two story building (currently the
'Engineering Building') for its Laboratory and also constructed a one story
building termed 'the Magnet Shop'. The labor force reached 700 as the
plant operated around the clock for the war effort. Wooden boxes were
loaded with metal-cased meters and shipped in box car quantities. Both
sons of R.L. (Morris & Ropp) served in the U.S. Signal Corps.
Add in "Radio" - november
1942 |
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Adds in "Radio"- march & april
1943 |
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1945 |
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Morris and Ropp were sent to Europe to train army personnel and construct
communication systems.
Add in "Radio" -
may 1945 |
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1946 |
A new 2 story building was built on the Triplett complex (currently the
Machine Shop). Morris returned to Triplett and became Vice President
of Engineering. Ropp returned to Triplett and became Vice President &
Assistant General Manager. |
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1949 |
With the introduction of the Television, Triplett developed the Model 630.
The Model 630 became the "2nd" all time seller. It had the exclusive
"bar ring" shielded Movement. It was developed with "one" switch so
that the operator had one hand "free". |
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1951 |
Triplett built an assembly plant 8 miles from San Juan, Puerto Rico, which
became TRIPLETT ELECTRIC COMPANY OF PUERTO
RICO. This facility closed in 1963 due to changing
economic and political conditions.
Add from November 1951
for Model 630. |
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| 1952 |
Ropp Triplett was named Vice President and General Manager of Triplett. |
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1955 |
Fifty-one years after founding Triplett, R.L. relinquished management of
Triplett; Ropp was named President. The "all time" best seller
was introduced, the Model 310. This unit used the 1st circuit board
and completely dominated its field. It became an industry standard and
continues to do so today. The trades stated " with all of its
capabilities, the Model 310 was virtually a portable instrument laboratory".
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1956 |
Triplett built a new building in Oceanside, California (just north of San
Diego) and was named:
TRIPLETT ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENT CORP. of
CALIFORNIA. This facility was later closed in 1985. |
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1958 |
Triplett expanded again by purchasing two properties on the corner of Poplar
Street and Harmon Road in Bluffton. Later sold in 1985. |
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1960 |
The main plant on Harmon Road (now Triplett Drive) expanded to double its
size. |
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1965 |
Triplett opened another assembly plant in Holgate, OH (40 miles north of
Bluffton). This facility was later closed. |
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1966 |
Triplett purchased the Paige Dairy complex across the street on Harmon
Road. The majority of this facility was lost to fire in 1976. |
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1968 |
| Morris was named Chairman of the Board. |
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1972 |
Triplett opened another assembly plant in Tijuana, Mexico:
TRIPLETT DE MEXICO. This
facility was closed in 1993 after a labor insurrection. |
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1975 |
Triplett opened an assembly facility in Weston, Ohio. This facility
was later closed. The Model 60 was introduced and became the principal
measuring instrument for industrial plants, trade schools, and technical
colleges. In 1975 a Model 60 was dropped from a 265 foot Electrical
Tower and continued to work |
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1983 |
The Triplett brothers decided to retire. Thus began a search to sell
the Company. In October, Penril Corporation purchased Triplett, thus
ending its 79 year history as a family owned private company. The sons
continued to manage Triplett until a new president could be found. |
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1984 |
80 years of family management ended when Warren J. Hess was named
President. |
| 1987 |
Penril, experiencing severe cash problems, placed all 8 companies that it
held on the market. Then, in September, the management team of
TRIPLETT purchased the Company from Penril: Warren J. Hess was elected
President, CEO and Chairman Daniel J. DeLong was elected Executive Vice
President, CFO and Treasurer. Once again Triplett was a Private
Company and Locally Owned. The company name was changed from Triplett
Electrical Instrument Company to: TRIPLETT
CORPORATION. The new management began developing test
equipment for the cellular industry resulting in the Model 5000 Analog
Cellular Test Set & the Isolation Box. Due to the development of the
new cellular test sets, the R&D department budget swelled to approximately
$900,000 in 1988. |
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1989 |
Triplett entered into a subcontract agreement with Westinghouse/Sundstrand
Aerospace. Triplett produced capacitors for the on-board electrical
system in various aircraft. This agreement expired in early 1996.
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1991 |
Triplett developed a line of Testers for the Railroad Industry (2000
Series). |
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1992 |
Triplett developed a new line of LAN Testers. |
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1993 |
The line of Railroad Testers were re-designed and re-introduced as the
2000 Series. |
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1995 |
Warren Hess, the Triplett President, decided to retire and placed Triplett
on the "block". In November, Harris Corporation acquired the Cellular,
LAN and Telco product lines. Triplett became a member of the
information highway with the introduction of its new website [www.triplett.com].
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1996 |
In February, Daniel J. DeLong formed a group of investors, including
various current managers, and acquired Triplett via an LBO, at which time he
was elected the 4th President & CEO of Triplett in its 92 year history.
Triplett re-acquired the Telecommunication Tester line from Harris
Corporation. |
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1997 |
| Triplett acquired LFE/api Instruments
and relocated the company to Bluffton, Ohio. Triplett introduced
the revolutionary digital "heads-up" display VOM, the
VisualEYEzer
. Triplett introduced a new line of Analog Indicators. |
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1998 |
Triplett introduced a new line of Analog Instruments, including the "Big
Look", to become the only instrument supplier in the world to offer the
complete "spectrum" of Analog Instrumentation. Triplett introduced a
new line of Digital Multimeters, the 9000 Professional Series.
Triplett re-acquired the LAN Tester line and Mitigator line from Harris
Corporation. By the end of the 1st quarter, Triplett's employment has
increased by 60% since December, 1997. Triplett re-designed the
VisualEYEzer to expand its range to 600 Volts DC/AC as well as
redesigning the test probes to include a "high energy" 1A/600V fuse in each.
We believe that this unit is not only "revolutionary", by its design, it is
the "safest" VOM on the market today. |
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2007 |
Jewell Instruments LLC of New Hampshire
purchases the Triplett product lines. LFE/api Instruments continues in
Bluffton, Ohio under their own brand name. |
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New / more information can be found
on
www.triplett.com |
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All brand names
mentioned on this website are property off their respective owners |
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