pointer, whereby the deflection of the needle can be read off on a scale
divided directly into volts. The scale is placed within a circular dial
plate with glass cover, giving sufficient room for the pointer to swing
all round, and the needle is placed within a central tube fitting it
closely, which acts as a damper and so makes the instrument almost
dead beat. Tube and dial are in one casting. The electro magnet is of
horseshoe form fastened to a central tubular stand, which also serves
to support the two deflecting coils, one on either side of it. The tube
within which the magnetic needle swings is inserted into the stand,
which is bored out to the external diameter of the tube. The electro
magnet and deflecting coils are wound with from 50 to 100 ohms of fine
insulated copper wire, and an additional resistance coil of from 450
to 900 ohms of German silver is added, which can, however, be short
circuited by depressing a key when the instrument has to be used for
reading low electromotive forces. In this case the indication of the
pointer must be divided by ten. If a current be sent through the
instrument the wrong way, the needle turns through an angle of 180 deg., and
thus brings the pointer to the side of the dial opposite to where the
scale is. In this position no reading can be taken, and to facilitate
the sending of the current in the right direction a commutator is added,
and the same is so coupled up that when the pointer stands over the
scale the handle on the commutator points to the positive terminal
screw. There is a limit of electromotive force below which the indicator
fails to give reliable readings. For instance, an instrument wound with
100 ohms of copper wire and 900 ohms of German silver can be used for
electromotive forces varying between 300 and 3 volts, but would not be
reliable for measuring less than 3 volts.

For very exact measurements the instrument should be placed north and
south, in the same position in which it was calibrated. Two different