The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) exists to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology. The success of their efforts is showcased in the digital archives, which contain a digital collection of the most amazing electrical (AC and DC) and electronic test and measurement devices ever built. These devices were used by the National Bureau of Standards in the early 1900s to measure resistance, capacitance, current, voltage, power, and more.

Many of the manufactures of these meters and gages were destined to become household names, such as Siemens and Halske, Leeds & Northrup, Cambridge Instrument, Stanley Electric, Weston, Western Electric Company, and many others.

The following gallery contains but a sample of the rich test and measurement history that is part of NIST.

John Blyler is a Design News senior editor, covering the electronics and advanced manufacturing spaces. With a BS in Engineering Physics and an MS in Electrical Engineering, he has years of hardware-software-network systems experience as an editor and engineer within the advanced manufacturing, IoT and semiconductor industries. John has co-authored books related to system engineering and electronics for IEEE, Wiley, and Elsevier.

Related:Did Edison Really Lose a Non-Existent 'Current War?'