Help ID Vintage Sun Test Equipment

[Snark13]

Came across this piece out thrifting the other day. Model no. Shows sx223, I cant find anything about them online. I'm new to this vintage equipment, can someone help me ID this thing? I just bought it because I thought it was cool. Thanks in advance

 

[txvwnut]

Battery, starting and charging system tester. Kind of says it right there on the lid.

 

[Snark13]

Battery, starting and charging system tester. Kind of says it right there on the lid.

Well, yes. I tested it today and it works very well still. But I was curious about when they were made and why I can't find any of them online. Either way, awesome find and I'm excited to use it.

 

[txvwnut]

Probably made in the 60’s or 70’s and have been replaced by modern electronic type units.

 

[engineer2]

They made the well-known VAT2-8 and VAT-40 for auto repair shops. Sun Electric did some custom stuff for the military. What you have might be a unit made for the military. They preferred equipment in rugged green metal cases. Since it has a clamp-on Amps probe, it would likely be from the 70's or maybe early 80's. Nice find!

 

[Provincial]

My guess, based on paint color and style of gauges is 1950's. Any later and they had gone to a metallic blue paint. The gauges are later style than the 1940's and earlier. The model number doesn't fit with the usual BT- and VAT- prefixes. It may be a specialty model, which the SX- prefix hints at. Perhaps made for the military?

 

[engineer2]

In the 1950's and into the 60's the amps connection would have been like a VAT-28: connect in series with the battery using a shunt to get amps. The SX-223 has an inductive style clamp-amp which means it's later. I'll ask an ex-Sun person I know.