Oh my goodness, look what I found in one of my boxes of goodies that I am sorting through!
Ex some very old test equipment accessories but I know that these dual banana's are also suitable with some contemporary loudspeaker terminals!
MANUFACTURER IS UNKNOWN - Dual Banana Test Plug
Although I cannot confirm 100% the origin (no markings on the moulded body), I do believe this was an English creation as these accessories can with and were used with some very nice British test equipment.
MATERIALS:
Front, spring metal section of the banana plug appears to be nickel plated (or possibly silver plate but in my opinion this is not likely - too soft)
Metal section of the plug inside the body looks to be a brass alloy - light yellowish tinge which cleans to a more silver look when "polished up"
Outer body is definitely bakelite. (It smells like bakelite when rubbed, has that typical "Bakelite dull patina unlike most plastics), reacts with a yellowish colour to rubbing with baking soda/cotton bud and it is heavy for the size of the body)
DIMENSIONS:
Bakelite body: 33mm wide (at the widest point) x 25.75mm deep
Conductor entry hole for auxilliary connections (top and bottom) can accept up to 2.75mm diameter
Banana plug: 18mm length
Side grub screws so that you can connect and secure two leads from either topside or underneath.
Stackable, useful if multiple access to test points are required (see one of the photographs to get the idea)
COSMETIC CONDITION:
NO cracking
NO chips or slices off the bakelite
Clean bakelite surface
Both metal banana plugs are straight/parallel and have the "spring of life" i.e the spring metal has not gone saggy.
Clean shiny metal, front and rear
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
I remember that yonks ago I used these connectors a couple of times to provide quick reliable connections to a couple of loudspeaker systems (small Tannoy's) that I was testing. This dual banana plug connector fits PERFECTLY - after all these years it looks as though some sort of standard has been maintained because just today I checked this out with a couple of SONY bookshelf speakers, again they fit perfectly with a nice tight grip and exactly the correct spacing.
So there is another idea for you ... not only are these great vintage connectors for test equipment but "audio freaks" can use these as well, particularly if the loudspeaker system is a nice classic system and you want the plugs to "look the part" at the rear (subject to the loudspeaker connectors being spaced at 19mm apart)
I have given these a quick cleanup (when it comes to electrical items, preserving the "patina" doesn't make a lot of sense to me) and then sealed each connector into individual clear plastic packets.
