What made them electronic?
The short answer was nothing. In fact, Consumer Reports in their 1959 tests took issue to this "misleading fact" of Lewyt calling their machine Electronic.
There are a few threads in the archives that deal with how Lewyt made the "Electronic" "; "Beater-Sweeper Lewyt" work. The basis, was that Lewyt used a step down winding off the main suction motor in the canister. This step-down winding brought the power down to send out to the "beater sweeper" to 24 volts.
In theory, this was a fairly brilliant solution. A gentleman named Hoffmeyer, a engineer with Lewyt finagled out this idea. There is several online "patent documents", explaining in GREAT detail, with lots of electrical and technical mumbo-jumbo how this all went down.
IN laymans terms....This "stepped down power" was applied to the frame of the canister body, being all metal , to be used as the beginning conductor for this 24v voltage. The hose had a bare metal canister end ferrule, which took that same voltage, and went thru the wire hose by a thin wire filament, or the metal inner spiral wire that hols the hose to shape (that Im not 100% clear on). The cleaning end of the hose was also metal "With a rubber LEWYT embossed grip" the user held onto. This metal cleaning end was inserted into metal wands, which carried the current to the metal "Beater Sweeper" body. The wire to the nozzle motor connected to the outer metal "beater-sweeper)body completing the 24 volt circuit.
Thanks to several I have seen in person, and such, this is the best way to describe how this system worked...
Again, in theory, this was a brilliant ( and theoretically SAFE) solution of how to get power out from the canister to the power-head without using bulky wires clipped to the hose and wand (like Lewyt had originally, and Electrolux and others used, or, producing a electrified hose (like Whirlpool and Kenmore had shortly, to do away with the outer 110v wiring outside, sans the wand usually.)
In practice, not so good. Again, the easy explanation is this :The step down winding was separated from the 110v motor winding by a varnish that worked FINE, as long as the machine did NOT become grounded to another metal item. When this happened, the varnish wore (melted) away, and in short order the two windings became LIVE with 110v. This of course caused MANY end users to receive nasty shocks, from ANY of the metal parts from a fairly new cleaner.
In the end, it was a failure because of this. And the lawsuits that sprang forth from these shocks bankrupted the company sometime in 1960-61.
Others can throw in more if they wish to.
The few that I have seen that were not complete, still working units usually had the wire to the cansiter body removed entirely or snipped and capped off. None that I had ever seen before learning about this thru the years ever still had it's beater sweeper. Most were just used as suction units...
Hope this helps...
Chad
(The pics I have put on show the Electronic in one of it's 1959 ad's, the second pic is the 1959 I believe Lady Kenmore with a 110v. electric hose. The thir picture is a rare Airway 88 with a clipped wand cord system and then the 1960's Electroulx Model G with it's wire clipped to the hose.... The last one is a complete Beater Sweeper Model)
