Radio and Early TV - Archives Refers

[Catherine Belle]

Just finished reading all those great posts about bygone radio and tv shows. Brought back some good memories.
Now, a wee question...what was/is an accumulator? Several posters mentioned having one and how it had to be recharged every week, but nobody explained what it was....at least I don't think they did.
Is this a dumb question?

Catherine

[Mac]

I think it was just a large battery like a car battery. I remember having to take ours to Halberts, the garage at the Cross, to be charged

[maggie]

Hi Catherine just looked it up in the dictionary it is something that collects an apparatus for the storage of elecictricty . It was not a dumb question
Maggie

[Hughie]

Hi Catherine it was about half or a third the size of a car battery and you could see through it to the plates I recall. Generally it was used by those who had no electricity - they used it for the electric wireless. You see the gas wireless had not been invented at that time Dad used it for lighting his hen hoose. There was another accumulator but that was a local betting term.

[Catherine Belle]

Thanks Mac, Maggie and Hughie for your replies.
I kinda knew it was a battery of some sort, but I was wondering what it had to do with listening to the radio. I truly can't remember ever seeing an accumulator or hearing the word generated in conversation.