Electroplating appabatus with

Claim 1

IN ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS WHEREIN A FILAMENTARY CONDUCTIVE CORE IS ADVANCED CONTINUOUSLY THROUGH AN ELECTROPLATING CELL TO PRODUCE A COMPOSITE ELECTROPLATED CONDUCTOR, THE IMPROVED ELECTROPLATING CONTROL APPARATUS WHICH COMPRISES A SOURCE OF E. M. F. HAVING A VARIABLE VOLTAGE OUTPUT FOR SUPPLYING PLATING CURRENT TO THE ELECTROPLATING CELL, RESISTANCE MONITORING MEANS FOR DETECTING VARIATIONS FROM A PREDETERMINED MAGNITUDE IN THE RESISTANCE OF SUCCESSIVE INCREMENTS OF THE FINISHED COMPOSITE ELECTROPLATED CONDUCTOR OF A PREDETERMINED LENGTH, PRIMARY MEANS RESPOONSIVE TO SAID RESISTANCE MONITORING MEANS WHENEVER SUCH A RESISTANCE VARIATION IS DETECTED FOR DEMANDING A NEW VALUE OF PLATING CURRENT SUCH AS WOULD TEND TO RESTORE THE RESISTANCE OF THE FINISHED CONDUCTOR TO THE PREDETERMINED MAGNITUDE AND FOR CHANGING THE OUTPUT VOLTAGE OF SAID SOURCE BY AN AMOUNT SUBSTANTIALLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE DEMANDED CHANGE IN THE PLATING CURRENT, AND SECONDARY MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE PRIMARY MEANS AND THE PLATING CURRENT FOR CONTINOUSLY COMPARING THE IN STANTANEOUS PLATING CURRENT SUPPLIED TO THE CELL WITH THE VALUE OF PLATING CURRENT DEMANDED BY THE PRIMARY MEANS AND FOR CHANGING THE OUTPUT VOLTAGE OF THE SOURCE BY AN AMOUNT SUBSTANTIALLY PROPORTIONAL TO A DETECTED VARIATION THEREBETWEEN SO AS TO MAINTAIN THE ACTUAL PLATING CURRENT SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT AT WHATEVER MAGNETITUDE IS DEMANDED BY THE PRIMARY MEANS.