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Unknown Phone, seems not to be working

Started by mienaichizu, November 20, 2008, 01:59:33 PM

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mienaichizu

I got this new phone but I don't have any idea of its make, but it is made of Ivory colored bakelite. It is labelled "Denken" but tried looking for it on the net but searched turned zero

Anyway, I'm not sure of its use but I think it was used in some sort of an intercom. It is dated 1936 I think as what I see inside the phone. I tested it but seems not to be working, only a clicking sound can be heard from the handset but no dial tone. Now my question is this:

1. Does anyone have seen this kind of phone?
2. It doesn't have an internal ringer so a subset is needed for this phone?
3. Can this be use for home use?

I forgot, what dial can I put in it, or is this designed for receiving calls only, but how? it doesn't have a built in ringer

bingster

#1
I've never seen one of these before, but it's got very nice styling.  It don't think it needs a subset.  It doesn't have bells, but the thing with the two coils is a buzzer, which would take the place of a ringer.  I'm sure you could use a dial with it, but I would have no clue how to hook it up.  We'd need to figure out who made it, and then find a diagram for it.

As for why it doesn't work, take a look at the second photo.  It looks like the red wire has broken loose from the switch hook. Soldering it back in place may make it work.
= DARRIN =



mienaichizu

thanks bing,

this phone has quite a deco-ish styling

so the coil was a buzzer, but anyway I checked the red line but it is really not soldered to any of the terminals in the hook switch, there is no indication that the red line was once soldered. I'm still researching what make and model this phone is.

by the meantime, I'd rather do a trial and error to make this work

McHeath

Spent the last 2 hours prowling the web for this phone, found nothing specific.  The name means "to think" in German, and the handset certainly looks like a Western Electric F series, which Ericsson used to copy on some of their models of the 40's and 50's.  It sure is a nice looking phone, good lines, very appealing.



mienaichizu

Quote from: McHeath on November 20, 2008, 11:51:57 PM
Spent the last 2 hours prowling the web for this phone, found nothing specific.  The name means "to think" in German, and the handset certainly looks like a Western Electric F series, which Ericsson used to copy on some of their models of the 40's and 50's.  It sure is a nice looking phone, good lines, very appealing.




I also done that but can't find anything specific on the net. The handset really seems to be a WE F series. It has really nice lines and curve, ART DECO isn't it?? hahahaha!!

bingster

The handset is a little too rounded to be a Western Electric handset, but it is very close.  The more I look at that phone, the more I love it.  Even if it never works, I think it's just brilliant.
= DARRIN =



mienaichizu

Quote from: bingster on November 21, 2008, 01:32:01 AM
The handset is a little too rounded to be a Western Electric handset, but it is very close.  The more I look at that phone, the more I love it.  Even if it never works, I think it's just brilliant.

I'm in love with it to bing, the styling is just great, I'll post more pics of it

Bill

#7
I see a hookswitch and a buzzer (bell), but I don't see anything like capacitor to isolate the buzzer from DC on the line, or an induction coil. It looks more like an intercom set to me, not unlike the Deveau unit I posted about in the Collector's forum.

Bill

HobieSport

The lines are great and the color is interesting also.  "Deco Salmon"?  ;)

TIPandRING

I'm also wondering if this was more an intercom set then a telephone set.  I could see this "unit" in a upscale house or penthouse as way to call a butler or servant or even speak to someone at the front door. Hence the simplistic talk and "buzz" circuitry.

mienaichizu

I also suspect that this was an intercom

bingster

Mystery solved!

New member JennCQ posted a link over here...

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=832

...and on that page is a collector who mainly collects Taiwanese telephones.  They include numerous Denken telephones like the ones mienaichizu has.  They apparently came in a multitude of colors and could be had in either touchtone or rotary.  Here's the article:

http://www.collectorsquest.com/collection/1128/colored-taiwanese-old-telephones.html

...and a photo:
= DARRIN =



AET

Wow, love the Denken intercom, as it seems to have been decided it was, and those old touch tones are real neat!
- Tom

HobieSport

Bingster, I just love when a good mystery gets solved. 8)
Those Denkens are indeed neat.  They look like colorful little googie bumper cars.
Evidently they are also able to procreate new little phones too. ;)
I'd like a rotary, in black, please.

McHeath

Love the orange one!  Talk about bright! 

And that's a little creepy that they are able to self-reproduce and have baby phones.