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Newb: AE 80 Died, What sort of "tune-up" does it need?

Started by ThePOWERtoRULE, August 06, 2010, 11:35:10 PM

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ThePOWERtoRULE

August 06, 2010, 11:35:10 PM
This forum is a great wealth of information, and I've been lurking for a couple months now. I've got a White 2500 knockoff manufactured by a company called GST in 1987 (with PAC*TEL proudly displayed on it), a REAL WE 2500 later model (I don't know the year, but it's all modular) in beige, and finally got my first rotary about a month ago... a pink AE 80 with the wall cord hardwired out the back and handset hardwired out the side.

Aside from the ringer that sounded like it was struggling, the AE 80 seemed to work when I first got it so I used it from time to time. Then the 1 stopped working properly (did it ever? I didn't dial out much?) and would confuse my voip... if I dialed 1 it would be silent and sound dead as though I had hung up... and then if I hang up after I dial 1, the phone rings... and on the other end is a dial tone... huh?

And it's gotten worse. I used to be able to dial numbers that didn't have 1 in them just fine. NOW the wheel has gotten much slower and the pulses don't even register like they used to.

Is there an AE 80 "tune up" that I can do to try and get this thing going again??
Thanks in advance.
"I remember a house like a lot of houses, a yard like a lot of yards, on a street like a lot of other streets. I remember how hard it was growing up among people and places I loved. Most of all, I remember how hard it was to leave... And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back in wonder..." -Kevin Arnold "The Wonder Years"

bingster

#1
August 06, 2010, 11:44:37 PM
The dial may need cleaning, and there are members who are familiar with that dial who can help with that.  But be aware that VOIP is notorious for not being compatible with rotary phones.  VOIP systems don't provide enough power to ring the bells properly (the bells need 90 volts), and rotary pulses are either confusing to the system, or don't register at all.
= DARRIN =


ThePOWERtoRULE

#2
August 07, 2010, 02:42:48 AM
I've heard of the woes that come with using pulse phones on a VOIP system, but I'm able to dial most numbers that don't use a 1 (i.e. 357-2983 is a friend of mine I call regularly) without a problem. I can even call that number now, but I have to kind of "help" the wheel to spin at a slightly higher rate of speed.

The 2500 (both genuine and knockoff) ringers seem to work great, but perhaps the older ringer in the AE 80 is more sensitive to voltage drop than the slightly newer ringers in the 2500s I have.
"I remember a house like a lot of houses, a yard like a lot of yards, on a street like a lot of other streets. I remember how hard it was growing up among people and places I loved. Most of all, I remember how hard it was to leave... And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back in wonder..." -Kevin Arnold "The Wonder Years"

AE_Collector

#3
August 07, 2010, 02:46:36 AM
It could be a frequency ringer for party lines. AE phones had these quite often. Have you opened it up to see what iw written on the label on the ringer? Sometimes the numbering printed on the baseplate of the phone gives some clues about the ringer inside as well.

Terry

Phonesrfun

#4
August 08, 2010, 09:16:48 PM Last Edit: August 08, 2010, 09:23:11 PM by Phonesrfun
AE used a lot of frequency ringers, and like Terry said, the only way to find out is take the cover off the phone and look.  If there is a label on there that has the letters SL, then it is a straight line ringer and should work.  On the other hand, if there is some coding on the label that looks like 33.3~ or any XX.X~ other than 20.0~, you have a frequency ringer that won't work on any system, VoiP or otherwise.

You could also snap a photo of the ringer, and many here can tell you in a heartbeat whether it is a straight line or frequency ringer, but the symptom you described is that of a frequency ringer trying to work on the standard of today, which is 20 Hz.

As to the dial, it sounds like it needs a cleaning and a slight oiling.  Dials are like simplified clocks and should not be overly oiled, but they also get dirty and that can drag them down too.  Jorge Amely has a great discussion with links to his photos at:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1049.0

If dial repair is not up you alley, then might I suggest Steve Hilsz who does that as a service to collectors for something like $6.00 (or something like that) plus shipping.  He is in Arizona, and his website is

http://www.navysalvage.com/

Hope this helps.
-Bill G

ThePOWERtoRULE

#5
August 10, 2010, 11:19:22 PM
I'm going to give disassembling the dial a shot, and see if I can't clean it up some.

The ringer says SL, ~.4 MF CAP. It's part number D-56548-ASA. Also maybe of note, at rest the hammer is much closer to the rear-gong than the front gong.
"I remember a house like a lot of houses, a yard like a lot of yards, on a street like a lot of other streets. I remember how hard it was growing up among people and places I loved. Most of all, I remember how hard it was to leave... And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back in wonder..." -Kevin Arnold "The Wonder Years"

Phonesrfun

#6
August 11, 2010, 01:43:39 AM
Since it is a straight line ringer, it might just be that the gongs need to be adjusted for optimum ringing.  If you are getting a good amount of action out of the clapper when ringing current comes through, that would particularly point to an adjustment issue.  The gongs have mounting holes for the screws that are eccentric and not centered.  So, merely loosening the screws and moving the gongs around may just make it work right.

Good luck on the dial.  If you have any mechanical skills, particularly with small parts, you should be able to follow Jorge's step-by-step with good results.  The pitfals are to keep track of the very small washers that are on the ends of some of the gear shafts; do not oil the inside surface of the governor at all; There are some other things to watch for, but I believe Jorge has done an excellent job of pointing out all of the things.
-Bill G

ThePOWERtoRULE

#7
August 11, 2010, 02:27:40 AM
With my moderate mechanical know-how, I was able to successfully take the dial apart, clean all the pieces, and put it back together with the help of Jorge's insturctions (they're great). I have to admit, at a couple points I was a bit leery of continuing, but I pressed on and was absolutely thrilled when I got it back together!!

I managed to break the green (blue?) wire off of the dial assembly when I was removing it, so I took a bit of extra time to clean up the terminal and solder the wire back on. I hooked it up and it dials out nicely again, except for the 1... which I'm starting to become convinced is just an issue with the voip that I never noticed before.

I'll disassemble it again in the next couple days and play with the ringer. Thanks for the help, and big thanks to Jorge for making an excellent photo guide to disassembling the dial!!
"I remember a house like a lot of houses, a yard like a lot of yards, on a street like a lot of other streets. I remember how hard it was growing up among people and places I loved. Most of all, I remember how hard it was to leave... And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back in wonder..." -Kevin Arnold "The Wonder Years"

Phonesrfun

#8
August 11, 2010, 04:24:17 PM
With the dial in hand and out of the phone, you can test to see if it is, in fact, dialing a 1.  You can do this visually, or with an Ohm meter or both.  Locating the two springs that do the pulsing, they should be closed when the dial is in the at-rest position.  Dialing a 1 should open and close those pulse springs once.  That is, when you release the dial, the springs are brought into contact with the cam, and for a 1, the springs should open and close once.  they should open and close twice for a 2, and three times for a three and so on.

-Bill G
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