Switchboard Near Me

[HarrySmith]

I have been looking for a board to replace the 555 that was stolen from me. I recently found one on Craigslist not too far from me. I believe it is a 555 with the conferencing circiut! It looks fairly complete to me, although not in the best shape. No power supply but that is to be expected. I am not worried about cosmetics, I can fix all that. What do you think??

[Alex G. Bell]

I have been looking for a board to replace the 555 that was stolen from me. I recently found one on Craigslist not too far from me. I believe it is a 555 with the conferencing circiut! It looks fairly complete to me, although not in the best shape. No power supply but that is to be expected. I am not worried about cosmetics, I can fix all that. What do you think??

Yes, it looks like a complete 555.  What makes you think it has a CONF ckt?  The CONF ckt terminates in a jack unit with 5 jacks.  I don't see that.  The horizontal plate seen at the bottom of the back looks like probably line relays to me for off premises extensions.

[HarrySmith]

I thought the conf circuit controls were the knobs right behind the dial?? I may be wrong!!

[Alex G. Bell]

I thought the conf circuit controls were the knobs right behind the dial?? I may be wrong!!

No, those are things like buzzer and battery cutoff.  Every 555, 556 or 557 has them. 

The CONF circuit consists of a horizontal circuit plate in the base connected by an internal cable to a 5-jack unit in the face.  The mating cords of each cord pair whose other end is connected to a line or trunk is plugged into a jack of the CONF jack unit.  That's what determines which lines and trunks are conferenced.  You should find complete docs in the TCI library including a General Description BSP for the 555.

[Babybearjs]

Harry, How can a switchboard get stolen? those things are darned heavy....

[HarrySmith]

It was in storage at a shop I used to work at. Someone brokE in and stole not ony the swichboard, which I has disassembled, but also the entire drive train for the Corvair telephone truck I had!
Very painful loss for me!!

[Doug Rose]

Harry...I remember. I did not know about the Corvair. Such a cool little car...a mini vette....Doug

[HarrySmith]

Yeah, the cars are cool but I had a pick up. Called a Rampside due to a ramp in the side of the bed. Cool work trucks. There is a topic on here about it:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=3406.60

[Fabius]

What do you think??

How much are they asking for it? Don't forget to ask about where it was in service.

[mariepr]

Not seeing the conferencing jacks on this one, but page 10 on this link shows how it was done:
http://wedophones.com/TheBellSystem/pdf/555-OperatorManual.pdf

[Victor Laszlo]

Doesn't have a magneto.  No conference circuit. Not fully equipped with cords. I would say it's worth around $200 to $250.

[Fabius]

Does it have the panel that goes in front of the hanging cords? Also the back panel?

[HarrySmith]

Thanks for the clarification on the conference jacks. It does not have the front or back panels, only comes with what is pictured. I realize it is not fully outfitted with cord circuits but the ones that are there appear to be complete. They are asking $250.00 and it is 2-3 hours from me. Incomplete cabinet, not fully equipped with cord circuits, no power supply or conference circuit and the cabinet, what is left of it, is in rather poor condition. Also no handset or headphone set. I am thinking it is not worth what they are asking. I may make a lowball offer in a few weeks if it does not sell but keep looking in the meantime. Thanks for all your observations & opinions!

[Victor Laszlo]

The price is (almost) right, for what is there. I would offer $200. The lack of a conference circuit should not be a factor, since that add-on is worth $250-$300 in collectors' circles.

Cabinet parts are easy to fabricate or even find in other guys' barns. A headset or handset is an easy item to find for a price anywhere between free and cheap.

A key system 20-type power unit is all you need. They can be had for $20 to $30 from collectors.

[Alex G. Bell]

Thanks for the clarification on the conference jacks. It does not have the front or back panels, only comes with what is pictured. I realize it is not fully outfitted with cord circuits but the ones that are there appear to be complete. They are asking $250.00 and it is 2-3 hours from me. Incomplete cabinet, not fully equipped with cord circuits, no power supply or conference circuit and the cabinet, what is left of it, is in rather poor condition. Also no handset or headphone set. I am thinking it is not worth what they are asking. I may make a lowball offer in a few weeks if it does not sell but keep looking in the meantime. Thanks for all your observations & opinions!

52-type classic headsets are readily available and cheap.  It has enough cord circuits for the number of EXTs equipped. 

Power supplies are rarely included and there are all sorts of options, some quite reasonable. 

A conference circuit typically adds hundred(s) to the value. 

Even the missing panels can probably be reproduced without great difficulty. 

So the cosmetic issues are the most serious drawbacks.

Consider this fact too:  Many switchboards get gutted, removing all the relays from the cord circuits, to reduce the weight because people, especially non-technical non-phone collectors, just want them as decor pieces and would not dream of connecting them up to work.  So you may encounter 555s which look great but are hopeless "basket cases".  Sometimes they even remove the bus strip the cord circuits plug into, so even if you found cord circuits to replace the gutted ones, you would not be done yet!