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Need some help with Modular Plug and Touch Tone Key Pad

Started by LoveOldPhones, November 12, 2016, 05:30:32 PM

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LoveOldPhones

my cell phone takes very blurry pictures.... it's just an old flip phone.  I don't like the idea of carrying the internet around with me and refuse to spend the money on a smart phone.  I have an old pay as you go phone for emergency only.... it stays off all the time otherwise.
I do everything the old fashioned way.  lol ...  so my phone is just making calls when I need it.

I do plan to buy a camera very soon because I have things I want to sell.  so I have to teach myself how to use eBay and I will need a decent camera for taking pictures.

as far as the 10 button phone goes....   I have not done anything more with it at the moment.
I can't give you any clear pictures right now because of the phone I have...... but I do have a dial tone.  lol

when I press a button.... there is a tone... and it's the same tone for all the buttons. when I press more than one at a time.... there is then no tone.

I may have a defective dial.  If i don't find someone local that works on old phones... I will have to send it out to someone.
so....  my online bargain....  is now not going to be a bargain anymore.  LOL

I bought the phone to use.... and now I can't get it to work.... so someone will have to fix it for me.

but... thats the breaks of the game.... you pays your money and you takes your chances.... thats what happens when old phones multiply.  lol
that's alright....  I get it done.

anyway.... thanks for your help.  I really appreciate it. I don't know anyone else.... especially girls.... that like old phones.... let alone someone that can repair them.
 
nobody I know seems to care about them anymore.  I can't remember a time when I  never did NOT care about them.... I have always loved them.... and try to use them all as well.... even the few cheesy smelling ones occasionally get hooked up and get their turn to be used.

one of these days I hope to get to an old telephone show.... that would really be fun.

OK well....  thanks again.

AL_as_needed

Have any luck with the touch tone?

One important aspect of these old phones as a hobby is not to be too afraid of tinkering with them. Admittedly (at least to me) touch tones are a bit more complex.

When you press a button is the tone a clear tone or more of an odd "blurt" or chirp sound?

After re-reading your posts, it could also be that the dial pad may not be hooked to the network correctly. 

TWinbrook7

Victor Laszlo

#17
Please do not start taking wires off of terminals or moving them around.  There is one chance in a million that someone moved wires around before you acquired the phone.

Here are the easy steps to fix the dial, or at least determine if it's reparable. You need a screwdriver and a business card. That's it!

Place a soft bath towel on the table, to prevent damage to the parts or the table.

Take a "regular" screwdriver and loosen the two captive screws that hold the base of the phone to the housing.

Remove and place the housing safely away.

Loosen the two screws, one at each side of the dial, and flip the dial out of its two mounting arms.

Remove the clear plastic dust cover from the rear of the dial. You may see, and need to break, little pieces of scotch tape holding the two halves of the dust cover together.

Carefully, while holding the dial in one hand, observing the sides and back of the dial, watch what happens when any one button is depressed, using one finger of the other hand.

You will see  (7) sets of very small gold-colored contacts around the perimeter of the dial.  Two contacts will close for every individual button depression. One for a ROW and one for a COLUMN.  Those are the contacts that energize the 7 different tones that are required to make the 10 dual-tone, multi-frequency digits.

You will also notice a bunch of small gold-colored switch contacts, all in one spot, that all move together (in "common") whenever any one button is depressed. Those contacts, some of which OPEN and some of which CLOSE when activated, are called the COMMON SWITCH.

Now that you have observed how the dial works, mechanically, here comes the fun part:

Take a very good quality business card or a small piece of "bond paper" and place it between one set of ROW or COLUMN contacts. (the ones around the perimeter) 

Press the button ROW or COLUMN that activates that set of contacts. While holding the button depressed, trapping the paper, gently slide the paper out of the contacts, in a wiping motion.

Do it several times for each of the 7 contact sets.  Work slowly and methodically.

Then closely observe the COMMON contacts while they are at rest.  Some of them are normally closed (touching) and some are normally open (not touching)

First take the pairs of contacts that are normally open, and perform the same paper-wiping routine as you did above for the 7 sets of tone contacts.  Hold the paper between the contacts, press any button, hold, and wipe with the paper.

Now, the next step is a little harder.

Press any button, and watch the COMMON switch contacts that OPEN when you do so.

While they are open, place the card or paper between them, then release the button, and do the wiping action. Repeat a few times.

Put the dust cover back on, flip the dial over and place it in its two arms, and get a dial tone to the phone. Try the dial and see how it sounds. Let us know the results.

Do not spray any contact cleaner into the dial. Do not use anything even the slightest bit abrasive to fix the contacts. They have a very thin coating of gold, and can be damaged with any abrasive.





markosjal

#19
Your problem sounds like it is in the dial pad.

This is most likely a mechanical type dial pad. When you look at the sides and back of the dial pad do you see contacts?

If you do then proceed as follows

look for a set of contacts on the rear of the dial pad (see pic 1) this is a typical configuration. The plastic cover does not allow you to see the contacts and this dialpad is disassembled so it does not have the plastic actuator that moves the contacts. This would be in the rectangular empty slot in Pic 1.  You should find it at one extreme. Now without pressing any key move the plastic actuator gently to the opposite extreme . Do not force it.

Do you then hear the dial tone stop when moving it?

do you hear a single tone of a DTMF tone while moving it?

You should hear the dial tone stop or the volume drop significantly.

you should NOT hear a single tone of a DTMF nor a dtmf tone (2 frequencies)

If you hear a tone you have a bent pin for a row or column of buttons (these are on the sides of the dial as in the second pic). This pictured keypad is disassembled and has no keys on the front.

you can see that each button activates the contact for the corresponding row and corresponding column. if any one is out of whack it can affect the others. For instance if column 2 is stuck closed you might find column 1 works but column 3 does not , or that no other column works, depending on the dialpad.

If moving the small actuator "breaks" (probably more like "MUTES" the dial tone)the dial tone then you need to investigate why a button press does not, and it is probably a bent contact under the plastic cover specifically there is usually one (sometimes 2) that should close when any button is pressed. There are usually two that should open when any button is pressed.



Contrary to what some may say these problems often CAN be fixed and not too hard to do but you need to understand how it works and use patience. If you need to bend pins I recommend a box cutting knife.

Mark
Phat Phantom's phreaking phone phettish

Victor Laszlo

Marko, did you read my answer, slightly above yours?

markosjal


Victor,

I read it briefly but also know that sometimes two explanations are better than one. My approach varies from your in that I do not use the paper technique. Moving the contact on rear of dialpad immediately indicated whether a contact is stuck closed

Not trying to steal you glory

I disagree with those who say they are too difficult to repair

Mark
Phat Phantom's phreaking phone phettish

Jim Stettler

I think the "paper" is to clean the contacts. It is worth doing while you are playing with the keypad.
JMO,
Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

HarrySmith

#23
Passing a pice of paper in  between the contacts to clean them only takes a few seconds. It does not harm anything either.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

AL_as_needed

Quote from: HarrySmith on December 16, 2016, 07:51:43 PM
Pssing a pice of paper in  between the contacts to clean them only takes a few seconds. It does not harm anything either.

Index cards are great for this as they are stiff enough to get them in there and have some texture to polish/clean. I use this trick on all my switchhooks etc. I do again want to mention the possibility of atone generator being bad OR the wiring being wrong. Consult a wiring diagram (there are many here) or test against a know to be good unit.
TWinbrook7