Rewire of WE Candlestick 20AL with 5H Dial

[bingster]

Also note that some candlestick racks have contacts not only on the front side, but on the back as well.  Check the back side to see if any of the screws have letters stamped next to them.  Some of the screws on the back are there merely to hold the switches, but some racks have extra screws on the back for contacts.

[Phonesrfun]

Also note that some candlestick racks have contacts not only on the front side, but on the back as well.  Check the back side to see if any of the screws have letters stamped next to them.  Some of the screws on the back are there merely to hold the switches, but some racks have extra screws on the back for contacts.

Good point.

[oldphonelover]

Now that I'm looking more carefully at your earlier photo of the hookswitch, I see your hookswitch does not have a BB terminal.  On the diagram I referred to, the dial has a BB terminal and the hookswitch has a BB terminal.  The solid line with the arrow pointing down is not a wire, but it is part of the diagram indicating the switch contacts in the hookswitch mechanism.

I think I will need to just give you the directions without a diagram.  Can you do a close-up shot of a side view of the hookswitch pile?  The shot you have is only of the terminals at the base of the switch pile.  I need to see the side view to see how the leaves of the switch are configured.  I am sure it is a three-pole switch, but the photo would confirm that.  From there, I can give you some specific instructions that will have you running.

The cheater subset (parts from radio shack) will work well with a candlestick.

OK Here you go and thanks again for this... I took a pic front, back and two side views hoping it well show what you need there.

Hey just realized that it was your wiring diagrams of a home made subset that I did. Radio Shack had all the parts exactly as you had there and they work great... Thanks so much for that post as it saved me a lot of money in buying plus shipping new subsets. They work just perfect!

Smiles

[oldphonelover]

Also note that some candlestick racks have contacts not only on the front side, but on the back as well.  Check the back side to see if any of the screws have letters stamped next to them.  Some of the screws on the back are there merely to hold the switches, but some racks have extra screws on the back for contacts.

Your are correct, I too saw that on some models they had wires on both sides of the post. Although this one appears as though it is one sided. No letters or numbers on back side. I was actually taking a pic of it to place on here when you wrote you can see now all sides of the post. But thank you for the tip others may not know.

smiles

[Phonesrfun]

Ron:  Do you have a three-conductor cord that will go from the candlestick to the subset?

You will probably need a couple of chunks of insulated wire as jumpers of probably about 10 to 12 inches long.  I don't remember off hand how many will be needed but I think two or three will do.  They will go between the dial and the hookswitch, and will need to be long enough so they can be fed through the tube of the candlestick shaft, and have enough slack to open it up while things are still connected. 

I live in the state of Washington, so I am on Pacific time, and I will probably be home and can dig into this by about 6 or 7 my time.  It really won't takd any time at all to do, but I just can't bang it out while at work.

[oldphonelover]

Ron:  Do you have a three-conductor cord that will go from the candlestick to the subset?

You will probably need a couple of chunks of insulated wire as jumpers of probably about 10 to 12 inches long.  I don't remember off hand how many will be needed but I think two or three will do.  They will go between the dial and the hookswitch, and will need to be long enough so they can be fed through the tube of the candlestick shaft, and have enough slack to open it up while things are still connected. 

I live in the state of Washington, so I am on Pacific time, and I will probably be home and can dig into this by about 6 or 7 my time.  It really won't takd any time at all to do, but I just can't bang it out while at work.

Understand and thanks I well wait I am more a night guy anyway LOL

As for the wires I have a three wire lead off the sub set Red, Yellow, Green and I also have about 5 10 to 12 inches jumpers ready to go.

I well await your diagram and thanks again...

[Phonesrfun]

It would be easier if you had a 3-conductor wiring harness that was part of the original phone, and a little pad that has a couple of screws on it to tie down a couple wires, but we will do without.  If you really need them in the future, you can always get them on the internet.

This will get you up and running.

You will need two sets of small nuts and bolts that you can tie wires to and tape.  This is in lieu of a small terminal strip that would have come with the original phone.

When I talk in terms of a jumper wire, the original phone would have had about a 10 inch long 3-conductor wiring harness.  for this, we will just use three lengths of wire about 10 inches long. 

The desk stand wire is the 3-conductor (red, yellow, green) that goes between the deskstand (formal name for candlestick) and the subset.

Deskstand Yellow to Y on the dial
Deskstand Red to one of the terminal nuts referenced above. 
Deskstand Green to the other of the terminal nuts referenced above

One transmitter wire to the Y terminal on the bottom edge of the hookswitch rack
The other transmitter wire to the YY terminal on the hookswitch pile

A jumper wire from the R terminal on the hookswitch pile to the terminal nut that you connected the red deskstand wire to.  Tape the nut, since it will just float around in the base of the phone

A jumper wire between W on the hookswitch pile to BB on the dial

A jumper between BK on the dial and the Y terminal on the bottom of the hookswitch rack where one of the transmitter wires went.

One of the receiver wires to the terminal nut that the green deskset wire is connected to.  Tape when this connection is done.

The other Receiver wire to W on the dial.

The GN terminal on the bottom of the hookswitch rack will not be used.

Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions.

[oldphonelover]

It would be easier if you had a 3-conductor wiring harness that was part of the original phone, and a little pad that has a couple of screws on it to tie down a couple wires, but we will do without.  If you really need them in the future, you can always get them on the internet.

This will get you up and running.

You will need two sets of small nuts and bolts that you can tie wires to and tape.  This is in lieu of a small terminal strip that would have come with the original phone.

When I talk in terms of a jumper wire, the original phone would have had about a 10 inch long 3-conductor wiring harness.  for this, we will just use three lengths of wire about 10 inches long. 

The desk stand wire is the 3-conductor (red, yellow, green) that goes between the deskstand (formal name for candlestick) and the subset.

Deskstand Yellow to Y on the dial
Deskstand Red to one of the terminal nuts referenced above. 
Deskstand Green to the other of the terminal nuts referenced above

One transmitter wire to the Y terminal on the bottom edge of the hookswitch rack
The other transmitter wire to the YY terminal on the hookswitch pile

A jumper wire from the R terminal on the hookswitch pile to the terminal nut that you connected the red deskstand wire to.  Tape the nut, since it will just float around in the base of the phone

A jumper wire between W on the hookswitch pile to BB on the dial

A jumper between BK on the dial and the Y terminal on the bottom of the hookswitch rack where one of the transmitter wires went.

One of the receiver wires to the terminal nut that the green deskset wire is connected to.  Tape when this connection is done.

The other Receiver wire to W on the dial.

The GN terminal on the bottom of the hookswitch rack will not be used.

Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions.

Well I can only say one thing straight up...... YOUR A GENIOUS!!!!
It worked and your layout was easy to follow too...

I got it all together and made a bunch of calls already.... I well make a good blue print and post it so if anyone needs it again they can get it on here.

Now I have four working old phones, to be honest I want to do more now! But my next big project is restoring a old 1930 floor model General Electric TV...Now theres something that can blow up big time if you make a mistake in the wiring, the thing scars the crap out of me.

Thanks again for all your help and great work.... Your the bomb!

[Phonesrfun]

You're welcome!

The candlesticks are kind of goofy when it comes to wiring them.  It's almost like it wasn't until the 151AL that they started making them (somewhat) all the same, but still because of the switch being in the shaft body, the logistics of getting the wires up there and even getting the three screws to line up with the mounts through the bottom of the base is a trick.  Just plain goofy.

But, as the quote from Dan/Panther at the very top of the forum says....

"The phone is a remarkably complex, simple device,
and very rarely ever needs repairs, once you fix them."

Now you just need another telephoen project to do after the TV project.  Keep coming back to the phone forum.

[oldphonelover]

You're welcome!

The candlesticks are kind of goofy when it comes to wiring them.  It's almost like it wasn't until the 151AL that they started making them (somewhat) all the same, but still because of the switch being in the shaft body, the logistics of getting the wires up there and even getting the three screws to line up with the mounts through the bottom of the base is a trick.  Just plain goofy.

But, as the quote from Dan/Panther at the very top of the forum says....

"The phone is a remarkably complex, simple device,
and very rarely ever needs repairs, once you fix them."

Now you just need another telephone project to do after the TV project.  Keep coming back to the phone forum.

I would like to get a couple old wall phones and maybe a scissor stick but we well see I go on eBay a lot and shop around and found a few good sites to buy old phones as well. My TV is going to be a long thing but the phones I play with all the time and I am sure I well get another soon LOL Thanks again for all your help.

[Phonesrfun]

Thanks again for all your help.

Always my pleasure.