Automatic Electric 80TC (Not an 80E TC) on ebaY

[AE_Collector]

I'm going out on a limb here (again) posting about a phone on ebaY that doesn't end for a couple more hours. Generally there isn't much interest in AE 80E type phones so I'm hoping to not get chewed out about posting this one.

For the AE collector this is an original 80 Touch Call rather than an 80E OR even an updated metal based 80 with a newer 80E type case. The 80E wasn't introduced until 1975 where this phone is from January 1974. Note the nice ribbed back red faceplate rather than clear plate with paper mat.

Also note the number card holder which on these early Touch Call 80's holds he faceplate on the phone as opposed to the 80E that has the little plastic catch on the top edge of the faceplate.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1974-Automatic-Electric-Red-and-Cream-Push-Button-Phone-/140527588878

Terry

[stub]

Terry,
              Your  killing me, man   I can't sneek in at the last minute  I'm kidding , I didn't even see it . Nice phone though!!!      stub

[AE_Collector]

Terry,
              Your  killing me, man   I can't sneek in at the last minute  I'm kidding , I didn't even see it . Nice phone though!!!      stub

Well go for it Ken, you will likely be the only bidder. Needs a little sanding or retrobright but not lookjing too bad at all for a 37 year old WHITE phone.

Just trying to help find this orphan a loving home. It isn't mine but I have one identical to it.

Terry

[GG]

I have one that looks exactly like that one but is kinda' strange as follows:

80-E base assembly, including all 80-E internals, *except* it has an 80-TC dial (long-travel buttons and mechanical row/column switches) but with "oper" above the 0 (older 80-TCs don't have "oper" above the 0), and it has the complete 80-TC housing, including oldschool faceplate and number label retainer.  Housing is white and faceplate is bright red, exactly as with the one in today's auction.

I noticed today's example a few days ago but decided to let it go in case anyone else around here was interested in it (same as with Kenny's 1950 500).  All it would need in terms of refurb is the retrobright treatment and a bit of touch-up on the faceplate, and a crack repair on the number label holder.

BTW, for those who don't know, there's a special technique for getting those number label holders off safely without breaking them (as with all AE number label holders, sheesh ; - ) . 

The first time you do it, unscrew and remove the entire housing and observe from the rear/inside to see how the parts fit together.  Basically the technique involves gently lifting one upper corner of the faceplate slightly while gently sliding the number label holder to the side, using your fingernail or a thin screwdriver in one of the vertical grooves on the far left or right of the number label holder.  This results in the faceplate coming free of the housing at the same time as the number label holder.  Once you see how the parts fit together, it becomes easier to do in the future. 

To reassemble, you have to insert the bottom faceplate tab first, then simultaneously slide the number label holder into place and click the top of the faceplate into place.

IMHO, both WE and AE goofed with their faceplate designs. 

It would have been far better to have the faceplate rest on the dial and then be trapped under the edges of the housing, in much the same manner as the number plate on rotary dials.  This would prevent the faceplates coming off, prevent breakage around the tab areas, and not have needed the metal tabs (WE) or the complex number label holder moldings (AE). 

Also it would have been better to mount the dials slightly higher or lower in the housings (relative to the position on the faceplates) to enable using a larger number label.  As it is, the number labels do not have enough room for all the relevant information.  Try putting two phone numbers on there for a 2-line phone, or the extension and DID number information for a PBX extension (e.g. "415-555-2300 ext. 368" on one line of text and "DID: 415-555-2368" on another line of text).  The only way to do it is with font sizes that are so small as to be almost useless. 

GPO/BT got it right: their number label space is large enough for whatever information is needed, including room for the local emergency number (999 in the UK, or 911 or 9-911 in the US). 

[AE_Collector]

I have one that looks exactly like that one but is kinda' strange as follows:

80-E base assembly, including all 80-E internals, *except* it has an 80-TC dial (long-travel buttons and mechanical row/column switches) but with "oper" above the 0 (older 80-TCs don't have "oper" above the 0), and it has the complete 80-TC housing, including oldschool faceplate and number label retainer.  Housing is white and faceplate is bright red, exactly as with the one in today's auction.

GG: Does your 80 TC have a plastic or metal base? You said it has all 80E internals with a somewhat older touchpad and the old style case/faceplate/numbercard. I am trying to remember if the initial 80E's had the latest full IC type touchpad or if they had the earlier type touchpads with ferrite cores on the back. Can't recall now.

We had to frequently change the touchpads in 80E's to a type that had a larger contact pileup (more contacts) for use with Norhtern Electric COmpanion 2 speakerphone add-ons. The replacement touchpoads we put in were always the older type touchpads.

So if your baseplate is metal it sounds original other than the fact that you mentioned 80E internals. Not certain how that would work. So I'm guessing you have plastic base and 80E internal network/ringer which makes it sound as though someone put an old type case/faceplate onto a newer 80E except it may or may not be the proper touchpad for an 80E.

Terry

[GG]

Hi Terry-

Plastic base, 1980s vintage, 80-E components inside, keypad with coils & mechanical switch contacts.  Housing is definitely 80-TC with the rear-painted faceplate and early number card holder etc. etc.

In general about 80-Es:   If the rubber feet on the baseplate are about the diameter of a 25-cent piece, with a bunch of dome-shaped protrusions around the circumference, that's a 1970s 80-E.  If the base has plastic protrusions about the size of a quarter, and the rubber foot component is about 1/2 inch in diameter,  with much smaller protruding dots around the circumference, that's 1980s. 

NE Companion speakerphones on AE sets?  Blasphemy & heresy, I say! : - )   Where was that going on? 

80-E ringers can be used in 80s.  80-E network & hookswitch assemblies, I am seriously skeptical that they will work in older 80s, but one of these days I might check to see for sure. 

Yes, mine's a mongrel, but it's OK.  (If you want more specific info such as part numbers, I'll take it apart and report back.) 

[AE_Collector]

Yes it sounds like an 80E that had its case, faceplate and touchpad replaced with older versions for some reason. It might not be too difficult to install all the good parts onto an old metal based 80 rotary phone to make it a more authentic 80 TC.

I suspect mounting the touchpad might be the only challenge. An 80 TC (not an 80E TC) touchpad mounts onto the baseplate framework pretty much the same way the dial did. A locking pin on each side that locks into place wit ha push in and lift up motion (if that makes any sense at all...AE enthusiasts know what I mean)

Here at BC Tel in British Columbia we primarily used AE equipment due to our 50.1% ownership by GTE however we did use a certain amount of NECo equipment as well. We used NECo call directors rather than AECo as I suspect that AE Canada never bothered to make Call Directors. So when Logic 10/20's were introduced by Northern we used them as well. That means we also used the Companion 3's and Index dialers that were made for the Logic Lineup. So we also used Companion 1 & 2 speakerphones on 80's, 186's and 187's. AE 880 speakerphones were pretty much history by then as well so I guess the Companions became their replacement.

I would think that an 80E network/hookswitch would electrically work in a metal based 80 rotary but physically it wouldn't be worth the effort. The 80E hookswitch is part of the circuit board and I would be surprised if the plastic lever that the plungers rest on would line up properly in the older 80 rotary case. I've never tried it though.

Terry

[GG]

Aha, so that's why BC Tel used so much AE equipment.  Makes sense.  BTW, some Canadian AE has some interesting differences to the USA versions.  I have a red 80 that has hookswitch plungers that are quite a bit longer than the USA version even though they don't stick out excessively.  I'll have to start posting pictures (as with everything else ; - )

80-TC dial mounting:  A subtle difference in the tripod assembly, with two long screws into the respective sides of the tripod to hold the keypad mounting in place against the countervailing pressure of its lead springs.  There was no "press and slide" for the TC dial, it was "unscrew one side slightly, lift out toward the other side."

80-E parts transplants to 80 metal bases: nope, won't work.  a) mounting the circuit board w/o the guides & spacers present on the 80-E base would be a problem, b) the 80-E hookswitch mechanism would not clear the available space at the rear of the 80 tripod bracket, c) thus necessitating removing the tripod bracket and its redundant hookswitch but thereby losing the dial mounting and having no replacement method. 

In the end, 80-E could have been "perfect" with a few small design changes, but most of those issues can be overcome with a couple of minor mods. 

[AE_Collector]

80-TC dial mounting:  A subtle difference in the tripod assembly, with two long screws into the respective sides of the tripod to hold the keypad mounting in place against the countervailing pressure of its lead springs.  There was no "press and slide" for the TC dial, it was "unscrew one side slightly, lift out toward the other side."

Yes I think you are correct on the Touchpad mounting in an 80 TC. I haven't looked at one for quite awhile now and I can picture the screw/pins on each side but can't recall exactly what you do to remove the touchpad from the framework.

So you would be missing some minor little parts to mount the touchpad if you took an old 80 rotary and tried to install your touchpad in place of the dial so that you could put your old case/faceplate on it.

Terry