Need help restoring and wiring a WECo 151-AL / 634A Subset

[cloyd]

Hi everyone,

I am working on my WE151-AL candlestick wiring.  I purchased a 5 conductor harness from OPW thinking that was all that I would need.  But I also need a single conductor (double yellow) from the rack's YY contact to the transmitter.  I estimated 10.5 inches.  (I have been waiting for ages for the Runzel cable catalog to download with no luck.  Do I have to donate to get that file?)

I have a WE 4H dial for the stick and I have read (From unbeldi. Thank you!) that I need a jumper from BB to R to make it the equivalent of a 2A.    How long should that be and which color?

Matt at OPW kindly offered to send me these but I would like to give him the correct specs.

Thank you,

Tina

[unbeldi]

Hi everyone,

I am working on my WE151-AL candlestick wiring.  I purchased a 5 conductor harness from OPW thinking that was all that I would need.  But I also need a single conductor (double yellow) from the rack's YY contact to the transmitter.  I estimated 10.5 inches.  (I have been waiting for ages for the Runzel cable catalog to download with no luck.  Do I have to donate to get that file?)

I have a WE 4H dial for the stick and I have read (From unbeldi. Thank you!) that I need a jumper from BB to R to make it the equivalent of a 2A.    How long should that be and which color?

Matt at OPW kindly offered to send me these but I would like to give him the correct specs.

Thank you,

Tina

The jumper for the dial can just be a half inch of bare wire.  I believe Western Electric would have used a short metal bar, if they used that method.

The double yellow cord is the T1A, it was just under ten inches long (9 7/8").

Which Runzel catalog?  I have one with 53 pages, don't remember where it came from.



PS:  according to the 1935 WECo catalog, the T1A also came in lengths 6", 8", and 12", but the 9 7/8" is the standard type.

[cloyd]

It is probably obvious but I can not tell from the wiring diagrams how to wire the transmitter.  I have a 635A transmitter with a black conductor and a double yellow conductor.  Which conductor goes to which terminal?  I have checked the wiring diagrams but it doesn't specify which conductors to which terminals.  Perhaps it doesn't matter?

Also, can I open the transmitter further?  I tried removing the two terminal screws but nothing seemed to loosen up.

Thanks a bunch!

Tina

[unbeldi]

You can remove the F1 transmitter element by turning the back plate, the plate with the circle hole for the contacts, out of the frame counter-clockwise.
If this hard to do with your fingers, use a long screw driver as lever when placed against the screws of the contact springs on opposite sides, in a manner reminiscent of a spanner wrench.

Perhaps a little penetrating oil around the thread might ease the task after a while.

Polarity on this transmitter doesn't matter anymore, since it has two wires, while previously the chassis was the return path.  Transmitters themselves are just resistive elements with carbon granules and have no polarity preference.

[poplar1]

You can remove the F1 transmitter element by turning the back plate, the plate with the circle hole for the contacts, out of the frame counter-clockwise.
If this hard to do with your fingers, use a long screw drive as lever when placed against the screws of the contact springs, in a manner reminiscent of a spanner wrench.

Probably easier to use the Bakelite posts that are there specifically for placing a screwdriver parallel to the back of the transmitter.

[poplar1]

                           BSP C35.102, issue 2, 11-1-43
                                TRANSMITTERS
                                      635A
            4. MAINTENANCE
              4.01  If the Fl transmitter unit becomes defective it may
                      be replaced by screwing the clamping plate assembly
           out of the mouthpiece. The two lugs on the assembly form a
           grip for the fingers. If the clamping plate assembly cannot
           be removed with the fingers, lay a screwdriver flat across the
           clamping plate assembly so as to engage the lugs and assist in
           turning it out of the mouthpiece. Facing the clamping plate
           assembly, turn it counter-clockwise to remove it from the
           mouthpiece.

              4.02  The contact springs are silver plated and shall not be burnished.

(from TCI library)

[cloyd]

Thank you gentlemen,

That worked like a charm and I was able to open it up, polish the contacts and clean the mouthpiece.  It makes a big difference.

Thank you!

Tina

[poplar1]

I was able to open it up, polish the contacts and clean the mouthpiece.  It makes a big difference.

  4.02  The contact springs are silver plated and shall not be burnished.

[cloyd]

Oops.  Actually, all I did was polish with Brasso using a Q-tip.  Still bad?  Time will tell I guess.  I am nearly ready to hook it up.

Tina

[unbeldi]

Oops.  Actually, all I did was polish with Brasso using a Q-tip.  Still bad?  Time will tell I guess.  I am nearly ready to hook it up.

Tina

If you didn't use too much mechanical force on the contact it's probably ok, especially since you used a liquid with it.

Silver contacts are interesting, because they actually "burnish" themselves during use simply be moving across their partner contact.  The silver is very soft and rearranges on contact generating a cleaner contact spot.
However, the tarnish of course can increase the contact resistance, as any tarnish is not as conductive as the bare metal. Much of silver tarnish is silver sulphide, especially the very dark or black stuff, which is a semi-conductor, and therefore somewhat conductive itself.

When the tarnish is black already, I do also clean the contacts with just enough metal cleaner to do the job and a soft cloth, but try to take it very easy at the contact spot.

[poplar1]

Paragraph 4.02 quoted above for the 635A is similar to that for the 625A:

             4.03  The  contacts  on  625-A  transmitters  are silver plated
                      and  shall  not  be  burnished.  The  tarnish  that  develops
         on  these  contacts  is  not  detrimental.
http://telephonecollectors.info/index.php/document-repository/doc_details/4752-c35-101-i1-jan35-transmitters-625-a-description-installation-maintenance

Actions not yet found in BSPs:

Burnishing silver plated contacts
Stripping then powder coating perfectly painted parts
Brassing out painted brass parts
Brassing out nickel plated parts
Chrome plating formerly nickel plated parts
Hot wiring hand telephone sets and desk stands without subsets

[cloyd]

Poplar,
Thank you for the excerpts from the WE BSP's.  I haven't learned how to navigate them to find what I need and end up spending hours on it and giving up.  You included the "no burnishing" quote before I opened the transmitter. You tried to save me from myself but failed; you have joined legions of others.    Mostly it is due to my poor memory rather than being stubborn.

Am I right to interpret your list of "other actions not yet found in the BSP's" as code for your pet peeves?     Well, we all have those lists.  My sisters don't understand why I think making a lamp out of an old candlestick phone is blasphemy and not an homage to telephony.  "Tina, it's called, repurposing!"  Each to their own (unless I find it in the junk shop first!  )

Unbeldi,
Thanks for the pep talk.  If I have ruined the contacts, I can have them silver plated.  One more step.    Live and learn.

Thank you both,

Tina

[unbeldi]

No, I don't think you ruined the contacts, especially since you used a liquid on them, reducing mechanical damage.
In fact, I believe that the BSPs state it, so that technicians don't waste their time doing so when on site. They were only allocated minutes for many tasks.  After cleaning, silver tarnishes very quickly again, and light tarnish corrects itself sufficiently for electrical purposes, due to the physical properties of silver.  However, when these have had sustained exposure to decades of unknown conditions, I think it is a good idea to clean them lightly.  I have had several that were pitch black, and I believe I have had the impression of improved sound clarity after cleaning the contacts and the transmitter contact surfaces.  Most of the time however, even after all these years, they are only some shade of gray brown or yellowish.

The best cleaning however would be totally friction-less, a solution of baking soda in water with aluminum power, or foil snippets, dispersed. This might take care of the tarnish in less than a minute.  Many other kitchen recipes exist for cleaning silver.

Yours looked good enough, so that I wouldn't have done anything with them.

[cloyd]

I wanted to post these pictures from unbeldi's 51C to show the original color of the conductors and the routing along the rack.  I have also included an image (member: oyang's) of a wired transmitter for reference.
Tina

[cloyd]

I have several questions for my experts.

I could use an evaluation of the wiring that I have done for my WE 151-AL with a WE 634A subset.  Is it correct?
There is a round hole in the metal case.  What is it for?
I have not crimped on the cord restraints yet.  Where do they hook to the subset?  How are the cords supposed to be routed?

Of the three different screws that are in the base, which one, if any, is original?  What size and are they commonly available?

Is there a label for the 634A available?

What size are the screws that hold the bullnose transmitter in the cup and are they commonly available?

Thank you,
Tina