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Newbie, how bad did I get screwed?

Started by Jrs1958, January 05, 2017, 08:42:56 PM

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stub

#15
 Jrs1958,
             Here's a pic of the bottom of your phone . It looks like it had screws in at one time and the capacitor has leads soldered on it . The ringer leads go on the induction coil at 5 and 10 and capacitor connects to 4 and 10.  stub

                            left click on pic to enlarge it
Kenneth Stubblefield

stub

Jrs1958,
             Some of the 34's came with a ringer laying down flat also as shown (pic ) yours will need the bracket .  stub
Kenneth Stubblefield

Jrs1958

So now the magic question, does anybody have one they want to sell?

HarrySmith

Welcome. Nice phone for a great price. No one mentioned the fingerwheel yet, nice find. That is a cut away fingerwheel, also called easy clean and a couple of other names I can't recall right now. You can always add an electronic ringer in the meantime until you find the correct replacement. It may have been removed to use as an illegal extension.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

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

AE_Collector

Yes the missing ringer with that special angle on the mounting frame to fit into the case is the problem. But, $65 is a good deal none the less!

Terry

unbeldi

#20
Quote from: Jrs1958 on January 05, 2017, 10:20:05 PM
Bottom is stamped AL 220 AQ or A0. Also stamped FA3

L-220 is one of the first catalog numbers for the 34A3, found in 1934 when the set was introduced. We still don't know what the difference was between L–series and AL–.  It was the standard set for induction coil service and metallic ringing, meaning it had a two-conductor cord with ringing signal applied across tip and ring. So, yes it did have a ringer installed.  I am not aware that there was a model without ringer, but it is quite possible of course that the installer removed it and connected the set to an existing subscriber set, simply replacing a candlestick perhaps. I don't know how common that practice was at the time, perhaps it is more likely it got lost much later.

A0 (A zero) stands for having a dial installed. At that time it would have been a Type 24 dial.

andre_janew

There is a thread about putting a mini ringer into an AE phone.

Doug Rose

I think you got a deal. I do not think the seller knew it was missing a ringer.  I have seen small donut size signal corps ringers in a AE34.  They are easy to find and install. I know I have one somewhere  :-[......nice phone at a great price....Doug
Kidphone

rdelius

Remember if someone has a bad SL ringer or a freq ringer with the proper mounting bracket,you can use parts from the larger ringer out of a tyoe 40 set.Watch the impedence of the coils if salvaged from a freq ringer.Parts will interchange between the brackets.I rebuilt many otherwise bad or useless this way.

unbeldi

#24
The patent label on the bottom of your phone tells me that your set is a very early issue. It was manufactured no later than August 1934.

Here are the patents listed on the label:

US1615311 1927 1923 Obergfell AE--Impulse-sending device
US1642822 1927 1924 Obergfell AE--Calling Device
US1689598 1928 1925 Pye AEL--Telephone Substation Circuits
US1719992 1929 1925 Obergfell AEL--Calling Device
US1738919 1929 1927 Obergfell AEL--Telephone Desk Set
US1878800 1932 1931 Obergfell AEL--Electromagnetic Device (induction coil)
USD86263  1932 1931 Obergfell AEL--Design for a Telephone Desk Stand

The label does not contain the following patent for the handset, which was not issued until late in August 1934:
US1971499 1934 1932 Obergfell AEL--Telephone Handset

AE was quite vigilant in updating these labels, some of them came in dozens of issues,[PS: or so it appears] so it provides a good way to estimate the vintage of a set.


Terrific find!   To put it in perspective, Western Electric did not come out with a combined telephone until three years later.  Your set was quite the innovation at the time, and came in a package of Art Deco styling that endured until the early 1960s (in the AE Type 40). It was designed in a period of extreme hardship in American business, 1931 to 1933.   Western Electric of course was also designing and planning the 300-series already, but the recession likely slowed the process down as it had to deal with the burden of a huge enterprise in a shrinking market, while AE only manufactured equipment.

Jrs1958

Great! Thank you for all the information!

AE_Collector

I have long wondered how close the various patent number labels could possibly narrow down the manufacture date of various AE phones from this era. I already have lists the patent numbers on quite a few combinations of these labels from the AE sets. So what we need is as complete of a list of different labels along with all the patent numbers found on each label, look the dates up associated with each patent number and then make up a cross reference indicating the likely manufacture date range if you have "this" particular patent label.

Terry

unbeldi

#27
Quote from: AE_Collector on January 06, 2017, 11:54:54 PM
I have long wondered how close the various patent number labels could possibly narrow down the manufacture date of various AE phones from this era. I already have lists the patent numbers on quite a few combinations of these labels from the AE sets. So what we need is as complete of a list of different labels along with all the patent numbers found on each label, look the dates up associated with each patent number and then make up a cross reference indicating the likely manufacture date range if you have "this" particular patent label.

Terry

I use a list of probably close to 50 patents, and haven't encountered a new one missing for some time. I also keep a database of patent label images.
This is a work in progress, for sure.  The most frequent patent labels are a collection of only about a half dozen, despite that the issue numbers of the D-780504-A labels are numbered up to 41 in a time span of only a decade or so.  Perhaps the issue numbers were not simply incremented by unity, but it appears so based on -A29 and -A30, both of ~1942. But it is odd that A30 (later than A29 ?) is lacking the AE40 circuit patent which was assigned in 1940 already. I think we should assume that they were numbered monotonically, at least.  Perhaps someone made a mistake.

For the AE40 sets I don't have any labels recorded between A30 and A41 currently.

As we would expect, there were periods when fewer patent awards were recorded, and some types of patented work 'bunch up" around model release times, also to be expected.  But even finer adjustments in technology do show up in the patent record on these labels. An example is the quiet pulse pawl of dial no. 51, as all sets made starting 1952, until Northlake, show the patent listed (US2581648 1952 1949 Gienger AEL--Silent Pawl and Ratchet).
The patent is a sure way to spot sets made between 1952 and 1957, at least in Chicago.


unbeldi

Quote from: AE_Collector on January 06, 2017, 11:54:54 PM
I have long wondered how close the various patent number labels could possibly narrow down the manufacture date of various AE phones from this era. I already have lists the patent numbers on quite a few combinations of these labels from the AE sets. So what we need is as complete of a list of different labels along with all the patent numbers found on each label, look the dates up associated with each patent number and then make up a cross reference indicating the likely manufacture date range if you have "this" particular patent label.

Terry

But to answer your question, the granularity is not great in year assignment when going by patent labels alone, but it sure helps.  I think in the case of this 34A3, we are lucky that the handset patent award was delayed by two years.  The only other explanation would be that the person in charge of labeling made a mistake.   Does anyone else have a set that is clearly older than this one ?

AE_Collector

Yes it is possible. Do you have it or any other pictures of it? If it is the newer model with type 41 handset it might not have the type of ringer you need either.

Check this topic.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=14802.0

Terry