Help, please. Deco-Tel candlestick does not ring on 2 wire line

[misfitsailor]

I recently bought this ATC Deco-Tel candlestick phone on eBay, knowing it worked but did not ring.  I am here to learn how to make this phone ring again on a 2 wire line. 

I have experience building and modifying electronic gadgets, but have never played with phones before.  I have tools, meters and oscilloscope on hand, if needed.

I really like this phone, and I am shopping for a second one presently.

[TelePlay]

Did you open it up, remove the bottom. And if so, is the ringer in place and wires attached?

If so, take pictures of what's inside and post them here.

[misfitsailor]

Here you go.  Every wire seems to go somewhere, right or wrong.

[LarryInMichigan]

Try moving the wire which is currently connected to the terminal to which the yellow wire of the line cord is connected to the terminal to which the green line cord wire is connected.

Larry

[poplar1]

May be currently wired  as follows:
Red ringer wire to 15
Green ringer wire to 16
Capacitor to 16
Capacitor to 9----> Move to 8

Line cord (green) to 8, (red) to 10

Here is the GTE practice covering candlestick and others, in TCI library:
http://www.telephonecollectors.info/index.php/document-repository/doc_details/401-gsp-997-153-800-deco-tel-specialty-models-shop-procedure

[misfitsailor]

That worked!  I moved the wires as instructed.  At first I had only a faint buzzing, then I noticed that the striker had been bent to touch the bell.  I assume it was muted on purpose.  The bell now rings, but the best I can manage after much tweaking is a soft but clear ring.  It is loud enough, so I am not complaining.  Perhaps the voltage was higher in the old days? 

Thanks, gents!  I have been empowered.

[LarryInMichigan]

Those ringers were never very loud, and the one in this phone is buried inside, so the phone is probably absorbing some of the sound.  If you have an IP based phone service, the voltage/current being supplied for ringers may be lower than in the good old days.

Larry

[RotoTech99]

You can also move the red ringer wire to Terminal 10 with the red line cord wire. I have done this with AE 80's and Starlite sets, and it works well. Your green line cord wire should remain where it is.

You can also improve your ring sound from the AE ringer; (an AE 46 miniature ringer) by rotating the gong so that the gap between the clapper and the gong is different. Your ringer gong has a "off center hole" that permits the gong to be rotated to provide variation in the space between the gong ang and clapper.

in general terms, the closer the gong is to the clapper, the softer the ring will sound[/b], the further they are from each other, the louder the ring will sound[/i]

it may take a little experimenting, but you can find the sound that is best by adjusting the gong and clapper spacing, and then cause the phone to ring, listening to see what sounds best to you.

The AE miniature ringer has a sound level comparable to WE's M-type Princess ringer.

[misfitsailor]

Thanks, RotoTech99.  Yes, I had to rotate the bell to find the best gap.  The soft ring is OK with me.  I remember having phones with bells that were so loud it would make me jump out of my skin when they rang.  Phones that should have come with a warning label, "do not use near a cemetery, may wake the dead". 

[misfitsailor]

New cloth cord and new customized dial card.