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Western Electric 1AB relay issues

Started by MaximRecoil, October 02, 2012, 10:25:11 AM

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MaximRecoil

I'm not sure which forum this should be in, because it is a Western Electric relay, but the chassis is a Protel 8000.

Either way, the relay usually works properly, but sometimes it doesn't release the coin when you hang up. You can hear the relay cycle, but the coin doesn't drop. When this happens you can just make another call, put another coin in, and hang up before it completes, and you'll get both coins back in the coin return slot (assuming it doesn't malfunction again, which it usually doesn't).

What could make it so the relay cycles but the coin doesn't go anywhere?

The 4.8 volt battery pack is new and tests fine by the way.

MacGnG

Did you ever get this issue resolved? I also have an issue with the 1AB Relay in a 1D2 phone. Thanks in advance for any assistance! :)

Stan S

#2
The coins don't fall sometimes because the coin trap isn't completely dropping out of the way.
Over time these parts wear out. The travel of the coin trap can be adjusted.
If you slightly bend the tab shown in the picture it will force the coin trap to drop fully.
You can check all this by looking down the throat of the hopper while you manually operate the
armature of the coin relay. Don't go crazy bending the tab! JUST A LITTLE BIT!
The reason the coins drop sometimes and sometimes NOT depends on where on the coin trap the coin lands.
See picture

Stan S

This view may be clearer.

MaximRecoil

#4
Quote from: Stan S on November 09, 2022, 09:27:53 PMThe coins don't fall sometimes because the coin trap isn't completely dropping out of the way.
Over time these parts wear out. The travel of the coin trap can be adjusted.
If you slightly bend the tab shown in the picture it will force the coin trap to drop fully.
You can check all this by looking down the throat of the hopper while you manually operate the
armature of the coin relay. Don't go crazy bending the tab! JUST A LITTLE BIT!
The reason the coins drop sometimes and sometimes NOT depends on where on the coin trap the coin lands.
See picture

I never saw the replies to this thread before tonight (because they were 10 years after I made this thread and I'd forgotten that I'd even made this thread). I just tried bending that tab down a little, and it did seem to open the trap more, but it didn't fix the problem. I tested it by dialing my own number to get a busy signal and then hanging up. It worked correctly 3 times in a row but on the 4th try it didn't drop the coin. Then on the 5th try it dropped both coins (the one that got stuck on the 4th try plus the 5th coin). So it's still doing the same thing it's been doing since I got the payphone in 2012.

I think I know what the problem is though. When I manually cycle the relay, sometimes it binds. It's because of that little plastic arm that rotates off to one side or the other when the relay cycles (i.e., the part that has the words "this tab" and "slightly" written on top of it in your second picture). Sometimes, instead of rotating off to the side it just binds and stays pointing straight up, preventing the relay from fully cycling.

I could try adding a little bit of grease to the contact points on that plastic arm, but if that doesn't fix it I don't know what else I could do, short of finding a new arm plus a new plastic piece that sits beneath and cams against the arm (I have no idea where I'd find those).

If I end up replacing the whole relay assembly, is a 1A relay interchangeable with my 1AB relay? I've seen lots of 1A relays for sale, but no 1AB relays.

Edit: Grease didn't fix it.

MaximRecoil

I replaced the relay with a refurbished one from Payphone.com, and that seems to have fixed it. I've tried it about 25 times now and it has worked perfectly every time (with the old relay I was lucky if it went even 5 times in a row without messing up), with both refunding to the coin return bucket and collecting to the cash box, and with all combinations of 25 cents (1 quarter, 2 dimes and 1 nickel, 1 dime and 3 nickels, and 5 nickels).