Subset 685A and 41AX Rotary handset

[ThierryCorbeil]

Hello,

New here so I hope I'm posting at the right place

I have a NE 685A subset with a 41AX rotary handset.
I'm trying to redo the connections between those two and to my phone line (house jack)

Not sure of what I did I have no tone, swap the green / red wire from the house line but nothing.
So I guest it is my internal wiring, I've follow some elect. diagrams found here and on the web

If someone knows what I did wrong I would appreciate the comments

Want my kids to see what it was like back then 😂😂

Thanks
Thierry

[.....]

Welcome to the forum Thierry.

I'm sure someone will be along shortly to give you your answer.

[jsowers]

What it looks like you have is a 211 spacesaver phone. I'm not sure where you got 41AX from, but it's not the model number. The 685A subset will work with a 211 spacesaver. Here is a thread about it and the first link from the post by Wallphone has the connection diagram for the two pieces.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=5758.0

You will need at least a 5-conductor cord to do it, or use more than one modular phone cable. I see you're using modular phone cable and that will work, but it only has the four wires. If you have any cat5 ethernet cable or an old ethernet patch cable, that would work too.

Try hooking it up according to the diagram (link below) and see what you get.

https://www.telephonecollectors.info/index.php/browse/wiring-diagrams/western-electric-1/g-type-handset-mountings/2142-g-type-handset-mountings-211g7-tl

I attached the pdf of the diagram to this post--not sure if it will work that way, but you can try. The subset should be labeled the same regardless of it being WE or NE, and the thing in the diagram that looks like glasses (two empty circles) is the ringer. Not the best diagram in the world, but it should work. It shows the connections to the network (the small block with all the screws) and the terminal strip (the strip of screws lined up).

I'm no expert on joining these two items together, but judging from the thread, they should work OK together if the component parts work. Good luck!

[ThierryCorbeil]

Thanks Duffy

[ThierryCorbeil]

Thank you Jonathan (jsowers) I tried it but will look again tonight if I did something wrong

The 41AX is the only number I found on the back of the rotary handset thanks for the precious advice will let you know

[rdelius]

41AX is a hard to find dial mount.
one piece with no back cover plate and is fixed an an angle.
Only saw one in the hunderds of 211sets I worked on at COT

[ThierryCorbeil]

What do you mean rdelius?

rotary handset 41AX is rare?   

[HarrySmith]

That is a different looking dial mount than all the 211's I have seen. Must be a later model. Is there a date inside somewhere? Do you have the rest of it?

[jsowers]

I think Robby means the way the dial mounts to the body is rare. Usually it's sitting on a small cylindrical stalk made to be rotated in four directions. I don't think your mount rotates, other than backwards and forwards, and the dial is kind of hunkered down in the mount. COT is Chicago Old Telephone, where Robby worked for a while refurbing and making phones out of parts. So that number you used does apply to the phone--it's the type of mount used. I've never seen that before nor heard that number, so thanks, Robby, for the info. We all learn someting!

Thierry, about the wiring, do try again, checking all the wires and take a picture of what you have wired to what so we can see and we can check it against the wiring diagram. Sometimes it's just some little thing. And let us know what it will and won't do. Try calling it with a cell phone and see if it rings. Sometimes you can have incoming but not outgoing and many times a handset capsule can be bad or a handset cord bad and you could have two problems instead of just the wiring up of the subset.

[ThierryCorbeil]

That is a different looking dial mount than all the 211's I have seen. Must be a later model. Is there a date inside somewhere? Do you have the rest of it?

Hello Harry, yes I have the rest of the case it look a lot like the picture I'm attaching
It was wired to the subset 685A 

[HarrySmith]

Those pictures are of the normal 211 type. Notice the difference in the dial mount. There should be a date stamped inside probably on one of the metal struts.

[Jack Ryan]

Northern Electric listed a Type 41A dial mount for the G Handset Mounting. Its purpose was to mount the NE No 5 or AE No 24 dial on the G Mounting. The Type 41A does not swivel.

Western Electric originally listed the 41A for the G Handset Mounting but changed to the 43A some time in the early 1950s.

Regards
Jack

[rdelius]

The 41AX dial mounting is one piece.no metal disc behind the dial and is solid in the back and will not tilt. The dial is fixed to about a 45 Degree angle.I have only seen One and do not know if it is WE or NE. I think this dial mount is earlier not later. It is heavy one peice die cast zinc alloy.It was possible for special uses poss. military or industrial

[Babybearjs]

always remember.... the numbers you find on a telephone are NOT always model numbers... 41A, 43A, etc. are individual part numbers, of sorts... always do your research first!

[HarrySmith]

Absolutely! Just take a look at eBay, tons of 302's listed as a F1 telephone because that's the only number the seller can find on the phone! I used to message sellers to tell them that was the handset model number not the phone model, but I gave up on that. One of my regular searches is for "F1", turns up a lot of 302's. Picked up a few good ones that way.