Siemens & Halske Modell 26

[Matilo Telephones]

Just finished restoring my Siemens & Halske Modell 26

It is the forerunner of the famous W28, standard German telephone. It was made for only a short period and it is very rare, and sought after by German collectors.

The main difference between the Modell 26 and the W28 are the slots at the front and side, near the bells, the stamped out number card window instead of the rectangular bolted on one and the cradle is fastened by a slotted bolt instead of a hexagonal one.

This is going to be my daily dialer for a while. :-)

[HarrySmith]

Cool! Neat looking phone and nice resto!

[Matilo Telephones]

Thanks Harry!

[cloyd]

I just assumed that European phones wouldn't work in the U.S.  Would you please elaborate on the difference between the two phone systems and the electrical converters needed for our appliances when traveling in Europe.
Thank you,
cloyd

[compubit]

Amazing looking phone. I've got to get something like that for my office (along with the appropriate ATA...).

I just assumed that European phones wouldn't work in the U.S.  Would you please elaborate on the difference between the two phone systems and the electrical converters needed for our appliances when traveling in Europe.
Thank you,
cloyd

Analog phones should work between the two continents.  As far as I know (and there may be others) the main differences are the make/break ratio of dial pulses (though with modern switching systems, that should not be an issue) and ringing circuits (all depending on how the circuit is wired - common capacitor, wiring - and ringing voltage /frequency - though I don't think that's an issue, either). Too many phone systems were built on either side of the pond (or in the Far East) and used everywhere, that it's fairly standard, in my opinion.

Digital - all bets are off!

Jim

[Ktownphoneco]

The telephone systems in Europe shouldn't be confused with the electrical system in that part of the world.     Most, if not all,  countries in Europe use 220 Volt AC to power pretty much everything from electric shavers, to clothes dryers, and everything in between.      They have the right idea.     Any appliance that runs on 220 Volt AC, is more economical to operate than the same appliance operating here in North America on 115 Volts AC.    Most devices running on 220 Volts AC, use approx. half the current than that which is required to perform the same amount of work done by a similar device wired for, and running on 115 Volts AC.     Your local electrical utility company charges for the current you use, not the voltage.

However, telephone systems in Europe operate on DC voltage, just like they do here in North America.   I'm not sure if they use, or did use, frequency ringing, but aside from that situation, most of the private line telephone ringers use pulsed DC current at a frequency fairly similar to that used here.        On hook / off hook voltages would be fairly close as well.     The UK use, or did use a break / make ratio of 66-2/3'rds percent- 33-1/3rd percent.     I can't recall the number of pulses per second that British telephones were calibrated for, but since the pps parameters on this continent will accept anything between 8 pps and 11 pps, I think it's a pretty good bet, that most European sets would produce something within that range.    Back in the day, the Manitoba Telephone Service (MTS) bought a number of GECo telephones from England to install in subscriber's (customer's) homes.     The sets were equipped with Siemens dials.      I had occasion to repair a Siemens dial from one of these sets, and discovered, the dial was equipped with one of the 66-2/3 x 33-1/3 cams ( they are stamped with the letter "A" ).    Manitoba used a number of different telephone sets with dials from Northern, A.E. and Siemens, and they all functioned just fine using the same CO switching equipment.
Several years ago, I ended up with a Russian telephone that was included with a "lot" of other telephone parts and sets.      I didn't bother calibrating the dial, but it did dial several local telephone numbers correctly.     It's now living much closer to home, in "Alaska". :-)

Jeff Lamb

[unbeldi]

The telephone systems in Europe shouldn't be confused with the electrical system in that part of the world.     Most, if not all,  countries in Europe use 220 Volt AC to power pretty much everything from electric shavers, to clothes dryers, and everything in between.      They have the right idea.     Any appliance that runs on 220 Volt AC, is more economical to operate than the same appliance operating here in North America on 115 Volts AC.    Most devices running on 220 Volts AC, use approx. half the current than that which is required to perform the same amount of work done by a similar device wired for, and running on 115 Volts AC.     Your local electrical utility company charges for the current you use, not the voltage.

Hmm,  I don't know about your town or the one down the road, but here they bill by the kilowatt-hour consumed, that is energy, not current.

energy = power x time = voltage x current x time

An appliance running on twice the voltage indeed uses approximately half the current, but the power is the same, save some small non-linearities in power supply efficiency as a function of operating voltage.

[dsk]

This are slightly related to the thread, the modell 26 is made for 25 hz ringing at 60V, and pretty short lines.  It will work im most other countries, but may have a REN load (guessing) of 2-4 related to the W.E. 500 ringer at 1 REN. This phone has no anti tinkle device such as bias spring. It  should work in most other countries, but most ATA's will not handle this ringer without adjusting ringer voltage.

Jeff I agree in what I think you say. It is definitely easier with less different standards, and most phones are working all around the world.  The exchanges does accept make brake ratios within a wide range, the system voltages are usually close to50V, but even 24V works on the same phones.  So what is different? The tones and signalling, ring cadences etc, but it works together with the telephones.
Most countries has standard ring frequency of half or 1/3 of mains frequency, so it will be in steps from 16-2/3 to 30 hz. Most telephones works within that range. North America has used tuned ringers for party lines. Germany (maybe others) has used as low as 60V ringing.
New Zealand and Oslo (Norway) has reverse dial.  UK and a few others has still divided the ringer circuit into a third wire using a common capacitor in the first jack. We have some different standards on the line impedance, but the nature has forced all this to be close to 600 ohms. Today this may be of importance to reduce echo on e.g. analog adapters with short lines to the phone. The DTMF are now equal, even the layout of the push buttons has preferred standards. (I have some with calculator layout) The function of flash, and that pulse length are not equal, and my wary pretty much. And of course it is a lot of plugs and jacks. (our new phone plugs are RJ45!)  Historically it has been many other standards, grounded ringing, resistance dialing, grounded signalling/dialing....  Payphones has had a variety of signalling  systems, by now the COCOTS uses ordinary lines, and everything is programmed in each payphone.

Regarding power supply, energy is energy, but loss in cables are less in higher voltages, and lower frequencies. Most countries started with DC at 100-115V because they were designed for the Edison lamp.  Edison did not believe in AC so I'm told that's why he invented the electrical chair for AC.  Later it was easy to just remove the center wire and double the voltage. (no zero or grounding considered) The lamps worked well on AC too, so why making DC when AC was easier to transform. It has been used 16.67, 25, 40, 50, 60 and 400 hz  Why most of us landed on 50 or 60   Europe neede 3 phase and the Y with each leg on 220 made 380 suitable. (UK 240/415) later everything has been slightly adjusted so at the paper we  have 230/400.  (50hz)  This happens to be pretty equal to the US 277/480 at 60 hz and the 3 phase motors run pretty well on the other system even when it is labelled as the opposite system.

I do not believe in an common American European standard but it might be 55Hz and 255/440V.  (and that's close to Northern Territory standard in Australia) 

The next issues will be how should the plugs and outlets be?  (I like the UK fused plugs) but the small 3 pin plug on the rear of the pc are much smaller and even more secure than the american plugs where you take the plug a little out, and falling coin may short out the system. We will never agree, or maybe....

dsk