Western Electric Payphone issue(s)

[Alexander]

I recently started fixing up a payphone I bought awhile ago, and ran into some issues. First, what I've done to it so far.



When I bought it, it had a shorter handset cord, and someone had painted the coin box cover and faceplate a godawful shade of blue. I stripped the coin box cover, but it was a plain one, and so marred and scratched that I just replaced it. I did the same with the faceplate, I was looking for one with a Bell logo, but couldn't find one.

I replaced the handset, which was a little battle scarred, with a brand new aftermarket one that had a 54" cable....in my haste to replace it, I didn't watch where it was connected...that's the first issue: where do I connect the wires for the handset.(fixed, thanks ESalter!)



The second issue existed before I started meddling with things. When I pick up the handset, I get a dialtone...but when I push a number the dialtone drops to a very faint volume and there's no number-tone. It stays that way for any subsequent number presses. I've tried to dial a number anyway with nothing. I've tried dropping a coin through before dialing...nothing. When I first bought this phone it worked just fine...not sure what I did

Last issue, I have a volume button that I'd like to install but have no idea where to connect the two wires. I don't have a picture of it, but can provide one if it's needed.(informed I need additional parts to connect, Thanks again ESalter!)

I have plans of mounting this on the wall in a corner of my living room, but need it to actually work (with or without coins)

[ESalter]

That looks like it'll be a nice phone when you get it fixed up and working! 

First, the handset wires.  It looks like you have the black and yellow wires connected already.  Leave those where they are and connect both the red and green wires to the terminal just to the left of where you have the black one connected.  I can't read the terminal number and don't have print in front of my to look it up, but I know putting them there should work.  If the dial touchtones aren't breaking dialtone, reverse the polarity of your line connections on the chassis board R and T terminals.  Coins will have no effect on how the phone functions, it needs to be connected to a coin line from the telco for that to work, without one it will function as a standard telephone, not requiring money to place or receive calls.  Lastly, your loud button.  For the loud button to work, you need an amplifier board, which this phone doesn't have.  Along with the amplifier board, you'll need a wiring harness to connect it to the back of the dial assembly.  Take a photo of the loud button you have, chances are I have what you need to get it completed.

---Eric

[Alexander]

Thanks! I've always wanted a payphone as a house phone, just finally got the scratch together to really do it justice!

The handset is now connected, thanks! It had an issue where I had to depress the switch hook about an 8th inch to get dialtone, but I fixed that by bending one of those little roller lever thingies (thats a technical term) just a little tiny bit. Now it gets dialtone like it should.

I'm not that well versed on electrical terms, but I'm guessing that the 'reverse the polarity' instructions meant 'switch around the red and green wires on the phone jack where it connects to the yellow board with the 4 screws so it goes green-red instead of red-green'? 

If it did, I tried it and it still does the same thing: Push a number, and the dialtone volume decreases.

This is the volume button...sorry about the general crappiness of the photo, it kept reflecting the flash so I had to stand way back then crop it down:


I got a placeholder for the volume button in the mail today that I really like the look of. I'm waiting on some BellSouth instruction cards, but if there's too much BellSouth-iness with all of it, I'll definitely be wanting to go the volume route....but until I get it to work, I wont know if I really even need the volume button or not for sure.

Update: Got the NOS instruction cards today, and I think I like the way they look with the BellSouth logo instead of the volume....I'll add the volume to my trade stock

[dsk]

Welcome to the forum. Reversing polarity: yes switching green and red. This was done automatically from the exchange "to tell" some payphones and other equipment about  the callee has answered. 
My phone does not dial when the polarity is wrong, and I use the reversed polarity to decide if the coin should collect or return on hangup.  This became pretty tricky for me to solve, and build the controller, but what a feeling when I had beaten the challenge.   

As I understand it is different systems used so it is important to get help to figure out what you may use or not.

Still I have 1 coin pr call, a pretty simple rate plan 

dsk

[Alexander]

Well, solve one problem and another crops up!

I bought a new Elcotel 61C Keypad, and it now dials out, so I guess the old one was bad....but now it doesn't transmit my voice. When I hang up I hear a few clicks like you normally hear when someone hangs up, but no other sound at all 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

[trainman]

What terminals are the handset hooked to? Might just be a mis wire. What is the full number on the keypad.  61Cx.

[Alexander]

Its an Elcotel 61C2

Here's a couple pictures of it. The handset is wired: Red/Green to terminal 3, Black to 6 and Yellow to 4

I switched back the red and green wires on the chassis board to their original positions as pictured above.

[trainman]

Having two hanset wires on the same terminal is not correct. When i get home ill look at my phone to see how its wired. Check back in the morning.

[trainman]

I want to say one of those wires on 3 goes to 8 or maybe 5. But ill confirm it later.

[Alexander]

Thanks, I appreciate it. I wasn't sure about that either, but another member said that's where they went so I went with it. If I remember right, they were split up, but still on terminal 3 originally...just one on each screw instead of both on the same.

I went and got the box and actually looked at the wiring diagrams (I just compared it to the old one and slapped it in)....heres the wiring chart:

[trainman]

Ok. If your chassis is marked 32a or 32b use the connections for the D set. The 61C2 dial would have come from the factory wired for a D set.  Wire the hanset to agree with the D chart. On some rare chance you have a 31 chassis then you need to rewire the dial and hanset to agree with the C set DTF connec tions. Another possibility is your 47a2 signal unit on the side of the coin chute is bad. It does need to be plugged in for the phone to get dial tone.  Except I see the signal unit, so it wont have a 31 chassis.

[Alexander]

The phone currently gets dial tone, and dials out just fine now that I replaced the switchhook...when I answer with my cell I cant hear anything from the payphone.

I just wired in the handset with the D specs, and it's the same thing still.....can do everything but talk to the people I call

The chassis is stamped 32B next to the 11-pin round connector.

I have to leave for work, but I'll be back around 8am. Thanks a lot for your help and patience

[trainman]

Ok. Probably a bad handset then.  Oh, try one more thing. There are dip switches on the back of the chassis. They set the initial rate of coin deposit. Make sure they are set to something like 25 cents. Sometimes if they are off, it has been reported that there is no volume. Try that before a new handset.

[Alexander]

I reconnected the old handset, and it works fine with the new wire configuration. 

I just bought the other handset last week, so hopefully I can return it. I think there's a short in it somewhere...I can hear my voice in the earpiece when I speak, but it doesn't transmit to the called phone. If they don't take it back, I may try to take it apart and see if I can find the fault.

Thanks for your help, I appreciate it

[trainman]

Good that it works. There simple to fix, once you figure out how they work.