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Comcast was here, now I have a Wiring Question

Started by tjmack99, March 16, 2011, 06:44:56 PM

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tjmack99

Not sure. I've never examined it all that closely, but I believe it was hooked up this way when we moved in, and the phone was always funtioning.

jsowers

The wiring to that phone jack is certainly odd, considering they could have just put the jack UNDER the shelf instead of above it. I guess maybe there was something in the way under the shelf at one time. Or someone said "I want it right here" and that's where they were obliged to put it.

Go ahead and strip and connect the red wire and, as a colleague of mine used to say, "watch it fizz." Or take the black phone off-hook and just touch the wire to the red wire screw and listen for dial tone. You shouldn't have any problem unless there is a short in the black phone or the jack, and that's not likely considering the standards both of those parts were made to. Considering the short distance, you could hard-wire the black phone to the junction block if need be.
Jonathan

AE_Collector

I am assuming that the side by side screws are bridged through the block. Test the continuity on the top unused screw terminals.

Terry

bwanna

here's what i see... in the before pic, blue jacketed 4pair (which i assume is the feed from modem for vo-ip dial tone) 4 - red/green:yellow/black jk...1 going to the left..3 going to the right. all are connected on the termination block.

in the after pic, i see a gray jacketed 4pair (with the red scotchlocks) this appears to be the feed that gives the alarm priority. in other words, dial tone goes into your alarm system first, then is fed back to the termination block via the orange/white pair. as for the r/g:y/bk wires.. now 1 one these on the right is totally disconnected & the one to the left is open on the red side.

was the wire that is now disconnected the feed to the alarm? if so maybe the alarm was seizing the line & cutting off dial tone.
if the tech reconnected all your sets & everything works, then probably wasn't one of them. unless of course one was off hook.

so, we are back too, is it your vintage set that is shorted, the feed to that set? or did the tech just inadvertently leave that red wire disconnected?

let us know what happens when you reconnect it!
donna

bingster

Given the way the copper is twisted together under the terminal screws, and the mashed insulation at the tip of the free red conductor, I'm guessing all that twisting (a big no-no) weakened the end of the conductor and when the screw was tightened, the conductor snapped off without the tech noticing.

The common 46A connecting block is much better suited to this sort of application, because there are multiple washers under each screw, allowing each hooked conductor it's own space between washers, without the need for twisting the conductors together.  Of course, you could also remove the washers under the unused screws and stack them under the two screws that are being used.  Then place ONE hooked conductor between each washer.  That way they aren't mashed and stressed as they are now. 
= DARRIN =



tjmack99

Drum roll, please.............

Re-attached the red wire, and now have dial tone! So, far so good. No shorting after 2 days. I think I might try bingster's idea about using the unused washers and giving all the wires their own space.....

thanks all

dsk

Don't fix what ain't broken ;)

These massive copper thread are easily bent to to they break, the less you move them the better.
If you really want to clean up the birds nest get a new punch down block, and sort it and fix the cables to the wall so the don't move.

Good luck

dsk

Phonesrfun

See, that wasn't so hard after all.

Like the opening comment at the top of the Rotary Phone Forum home page always sez:

"The phone is a remarkably complex, simple device,
and very rarely ever needs repairs, once you fix them." - Dan/Panther

Cheers,  Bill

-Bill G