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Modular coiled handset cord with only 2 conductors

Started by TelePlay, July 20, 2018, 03:27:19 PM

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TelePlay

Another cord anomaly.

Opened up a box with an early 80s beige Princess inside, a perfect replacement for the yellow rotary Princess that does not work on my uVerse service.

Only thing I had to do was disconnect the ringer. When installed, I discovered while it rang (before disabling the ringer), answered and I could hear the caller, I could not transmit.

Working my way through simple to more complex checks, I got to the handset cord. A replacement cord worked well. Was about to replace the modular plugs on the original cord when I noticed the plugs on the cord only had 2 pins on both ends, and showed only red and green conductors within the plugs.

I've never seen this before, Why would they even make a 2 conductor handset cord much less install it on a telephone? I can see it as a great monitoring phone for parents with teenagers in the home but the cord looks factory built, as a two conductor. Was that an "extra" special order?

I'm about to replace the 2 conductor plugs with 4 conductor but will hold off in case I have something special or rare here.

HarrySmith

Interesting. Red & Green would seem to suggest a line cord?
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

TelePlay

Quote from: HarrySmith on July 20, 2018, 03:36:19 PM
Interesting. Red & Green would seem to suggest a line cord?

Yes, would seem that would work, but the coiled cord is too short and the plugs are the more narrow handset type.

And, why would anyone go through the tedious and time consuming removal of 2 pins or conductors to get it down to a 2 wire cord when the "extra" black and yellow could just not be connected inside the wall or phone. This cord came with the phone, as purchased.

Owain

Line cord for 'gondola' style phones where all the phone gubbins is inside the handset-y bit (the ringer might be in the base)

Jim Stettler

I have seen a 2 wire coiled cord on a design line type candlestick phone (receiver) . This was a hardwire cord.  yours may of been for the same purpose only newer.


Regarding red/green wires.  2 conductor flat cordage is typically red/green. The company could of made it from standard flat cordage.
Just  guesses,
Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

paul-f

Quote from: TelePlay on July 20, 2018, 03:48:05 PM
...why would anyone go through the tedious and time consuming removal of 2 pins or conductors to get it down to a 2 wire cord when the "extra" black and yellow could just not be connected inside the wall or phone. This cord came with the phone, as purchased.
It's possible that it's for a more modern phone that only requires two conductors, or that it's not a telephone handset cord, but was made for another purpose. Amateur radio operators often use modular wiring for custom purposes.

4p2c plugs are readily available, as are straight and coiled two-conductor cordage. Someone must sell - or have sold in the past - completed cords.

One current source for the plugs:  https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/2pin-rj-9-modular-connector-4p2c_60571448821.html?spm=a2700.7724857.main07.161.6b5a57306YGKnu

It would be interesting to learn how the cord found the set before you got it. ISTR running across a few of these on G15 handsets in the past and wondering where they came from.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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Key2871

One year, while doing my test thing with phone's, I came across one like this. It was on a cheap trimline knock off phone, where the only conductors needed was the center two to make the handset operate.
KEN

jsowers

Originally Apple's Mac Plus came with a keyboard cord that was very much like a phone handset cord. I never swapped one out, but they looked identical and I think they had 4 conductors and the same narrow plugs. But that's not what you have since yours only have two conductors. Also they were putty and later light gray in color. I'm just saying they made many cords over the years that look similar but are wired differently inside, so sometimes you have to look at the ends of the cord to tell what you have. And you did! If I were you, I'd just snip off the ends if you have the extra wires in the cord and re-crimp.

Farallon also made 4-conductor ethernet cables in the 10BaseT days and we always had a hard time getting rid of them. They would actually work, but the computer would be slow on the network sometimes.
Jonathan

TelePlay

Thanks for all the replies.

Other than saying the handset cord came with the phone, I can't remember where or when I bought this Princess. Fully working except for no transmitter due to the wrong handset cord. It seems the prior seller did not test the phone, just wanted it to look correct.

I had a Decotel Candlestick at one time. I seem to remember it had a modular coiled cord on the receiver, as in the attached sample picture.

The wiring diagram for this phone from the TCI website library shows the receiver only having two leads, and obviously all that is needed, so this cord, which found its way to a Princess because the plugs fit, might have come from the receiver of a Decotel stick.

Looking at the plugs on the removed cord, it does not look like there are 4 conductors in the coiled cord so no reason for me to cut and replace the ends. I will keep it for anyone who needs and undamaged ivory receiver cord for a Decotel stick.

I put a new modular coiled handset cord on my Princess and while the new cord is much longer compared to what was on it, it makes sense to have a longer cord in that the Princess handset would be removed and used at some distance from the base, unlike a Decotel stick where the phone and receiver would never be more than a foot apart in use. The stick cord would require the person using the Princess handset to hover over the phone. The shorter cord looked nice on the resting phone but in actual use, it was way too short.

Thanks again for all the ideas which got me thinking.

paul-f

#9
Quote from: TelePlay on July 20, 2018, 11:11:50 PM

The wiring diagram for this phone from the TCI website library shows the receiver only having two leads, and obviously all that is needed, so this cord, which found its way to a Princess because the plugs fit, might have come from the receiver of a Decotel stick.


Interesting catch, John. The diagram you posted is for the Western Electric Design Line version. Looking closely at the diagram, it shows the cord to the receiver is a H4CJ (hardwired) -- with 2 unused conductors.

GTE Practice 997-153-800, issue 3 (10/77) shows the Deco-tel version with 2-conductor cord.

Apparently, the Bell system didn't buy into the "economies" of using a 2-conductor cord, preferring to use standard 4-conductor handset cords to the receiver, even though 2 conductors are unused.

I looked at several sets, and the Design Line sets have 4 conductors in the jack as well, while the Deco-Tel models have only two. This looks like a way to tell the two versions apart.

503-200-109, issue 2 (1/76) Fig. 9 shows the WE modular version -- using a H4DU 4-conductor modular handset cord.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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Key2871

Today I have been going through the newest batch of phone's. And look what I found. On a AT&T 210 trimline a two conductor handset cord.
KEN