"How can I direct your call?"

[AdamAnt316]

Well, I've done it again. As usual, I was wandering the aisles at the local flea market, when I came across an interesting phone. Only this time, it wasn't the average 500 set or 302. Instead, what should I find, but a moss green 18-button rotary-dial Call Director! I don't usually go for phones that aren't meant for single-line use, but I figured I'd ask the seller what he wanted for it.

Five bucks!

Needless to say, I picked it up. Not sure what model it is, due to the markings on the bottom being nearly obliterated, but I'm guessing it's in the 630-series. The faceplate is flat, with "Bell System Manufactured By Western Electric" within a rectangular box in the bottom left corner, and "the CALL director" printed underneath the center of the button matrix (not to the left of it). The rightmost button column has an apparatus blank in it, and the bottom leftmost button is a red hold button (the rest of the buttons are clear). The cable is intact, and has a single 50(?) pin Centronics-type connector on the end.

Pictures coming soon!
-Adam

[AdamAnt316]

Here's a quick picture of the Call Director in question:



I have yet to find an image of a Call Director with a faceplate like this one. Most of them just have a round Bell System logo in the bottom left corner, and "the Call director" on the bottom between the dial and buttons. Most of the parts I've checked have dates in the range of early-mid 1968. One odd thing about this phone, compared to others I've seen, is that the ringer volume lever is on the left side, rather than the front. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!
-Adam

[Owain]

That's a lot of phone for five bucks.

[AE_Collector]

The leftmost button column has an apparatus blank in it, and the bottom rightmost button is a red hold button

You are either looking at it in a mirror or think it is a wall phone!

Odd that it has a single Amphenol Plug on it, it should have three Amphenol's, one for each key strip. Near the end of life for 1A23 type equipment we did have wha t we called "Logic 100" phones that were modifications to NECo ogic 20 sets where add-ns could take it up to 100 lines and special cards reduced the cabling to 1 pair per line rather than 2 and 3 pairs per line. I wonder if this could be a similar arrangement?

Terry

[paul-f]

Great find, Adam!

This looks to be an early leader in the February Find of the Month.

Check the BSPs to see if they changed ringer types during production and check the cord types.  You may have an interesting variant.

Here are a few photos of phones with similar mats.  Since they were paper, they were easily replaced.

[AdamAnt316]

You are either looking at it in a mirror or think it is a wall phone!

Oops! Fixed.

Odd that it has a single Amphenol Plug on it, it should have three Amphenol's, one for each key strip. Near the end of life for 1A23 type equipment we did have wha t we called "Logic 100" phones that were modifications to NECo ogic 20 sets where add-ns could take it up to 100 lines and special cards reduced the cabling to 1 pair per line rather than 2 and 3 pairs per line. I wonder if this could be a similar arrangement?

Not sure off-hand. I know very little about key system technology, and haven't opened up this phone to take a look at exactly how it's wired. What I do know is, only the first column of buttons have labels next to them. My best guess is that it was only used for six lines, but that still begs the question: why use an 18-button Call Director for the purpose, when there were 6-button key-sets around? 
-Adam

[AdamAnt316]

Great find, Adam!

This looks to be an early leader in the February Find of the Month.

Check the BSPs to see if they changed ringer types during production and check the cord types.  You may have an interesting variant.

Thanks, Paul! Definitely beats my 500-type find from last month. 

I'll have to look through the BSPs at some point. The band around the line cord reads as follows:

D50L
8-0 III 68

The ringer is a type N1A, with a similar date code as the other parts. The ringer volume lever (more of a small toggle, really) seems to have only three settings, LOUD, middle, and OFF (the first and last of those stamped on the sides of the volume lever cutout). Anyway, here are some more photos:

Wide shot of the insides, along with the bottom of the handset, which is a bit scuffed up.


Close-up shot of the insides. Oddly, the 599A button array is dated 2-68, while the 598A button array is dated 12-68.


The aforementioned N1A ringer. Another 12-68 date. Note the volume toggle, and the LOUD indication.


The wires from the line cord.


Another shot of the wires.


Yet another shot of the wires. Quite a few of them have plastic sleeves over them, for some reason.


The area underneath the button arrays. Several fewer wires going to the 598 than going to the 599A, though I have yet to investigate this closely.

[AE_Collector]

The Keystrips were always "Plug In" with Amphenol type connectors. I don't think that the set cord plugs into the phone though, only plugs in at the wall. Later "Logic 10 & 20" phones from Nortel had plug in Set Cords at the phone end (inside) as well making it easy to replace the cord. If your Call Director had a Plug in Set Cord (inside the phone) I could see someone replacing the cords with a smaller more flexible cord if only using one Key/Lamp strip but not if it is Hardwired. Still not sure why this seems to have a 25 pair cord only though it is possible to make 11 lines (2 keystrips) work on a single 25 pair cord I have never sen it done as there would be no way to expand to a third keystrip in the future.

Terry

[poplar1]

I don't know how this ended up with a 25-pair cord. With the normal "even-count" cord--with 3 amphenols for this size set or 5 amphenols for the 30-button set--there are only 60 pairs or 100 pairs. The violet leads are not included. So the ringer is on the yellow-slate pair of the first amphenol, and the buzzer is on the yellow-slate of the 2nd amphenol, IIRC. 

The 10-button 830 and 2830 sets had a maximum of 9 lines, using 3 pairs for the first line (T, R, A, A1, LG, L) and 2 1/2 pairs for the other 8 lines (T, R, A, LG, L). That leaves 2 pairs for the ringer (Y-SL pair) and the buzzer (Y-O pair).

[AE_Collector]

NECo Logic 10 sets had 3 pairs for each of the first 5 lines and 2 pairs for each of the remaining 4 lines. The two pairs were T, R, A & L skipping A1 & LG. These are both grounds and the ground for the remaining lines was supplied from the grounds on the first line or maybe the first 5 lines. The Yellow Brown and Yellow Slate pair were reserved for buzzers etc so line 7 was split around these two pairs being on Yellow Green and the Violet Slate pairs.

The Logic 20 had a 50 pair cable with 10 lines on the second binder of the set cord in a similar fashion to the first binder and by not having the yellow brown and yellow slate pair reserved for misc stuff 10 lines were possible rather than only nine lines.

Terry

[Weco355aman]

I  need to check my bsp for the correct number. But i believe this is used with a 235/236 1A1 concentrator. This phone will not work with as a standard 1A2 phone.
18 lines cannot work on  1 25pair cable 
There is only 1 T/R and 3 to 5 controll leads. Each lamp does have its own pair of wires. The bell and buzzer also has there own wires.

[AE_Collector]

Sounds similar to the way our Logic 100 system worked. One talk pair, several grounds and then one pair per line comprised of an A lead and a Lamp lead.

Terry

[AdamAnt316]

I  need to check my bsp for the correct number. But i believe this is used with a 235/236 1A1 concentrator. This phone will not work with as a standard 1A2 phone.
18 lines cannot work on  1 25pair cable 
There is only 1 T/R and 3 to 5 controll leads. Each lamp does have its own pair of wires. The bell and buzzer also has there own wires.

Thanks, I'd definitely like to see that info. Any idea exactly what it is I have here? Still guessing it's something in the 630-series, but have no idea for sure, especially since the stamps on the bottom have been almost completely obliterated.

Hate to ask what's probably the most common question among key system newbies, but would there be any way to get this thing working as a single-line phone, at least for testing purposes? I know this is pretty darn far removed from your average 500 set, but would like to give it a whirl. If there's no way to make it work as a single-line phone, what would it take to get it running in some way? Once again, thanks!
-Adam

[AE_Collector]

I think there was a discussion within the last few weeks about making a key set work on a single line. Connect tip and ring to the white blue pair and press line 1 and you should have dial tone. No lamps, hold or ringer but talking and dialling out would work. HOWEVER, if this is NOT pa regular 1A2 set but rather is a set for a concentrator system as Phil mentioned, all bets are off!

If it is a standard key set that someone changed to a smaller set cord, you need to ket a 1A2 system to run it and the good news is, they are very inexpensive.

Terry

[AdamAnt316]

I have a feeling that the cord is original to the set, given than the date code on the D50L cable is in-line with the rest of the dates on this phone. Of course, I know little to nothing about key sets, so I don't really know what to look for in terms of judging exactly what this thing might be. Definitely wish the markings on the bottom hadn't gotten obliterated... 
-Adam