70 Mile Coastal Yard Sale Tool Finds!

[DavePEI]

I have gone through most of the tools bought at this year's 70 Mile Coastal Yard Sale here on PEI, and have 90% identified. One item I can't identify is the following, some sort of test indicator lamp for crossbar.

It looks as though the lamps are used to monitor 5 lines on the switch with a common ground - there are 5 pin jacks on the side directly opposite the lamps.

Anyone?

Dave

[K1WI]

    Dave,
     That handy little device is called a "reed reader" , it attaches to the front of Type 293 reed relays as used in crossbar COs.  Also they were used though rarely in a version of  ANI systems (automatic number identification ) in step by step offices . It would light up as a two out of five indicator to show the digit that was stored in the relay,. the lamps would be numbered 0,1,2,4,7   so a 0+1=1 , 0+2=2 ,2+1=3, 0+4=4 4+1=5 etc...the only odd one was 4+7=0..

   Andy F  K1WI
     

[DavePEI]

   Dave,
     That handy little device is called a "reed reader" , it attaches to the front of reed relays as used in crossbar COs.  Also they were used though rarely in a version of  ANI systems (automatic number identification ) in step by step offices . It would light up as a two out of five indicator to show the digit that was stored in the relay,. the lamps would be numbered 0,1,2,4,7   so a 0+1=1 , 0+2=2 ,2+1=3, 0+4=4 4+1=5 etc...the only odd one was 4+7=0..

   Andy F  K1WI
     

Hi Andy:

Thank you so much! I knew I had seen one before, but couldn't for the life of me think of what it was meant for.... I have two of these in this new batch of tools.

I have about ten more tools which I haven't identified from this batch but was able to identify most of them. Some are NE numbers not in the catalogues I have (T-6, T=7, T-8, T-9) - I may post them in the tool section when I get stuff sorted out more...

Thanks!

Dave

[DavePEI]

Hi Andy and Others:

Here are more unidentified tools and goodies from yesterday's find. Like I mentioned, I was able to identify about 90% of them from my catalogues.

In the top photo is  what looks like some sort of shorting strap to short out 4 terminals during testing. The little black box with the plug on it is labelled Eldema Division, Telephone Products Group, Genisco Technology Corp. Unseen, on the side opposite the plug, are a red and a green LED.

The two angular brackets in one of my photos are labelled 73B, but don't match up with any catalogue numbers in my lists. They appear to be brackets for holding something temporarily.

The yellow box in one of the photos marked with 48V +- and with two phone jacks on it is made by CMC model 5415 and marked a power block. I don't have any old CMC catalogues, so the exact use for this is also unknown... My first thought is it might be made to connect 48 V trouble lamps to the exchange power while working - just plug the light into the phone jack for power? What makes me think this could be a possibility, Is I have a C.O. trouble lamp here made with a matching phone jack for powering it.

Let me guess - the screwdriver-like tool for inserting/removing springs???

Note: K1WI tells me: "The tool that looks like two pairs of chopsticks toed together was used to remove reed pack relay 293 and 295 type relays used in COs...they were a flat rectangular relay containing 5 glass encased contacts , held to the mounting plate with a tab at each corner...the points of the tool were used to squeeze these tabs to allow the relay to come out. It is quite similar to the tool that is used to remove D.I.N. car radios...they have four holes for release. ALSO this tool was used in some AMA perforators , the devices that "wrote" on the paper tapes used for billing , but only in very late editions.

The yellow CMC block was called a DC extender , just a way to "patch" battery supply from cord to cord or to provide a place to attach clip leads." -- Thanks, Andy!

Anyone have any information on any of the others?

Dave

[DavePEI]

Alright - we are getting to the end of the unidentified ones. Out of 100 plus tools, these are the only ones which remain unidentified. Some of these, I have part numbers for, but they don't appear in the catalogs. So, what I need to know are their design purposes.

I was fortunate most were listed in the catalogs I have - I usually can identify them down to a catalog listing - these are the exceptions.

In the lower right are three devices stacked and tied together which were loose with the tools, but which may be only actuator arms of some sort which had been thrown in with them at some time. They bear no numbering, and the left hand side has a short pair of pins which protrude.

As I was working through this photo, I did finally manage to read the numbering on the NE-535, and was finally able to locate it in my listings.

The plug on the right is a very small diameter stereo plug - it has no opening for wires and would appear to be some sort of shorting plug. I haven't yet checked it with an ohmmeter to see which lines in it are shorted.

Anyone recognize any of these?

I hope you guys don't mind my listing these - I enjoy collecting tools,, and once I have them, I absolutely must know what they were for   Once I know, I will add these to my tool listing document I have available to others, and these will be placed in the museum's collection. Say I need to get a life, but I love this!

Thanks,

Dave

[DavePEI]

For some reason this morning (Sep 26), I noticed this topic was locked with the result no-one could reply. This was entirely accidental - I would love to hear any feedback on the unidentified ones!

Dave

[DavePEI]

More Identified...

The brackets are now identified, thanks to Rick Walsh. Rick tells me:
"In the third photo down ( as directed in your first link), to the right of the many Spring things - are two metal brackets with knurled thumb screws. Those are used in pairs to position a central office 100pr protector (type 302 I believe) on the main frame vertical for the purpose of wire-wrapping the 100 pair stub cable (up from the vault) to the rear of the protector.   Most protectors have factory stubs but if ordered stub less these are very handy for terminating a new cable when in place "

Thanks, Rick - you are a gentleman and a scholar!

[DavePEI]

I am posting some more detailed photos of some of the items shown above for a gentleman who is going to take a better look at them. He had helped me id a few more of the tools, and I will post his explanations later on.

For now, the photos. First, close-ups of the little Genisco black box,

Then a close up of the business end of the T shaped screwdriver with the yellow handle.

I should point out these are thumbnails - you can view them larger by clicking on the thumbnail.

Dave

[DavePEI]

Steph Kerman has identified the springs shown in one of the above photos:

"The springs are used for service observing in #5XB. The frame of a XB switch has holes of perhaps 3/4" in the sides. Service observing cords plug into the vertical unit since lines terminate on verticals. These springs slip into the holes in the sides of the switch into which the SO cord is plugged. The cord is then pressed into the widely spaced turns of the spring to keep the cords dressed to the side so they stay along the rack work, out of the way of the switches. There are pairs of jacks on the rack uprights into which the other end of the SO cord plugs with a headset style twin plug. These all go back to a SO patch bay serving the whole office where the SO is routed to a pen recorder or other SO instrument."

Further on the little gray"busy plug" shown above. he says, "The "busy plug" should have a number stamped at the neck end of the handle. Typically used at the Master Test Frame to busy trunks." Alas, though it looks as though there was a marking at one time, it has all but worn off.

Thank you, Steph!

[DavePEI]

Once again, thanks to Steph we now have the following information on the screwdriver type tool shown above:

Also a few more of the tools showing in the last group photo are now identified thanks to WE Coded Tools listings from the 70s...

The one marked 711A Is an adjuster for the upper arm support on Crossbar.

The one marked 574A Is a tab depressor for 303, 324 type switches.

The one marked 623A is a bracket adjuster for adjusting off normal switch brackets on 324 switches.

So including those I had identified before, this brings up the total of identified ones from the batch to 114! Still a couple unidentified, but not bad!

[Bill]

Re the Eldema box, a quick Google search yields

http://doc.telephonecollectors.info/dm/226-610-910PT_IB.pdf

Bill

[DavePEI]

Re the Eldema box, a quick Google search yields

http://doc.telephonecollectors.info/dm/226-610-910PT_IB.pdf

Bill

Thank you, Bill!

Dave

[DavePEI]

I have most of these tools listed now. Because the size of my original tool file was getting very large, I decided to cut off that file now, and with these new additions, to begin a new file to include these tools onwards. Therefore, Part 2 contains the tools listed so far from the Yard Sale lot.

This is, as always, a free download. The latest versions of these files may be downloaded from:

Part 1:

http://www.islandregister.com/phones/tools_switching.pdf

Part 2:

http://www.islandregister.com/phones/tools_switching2.pdf

I hope you find these documents interesting and useful!

Dave