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LPC82, help me get it working

Started by JSlezak83, November 30, 2022, 11:27:20 AM

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JSlezak83

Hello, this is my first post here. Google led me here after doing some basic searching about my payphone. It's a LPC-82 best I can tell, but it doesn't have a tag.

This phone was in my parents old house and in working condition, that is until young me decided to recreate that scene from the movie War Games. You know they one, where he grounds the transmitter to the case and it makes a dial tone. As I recall, there was an arc, and then the phone never worked again.

Fast forward 30 some odd years later, I now have the phone at my house, and I'd like to try to get it working again.

As I stated earlier, it was previously modified for home use. Going off memory, it would immediately have a dial tone when the handset was lifted. It has the Teltronics PPC-2A board. The phone looks to have been butchered pretty good when removed from service. The upper lock opens with a screwdriver. The coin hopper has been broken, and a relay can no longer be mounted. The coin relay leads were cut. The metal plate above the coin box was bent up to install a ringer. The upper portion with the dial and coin chute seems untouched, the gongs function, ect. If I can get the phone working again, I'd be interested in restoring its original operations. 
 
I'd have to assume that I fried one of the resistors or caps  and could easily be repaired. There isn't much else in there other than the relay on the board. I've pretty much rattled off everything I have learned about these phones thus far, so I could be way off. I'm hoping some one might be able to point me in a direction to troubleshoot this thing. Thanks for looking, Jim.


Stan S

Do you get a dial tone when you lift the handset?

JSlezak83

#2
No dial tone. I tried dialing out to my cellphone, and there is no action. Calling from the cell, it does not ring.

Stan S

First thing is make sure the two screws that mount the hook switch contacts are tight. If they loosen up the phone won't be connected to the line. Secondly do you own a voltmeter? If you don't find someone local to you who fixes phones.

JSlezak83

I'll check those screws. I have a few different DVM, and am comfortable with their use.

HarrySmith

Maybe a silly question but did you attach the connector from the upper housing to the board?
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

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

Stan S

Connect the voltmeter to the two screws on the Teltronics board marked L1 and L2. See if you are getting phone line voltage with the handset off hook. If you are,from this point it's going to get complicated.

JSlezak83

Quote from: HarrySmith on November 30, 2022, 12:25:43 PMMaybe a silly question but did you attach the connector from the upper housing to the board?

Not a silly question at all. I'd like to think I had that connected, but to be honest, I can't be 100%. I'm not certain if you needed to deposit money to get a dial tone either. I'll verify that the upper is connected to board. 

JSlezak83

Quote from: Stan S on November 30, 2022, 12:33:56 PMConnect the voltmeter to the two screws on the Teltronics board marked L1 and L2. See if you are getting phone line voltage with the handset off hook. If you are,from this point it's going to get complicated.

I'll have to run the phone over to my in-laws as I don't have a land line. Would a continuity test on the modular line serve the same purpose without running across town?

Anything else I could/should check at this point, while it's connected?

-Jim

FABphones

Quote from: JSlezak83 on November 30, 2022, 12:11:14 PMNo dial tone. I tried dialing out to my cellphone, and there is no action. Calling from the cell, it does not ring.

Quote from: JSlezak83 on November 30, 2022, 01:04:53 PMI'll have to run the phone over to my in-laws as I don't have a land line...

How did you perform the dial tone test?
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

JSlezak83

Quote from: FABphones on December 01, 2022, 05:07:21 AMHow did you perform the dial tone test?

I brought the phone over there a while back. I'll have to do it again with the DVM and verify line voltage.

I did some continuity testing yesterday. Modular line to L1 and L2 was ok. There is continuity between the handset and the network connections. I searched around here for schematics, and came across an older post from Stan stating that there is very little Teltronics info left out there.

-Jim

Stan S

Carefully inspect the lands on the printed circuit board. Check continuity for all the lands. Resolder the pins of the transformer. Those solder joints always crack with age. Those boards were crap when they were manufactured 50 years ago. They are not like wine. They do not get better with age. I'd resolder every connection on the board. Take the hood off the connector on the cable in the top of the phone. The strain relief of those connectors aren't the best. Usually the first wire nearest the cable entry tears off the pin. Look carefully.

HarrySmith

I just noticed that the coin box retainer in the vault is damaged, bent up pretty good. Looks like only a couple of screws hold it in. I would just remove it.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

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

JSlezak83

Yeah it was boggered pretty good when the ringer was put in.

I'm not sure if that can be straightened out or not. It's pretty far down on the priority list at this point.