GPO Candlestick Problem

[Phonesrfun]

Yes!

In looking at the stack from the top down, I see at the very top a metal cap.
Next is an insulating piece
Next down is leaf #1
Next is another insulating piece,
Then leaf #2
Then another insulaing piece
Then it goes on down to leaf 3
An insulating piece,
Leaf #4
Then finally an insulating piece at the very base.

Can you confirm?

[Dan]

yes the "cap"  is the top of the two screws that hold the whole thing together everything else is as you described it

[Phonesrfun]

Next clarification is:

The blade that broke off...Did it physically break off of leaf #2 or is there another piece of metal that the blade was attached to that was sandwiched in right under or over blade #2 with no insulator between.  This is important.

[Dan]

looks like the first scenerio -it broke off leaf 2

look @ reply #12 pic 1 see how it is right on the blade?

[Phonesrfun]

Here is my idea:

1.  Unsolder or cut the blue-Yellow wire off the blade.  Probably just cut.
2.  Bare about 1/4" of insulation off the wire.
3.  I am assuming the wire is stranded.  Twist the bare end of the wire with your finger to achieve a nice twist so its not all flared out.
4.  Loosen the two screws holding the stack together, but do not take it apart.
5.  Using a screwdriver or whatever you want, open up a space between the bottom of leaf #2 and the insulator beneath it so you can slide the end of the blue/yellow wire in between.
6.  Re tighten
7.  Check to see that the leaves #1 and #2 still open when hooked, and close when un-hooked.

This will re-attach the wire to leaf #2 by the compression of the screws holding the stack in place.

If we can successfully do this, we may be done.

Out of curiosity, did you check to see if the two brown wires connected to the two nuts for leaves #3 and #4 were or were not touching each other?

-Bill

[Phonesrfun]

Add to step 5 that the blue/yellow wire must be in contact with the metal part of leaf #2.

[Phonesrfun]

Dan:

You had earlier asked about the apparent knowledge of the guy who did the modifications to the phone.  Here is my take:

First, I would hate to be the one coming in behind some of the past stuff I have done, especially in my earlier years.  He may have done this purely for his own enjoyment and not initially intending to resell it.

He knows how a telephone is to be wired.  That is for sure.  His mechanical abilities with the hook switch are kind of backyard techniques at best, but on the other hand, unless you have a machine shop, you just cannot do any better.  I know, because I have had to make switch springs for pile-ups for phones that were damaged or incomplete, and I did not at that time have access to parts.

Wiring could be much better, and the connecting block too.  Kind of raw.  Would have been better to use a wider variety of colors, and as far as the wires that go to the subset from the block, he could have used the color codes in the order that they are usually used.  His seem to be a haphazard approach.

I do not know what the condition of the GPO 150 was when he started.  If it was a bunch of parts that he was able to bring back to life, that is one story.  If it was an original and functioning 150 that only needed an older subset, the there are some collectors such as Stephen Furley who are going nuts at the very thought of this kind of modification.

So, there you have it.  A knowlegeable guy who could use some mechanical help, and maybe a guy that does not appreciate the aesthetics of an original phone.

For me, I would rather have a phone be original and experience the original use of it, rather than to try to make it into something it is not.  But, I am 58 years old, and I have learned the hard way by trying to convert everything under the sun.

When they get too carried away with the conversions, they are sometimes called Franken-Phones.

So, Lets just assume he had a pile of junky parts to start with and made something out of it all.

-Bill

[Dan]

Brown wires are not touching each other. Got the wire under leaf 2 properly, retightened. the little piece of insulator came out that was between leaves two and three. come out (the little square). Funny noe the switch opens up upon hangup between leaves two and three, while leaf one stays closed all the time. Should I put thelittle square back?

[Phonesrfun]

Yes, you need to put that back, otherwise it will short out the whole thing. 

Was that insulator broken?  Normally, they are rectangular in shape with two holes for the round black insulators/spacers that the screws go through.

[Phonesrfun]

PS  This is one of the pitfalls that make taking a stack apart treacherous territory.

[Dan]

well, I will put the little brown square back. I need to retighten until I get #1 to open again, not two and three , right?

[Phonesrfun]

Correct.  Two and three should still have that insulator between their tips also, so they also need to be insulated from each other in the stack.

[Dan]

leaf one always touches two now, this is all new to me. Can I pry it up a little or--- since I can tighten screw one first, then two, then in the hangup position then in the unhung up--way too many variables!

[Phonesrfun]

With the stack tightened down, is it solid?  That is hopefully you cannot easily twist it with your thumb and forefinger around as if it were loose, despite it being tight.  This would be caused by the leaves and the insulators getting hung up on the tubular spacers that the screws go through.  If it does wiggle, you may need to loosen ever so slightly and twist back and forth a bit until things seat and then tighten.  I hate dealing with switch pile ups....arghhh.

[Dan]

it's all tight, the space between 1 and two doesn't open.

Lets call it a night here. I bet if I can get the leaf to open up between one and two  then all we have left is to reassemble it according to your schematic (which you said was exactly like it was already wired)

In summary, do you think the uninsulated switch between stacks two and three was hitting the candlestick metal, causing the switchhook to malfunction?

I'll chime in tomorrow night. I have a feeling this switch stack has infinate positions and I will be a while. I just have to remember to be patient and not bend it. It acts differentl y now....