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AE 87 - What is wrong with this AE 87 Keyphone (Quiz)

Started by AE_Collector, December 19, 2011, 10:04:44 PM

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AE_Collector

Quiz Time!

What is "Wrong" with this AE 87 on ebaY?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300639326701

An AE 87 is a 3 line / 3 hold type KSU-less phone. It looks to be a so-so refurb that has been repainted without even removing the plunger buttons so the tops of them were painted beige as well. It has the correct buttons, key designation strip, coding on the base is correct for an AE 87 and it has a smaller cord (probably between 8 and 12 pair) rather than the larger cord that a full 10A2 (AE's version of 1A2 Key Equipment) would have. Being a refurb it landed with a silver satin looking newer style base cord but that is normal for a newer refurb. The newer base cord is still spade tipped with a block rather than an Amphenol and someone seems to have goofed together a bunch of 4 prong jacks to it likely to connect the three lines into it.

Other than all of the above comments, what instantly jumped out at me as "inconsistent" with a proper AE 87 set on this one?  ???

Terry

stub

#1
Terry,
        Where is the signal button?   stub
Kenneth Stubblefield

AE_Collector

#2
Quote from: stub1953 on December 19, 2011, 11:03:52 PM
Terry,
        Where is the signal button?   stub

Okay, that didn't take long...Good eye Stub!

I don't know where the Signal Button is! I'm guessing that the refurb company used an AE 86 shell rather than an AE 87 shell. The 86 doesn't have the signal button. If I recall correctly without opening up an AE87, the signal button is attached to the shell with a nut on the back and the button pushes against a spring pile-up inside the phone so the incorrect case just covered up the spring pile-up and no one even thought about the Signal button.

Another little glitch is that the plungers should be two different colors, clear and red or older 87's had a chrome and a black bakelite plunger button. Pushing the left plunger button released the line to get a new dial tone while pushing the right plunger button mechanically releases the line keys from hold so a line couldn't inadvertently be left on hold once the handset was hung up. You quickly learned to nOT hang up the handset on these until you were certain that you didn't have anyone on hold on your phone.

Terry

stub

Terry,
         The last 3 pickup buttons can be converted to signal buttons on the AE 86.   stub
Kenneth Stubblefield

AE_Collector

#4
Quote from: stub1953 on December 19, 2011, 11:21:37 PM
Terry,
         The last 3 pickup buttons can be converted to signal buttons on the AE 86.   stub

I have never checked but is it only the 3rd, 4th and 5th line keys that have the removable screw that turns them into push buttons?

Terry

stub

#5
Terry,
         Nope , 4, 5 and 6.  stub
Kenneth Stubblefield

stub

#6
Terry,
         Here is a pic of my AE-87A plungers.     Yes, I dusted after seeing pic. ;D     stub
Kenneth Stubblefield

AE_Collector

Quote from: stub1953 on December 19, 2011, 11:28:19 PM
Terry,
         Nope , 4, 5 and 6.  stub

Okay, only those 3.

I said Line 3, 4 & 5 which are on button 4, 5 & 6 due to the hold key being on key 1. Not sure if it was all AE 10A2 type key sets or certain ones but something was available as an option WITHOUT a hold key so that the maximum number of line keys were available. Only usefull in an application where no line would ever need to be put on hold I guess.

Terry

AE_Collector

#8
Quote from: stub1953 on December 19, 2011, 11:40:57 PM
Terry,
         Here is a pic of my AE-87A plungers.          stub

A different combination from those I mentioned. Sorta new (red plunger) and sorta old (chrome plunger)!
Which one mechanically releases a held line...the right side red plunger?

Terry

stub

#9
Terry,
          The right(RED) on this phone . This is the way the phone came to me.      stub
Kenneth Stubblefield

AE_Collector

Quote from: stub1953 on December 19, 2011, 11:46:26 PM
Terry,
          The right(RED) on this phone . This is the way the phone came to me.      stub

Oh okay, I had it backwards then. I went back and corrected my previous posts to show that the right side plunger is the one that mechanically releases the hold buttons while the left side plunger drops a line and gets a new dial tone. (just for the record...not to make it look like I knew what I was talking about!)

Terry

stub

Terry,
         That's O K, I read line 3,4,5 and thought buttons 4, 5, and 6 . I knew it didn't look right but it took a few minutes to soak in. ;D   Oh well , we are phone collectors and we are supposed to be crazy ;D     stub
Kenneth Stubblefield

GG



Nice to have the red Hold buttons; all of mine are the versions with clear buttons all the way across, and chrome hookswitch plungers on both left and right.

Reason being, the position of the Line and Hold buttons is reversed on the AE 87 and 187 (the latter, approximately Call Director style):
87:  Line 1, Hold 1, Line 2, Hold 2, Line 3, Hold 3.
187:  Hold 1, Line 1, Hold 2, Line 2, Hold 3, Line 3.
So it's mildly maddening to have both on the same desk because one tends to think of the buttons being in the same places when they aren't.  The quick fix for which is to make up designation tags with the Hold positions highlighted in color. 

AE did the same thing on the 85-series phones: the 85-B, C, and D, which is basically an 80 with the added "stuff," has two additional buttons in the cradle: chrome on the left, red on the right.  But the 85-E, which is basically an 80-E with the added "stuff," has those buttons reversed: red on the left, grey on the right. 

I have never seen an 85-B through D with the DPST contacts under those buttons, so one can't use those phones for 2 lines with 2 hold.  But 85-E is designed for that purpose and has the correct DPST contacts.  So in fact these phones are not electrically and functionally interchangeable.  Whereas the 87 and 187 are.