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BT Bell 50E...

Started by twocvbloke, January 06, 2012, 09:44:13 PM

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twocvbloke

Technically, this was bought before the 500-clonephone, but the phone got more attention and I forgot I bought this bellset... :D

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290651525386

Anyway, it's pretty much the last remnants of the GPO-supplied hardware, and recently went into NLA status (you could buy brand new bellsets from BT's website, but they're now marked as NLA), it contains the last version of the 746 bell assembly, consisting of a single 4kOhm coil, a clapper and has teo bells, 1 steel bell and one brass bell (produces a higher tone compared to having both bells in brass as in the older 700 phones)... :)

I've seen them used in all kinds of places, hearing the 80's GPO bell sound, but disappointed to see the people answering on some modern generic phone, and it was recently that I noticed a bellset like this in a McDonalds restaurant, dangling from a wall, bells out of alignment so it barely worked, and I just wanted to leap the counter and fix it, but I'd have probably broken my back doing so!!! :D

First pic is the actual item (well, off of ebay), and the 2nd pic I've borrowed from www.telephonesuk.co.uk to show the guts (what little there is!!)... :)

GG



Modular cord soldered onto the tags on the ringer, too. 

Technically that's a "bell" not a "bell set" since it does not have an induction coil to work with a telephone such as a Tele. 150. 

Were those made in the UK, or made in China or elsewhere?

And do the gongs sound like 746 bells?

NOTE: to make this work in the US, you need a capacitor in series with the ringer, in which case it's acceptable to install a terminal strip in the bell unit (attach it with double-sided foam tape so it can be removed later if desired) and connect up everything via the terminal strip.  I'd suggest a 0.47 microfarad capacitor at 200 volts, for a loud ring; or 0.22 for a much quieter ring (may require adjusting the bell to ring consistently). 


twocvbloke

It sounds like a later 746, I had an Ivory 746 that had the same bells, so I know what it sounds like, and if I really wanted to, I could replace the steel bell with a brass bell so it actually sounds like an original 746 or 706... :)

And yeah, it's a bellset, but BT's (formerly the GPO's) naming and numbering scheme calls it a "Bell, 50E" for whatever reason... ???

I haven't a clue where they're made, back in the day they (and the phones) were made in the UK, but I wouldn't be surprised if in the later years the production went eastwards where it's cheaper, along with all the other BT hardware that is available today... :-\

twocvbloke

Well, I got this bellset this morning, I'm disappointed with it, cos the bell on the left of the picture (the Bell 24A) is so high-pitched it sounds like a blummin' bicycle bell... :-[

The one on the right, the Bell 24B, is the same pitch as the ones in my two 746 phones though, but the 24A, that bugs me too much, I know that in the 80's they raised the pitch of the 24A, an Ivory 746 I gave away had that style bell, but it was nowhere near as high[itched as this bellset's 24A...  :-\

And as predicted, I can change the bells for "proper" ones, but, I haven't got one spare anywhere, so, I don't know what I'll be doing with it, cos I don't like the high-tone of that one bell... :-\

And yes, it's made in china... ::)

GG



I'd say it's worth keeping as-is, as a relatively rare example of "the end-times of BT." 

If you want to hear a really high-pitched bell, get hold of an Automatic Electric type 80 (not 80-E). 


twocvbloke

Well, it's more "the last of the GPO-designed hardware", as the GPO and BT were two different entities (GPO was government owned, and handled post and operated post offices, aswell as the telecomms, and BT was a privatised, shareholder-owned corporation), though the bellset itself was a BT design, it was based on the Bell 50 series, the bells and coil being taken from the later-style 746 phone...

It is rather large considering the lack of anything inside the bellset, and is lightweight, something the GPO never was with it's hardware, but I am impressed they kept half of the bells in the right pitch, and the same GPO numbering scheme... :)

I just want to replace that 24A bell cos it's just too annoying (I have sensitive hearing, and high-pitch sounds can be either annoying or physically painful)... :D

GG



Yes, GPO vs. BT.

Interesting about your hearing; then definitely don't get an AE 80 unless you want to turn down the ringing.  I have a nasty startle reaction to sudden loud sounds, so I always tweak the ringers on everything to quiet them down.  An extra capacitor in series (yes I know, I should be using resistors), and/or mechanical adjustments to preserve the tone while reducing the volume.  Most ringers can be tweaked to reduce the travel distance of the bell clapper (thereby reducing the force with which it strikes the bells), and then rotate the gongs inward.