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AE 90 low volume

Started by AdamAnt316, July 15, 2010, 02:15:57 AM

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AdamAnt316

Hello everyone. I recently installed an Automatic Electric model 90 wall phone. However, once I had everything wired up, I removed the handset, only to be greeted with very faint dialtone in the receiver. The hookswitch mechanism had gone a bit askew, so I readjusted it as much as I could, but no change. Using a test set, I determined that the mic seems to work normally, and the dial works reasonably well. Could it just be a faulty receiver element, or might there be more to it? Thanks in advance.
-Adam

Phonesrfun

If the receiver is not damaged, it sounds like a short in the receiver circuit.  Lets start by assuming that the receiver is not damaged.  If you don't have another one to swap out, we will have to start there. 

There are several places that could be shorting out the receiver.  One is that maybe the two receiver wires are shorting out either in the receiver part of the handset or at the network inside the phone.  Check that first because it is the easiest to check.

If that's not the case, there are two places in the circuit that are made to intentionally short out the receiver so that you do not hear loud clicks when dialing and during hookswitch operation these are called shunt springs and they are found on the dial and as part of the hookswitch.  One of the two may be shunting (shorting) the receiver at times when they should not be.  You mentioned that the hookswitch had gone askew during reassembly.  That could definitely be causing the problem.

Have you gone to the TCI website and downloaded the wiring diagram for the phone?

Good luck.
-Bill G

AdamAnt316

I swapped out the receiver for the one from my other AE 90, and volume returned to normal. Solves that problem, but still some others remain.

For one thing, the dialing speed is a little too slow for the phone system I'm on (Verizon FiOS) to reliably decipher all of the pulsed digits. If I help the dial along (especially on the lower digits), they are all recognized. What is the best way to lubricate an AE dial without causing pulsing issues?

Also, the handset hook does not always pop up to the "off hook" position after removing the handset. Lubricating the shaft of the hook at the inside seems to be helping, but is there anywhere else to lubricate which might help? Again, thanks in advance.
-Adam

LarryInMichigan

Adam,

As I previously mentioned elsewhere in this forum, I have found that spraying plenty of electrical contact cleaner into dial mechanisms and other parts dissolves much of the grease and grime.  I have made major improvements to several dials this way.  Make sure to allow the cleaner to run out of the parts, shaking helps, so that it will not settle back into the parts.  Over-lubricating can cause more problems than it solves.  For the dial, you might also need to tension the spring a bit more.

Larry

HarrySmith

For the switch hook issue I had one with that issue and I repaired it by adjusting the amount of movement allowed to the hook. There is a "fork" under the switch which hits the frame it is mounted on and stops movement. I bent the fork by inserting a screwdriver into the slot, I took several tries as to not overdo it and it worked!
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

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

AdamAnt316

Some updates:

Regarding the hookswitch, I made another attempt at dripping oil into the hinge portion. Once I did that, some icky gray stuff dripped out, sticking quite well to my hands. Since then, the hook hasn't gotten stuck, though I'll keep an eye on it.

As far as the dial goes, I've done a couple more applications of oil (Tri-Flow Teflon-impregnated oil), followed by vigorous working of all digit positions. Though the dial worked decently the last time I tried it, I'm still wary of misdials. Is there a specific place within the dial's mechanism where new oil might help the most?
-Adam

Phonesrfun

Generally, the less and lighter the application of oil on a dial the better.  If you are into disassembling and cleaning the dial, there are some rather detailed instructions in a thread from about a year ago, and a search for cleaning an AE dial will probably pull it up.

Fore sure, you do not want to have any oil on the switch contacts, as it may gum them up over time.

Normal dial speed is 10 pulses per second.  Therefore it should take one second to dial a zero from the release of the finger wheel to the time it stops.
-Bill G

DarrenWGaransi

One more thing to check,
The receiver transducer has very limited clearance on the back of the receiver between the two poles (positive and negative).  In this space you may find silver filings that create an almost short across the receiver.  I learned this after hours of troubleshooting!  I noticed that when I tapped the receiver the volume became loud and then quiet again.  I unscrewed the receiver section of the handset, removed the receiver transducer and slid a piece of electrical tape between both poles (by the way, I saw all of the little metal filings that were shorting the whole thing out-in radio restoration we call this silver migration) after which all was well.