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Wiring a 202 with 5 wires to a 685A Subset

Started by gands-antiques, January 12, 2012, 11:22:49 PM

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gands-antiques

I need help wiring a 202 with 5 wires to a 685A subset.

The 202 has 5 wires and I need to connect them to a 685A subset.

The 5 wires coming from the phone are white, green, yellow, red and black but the terminals on the subset are 1, 2, K, L1, L2 & G.

Can someone please tell me the correct way to connect the wires from the 5 wires from the phone to the 85A subset?

I also have a wall module plug/cord but it only has two wires,,,red and green.

Thanks

Phonesrfun

#1
Here is alink to a diagram in the TCI library:



http://www.telephonecollectors.info/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_details&gid=2138&Itemid=27
( link good as of 12/15/23 )

Understand that your line cord has different colors than the diagram for the line cord.  Don't assume that the red, green and yellows of your line cord are connected the same as the red, green and yellows in the diagram.  Check them all out from the diagram, and translate accordingly.

-Bill G

gands-antiques

I had already located and viewed the WE schematics on the site you provided but I couldn't figure it out for my subset.

Is there anyway to get a color conversion of the 5 phone wires... white, green, yellow, red and black to the 1, 2, K, L1, L2 & G terminals on the subset..

Thanks a lot!!

Phonesrfun

I guess I or someone else will need ti talk you through it.  In order to do that, however, I will need to know how each wire of the line cord is connected inside the 202 body.  I could guess, but to be absolutely sure, I will either need you to tell me or take a good photo and post it.

Remember that the 685a subset came out about 30 years after the 202, so the wiring is non- standard.

Welcome to the forum, by the way.

-Bill G

gands-antiques

Bill,

Thanks for the welcome.  I really appreciate your help. 

The 5 wires coming from the phone are white, green, yellow, red and black.

The terminals on the subset (when looking at it with the bells away from you are from right to left
are 1, 2, K, L1, L2 & G.

Phonesrfun

I can further reply tonight when I get off work.  Most of your connections to the subset will be made directly to the network and not to the terminal board, but I can get to that tonight.  That photo is perfect.

I am in the Pacific time zone, and I will be done with dinner at about 7pm.

Cheers.
-Bill G

Phonesrfun

#6
OK, I am home from work and have it all laid out for you.

The 685A subset is a later piece of technology than the 202 was originally connected to, but when connected to this subset, you will get pretty much the same effect of that of a later model 500 set out of the 202.  This "improved" response will probably be undetectable to most people, but it will be better than connecting the 202 to an earlier subset.  The 685A subset uses a 425B network instead of a plain old induction coil and capacitor combo found in earlier subset models.  Due to the difference, a 5th wire is needed to connect the 202 to the 685A subset.  Your phone has a cord with 5 wires, but inside it is not wired quite correctly.  The following changes will get those wires connected to the right places to be able to be connected to the 685A subset.  Note that these changes will not hurt the phone in any way.

In fact, when the Bell System came out with the Continental and Imperial 202 versions in the 1950's, they were often connected to the newer technology subsets such as the 685A.


You will need to move a few wires inside the 202 body:

Unhook the two red wires from the dial "R" terminal and move them both to the spare "R" terminal that is shown in the photo to the right of the dial.  The "R" terminal on the dial will no longer be connected.  The desk stand cord you have is not an original to the phone, and so the red wire is a little short.  Already it is a stretch to get it connected to the R terminal on the dial.  You may need to play around with the routing of the wire to get it to stretch over to that R terminal.

Unhook both the black wires from the "BK" terminal on the dial and connect them together with a small nut and bolt that you can then tape over with electrical tape.  Unfortunately, there are not spare terminals inside the 202 body, so this needs to be done with a small nut and bolt.  Once taped, that will just float around in the phone, so it is important that it be taped well enough not to come in electrical contact with anything else, or noise will occur.

Currently, you have two white wires connected to the dial "W" terminal; one from the handset cord, and one from the desk set cord.  Leave the one of the handset cord connected there, and move the white wire of the desk set cord to the "BK" terminal of the dial.  Now you're done inside the phone body.

Now connect the four wires of the desk set cord to the 685A subset.  

Note that when I talk about the network, I am referring to the square box with the black plastic cover with all the screw terminals on it.  When I talk about the terminal strip, it is the black strip at one end with the 1, 2, K, L1, L2 & G designations:

Red desk set wire to the R terminal on the network
Green desk set wire to the GN terminal on the network
Black desk set wire to the B terminal on the network
White desk set wire to the RR terminal on the network
Yellow desk set wire to L1 on the 685A terminal strip (Not L1 on the network)

The black covered cord with the red and green wires that are connected to L1 and L2 respectively on the terminal strip are the wires that connect to your phone line.  If the other end of this cord does not have a modular plug on it, we will need to discuss how to connect this to your phone line.

Good luck, and please report back with the results, and by all means ask any questions you may have.
-Bill G

gands-antiques

Bill,

Thanks a million for all of your excellent instructions. I won't get a chance to do the wiring until Monday because I setup today at an antique show and it will go on all weekend. 

I will be sure and let you know how all of the wiring goes as soon as I can get a chance to try it. 

Thanks again and I really appreciate your help!!

Gary

Phonesrfun

Cool, Glad to help, and good luck with the show.  You must be in a warmer climate, or the show is indoors (or both).
-Bill G

gands-antiques

Bill,

Thanks a million!!  Your instructions were excellent and the phone and subset are working LIKE NEW!!

I  have one more 202 with a F1 receiver, a dial with 4 wires connected to it and a 687A subset that I would really appreciate the same type of wiring instructions if you wouldn't mind.

I'm attaching pictures of the 2nd phone dial area, the 687A subset and the 4 wires that are currently attached to the phone.

Thanks again and I really appreciate it. 

Gary

LarryInMichigan

I believe that the 687A is only a ringer, not a subset.  You could probably turn it into a subset by attaching a 425 network to the base (where the capacitor currently is) if the cover will fit over it.

Larry

gands-antiques

Thank you Larry.  If it is a ringer only and not a subset, will it ring when the phone is called?  If so what is the difference between a subset and a ringer?

Thanks,
Gary

Phonesrfun

The ringer only has a ringer and a capacitor that is required in the ringing circuit.

The thing that makes a subset a subset is the induction coil and audio capacitor in addition to the ringer and the ringer capacitor.

The 685A subset on your other phone has the 425 network (That square box with all the terminals on it).  The network contains the induction coil, the audio capacitor, and a few other components to make the phone work properly.

The induction coil and audio capacitor are the key ingredients.  They provide impedance matching to the phone line and isolate the receiver in the handset from being directly connected across the line which can demagnetize the receiver from having direct current across it.

If you don't have another subset, there is a circuit I call a "cheater subset" that consists of a single resistor and a single capacitor that can be assembled in a modular phone connecting block.  All the parts are available at Radio Shack for about $5.00 total.  The connecting block is the most expensive item of the three.

-Bill G

gands-antiques

Thanks Bill.

Has some of the guts been removed from my 687A and if not, why were they made if they don't work

Does this "cheater subset" mount insind my 687A ringer box?

What shouldI ask for if I go to a radio Shanck?

Thanks agin Bill..the other one is working perfectly.

Gary

LarryInMichigan

Wouldn't it be possible to mount a spare 425 network to the two open holes in the base of the 687A?  That would seem like the easiest solution.  The 425 network can be used with a four-wire mounting cord as was described somewhere on this forum.  I used one, and it works well.

Larry