Classic Rotary Phones Forum

Telephone Talk => Auction Talk => Topic started by: twocvbloke on February 23, 2017, 01:33:11 AM

Title: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: twocvbloke on February 23, 2017, 01:33:11 AM
While perusing ebay seeing what phones were available (being influenced by watching Cheers & seeing their 1A2 phones and the bar phones that seem to switch between being black 1A2s and 2500s), I happened upon this 2500-style phone, looks like it came from a hotel (and looking it's number up, it's a Best Western called the Phoenix Goodyear Inn in Arizona (https://www.bestwestern.com/content/best-western/en_US/booking-path/hotel-details.03116.html)), probably all electronic inside, so this'll be different for me I'm sure... :)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182464250543
(£10.00 & £5.99 P&P)

It does make me wonder if it was sold off officially or if it was "permanently borrowed" from room 131, could be handling stolen goods here... ;D
Title: Re: It's been a while - 2500-style phone
Post by: andy1702 on February 23, 2017, 04:32:53 AM
It looks like a 2500 to me, although I'm no expert on US equipment. I've no idea how the light and the messaging should work. Other than that it looks pretty normal.

One thing I have noticed is the little plastic clip at the top of the keypad that should hold the clear face plate on seems to be broken or missing. That must be a real weak point because I've got one with exactly the same problem.

Andy.
Title: Re: It's been a while - 2500-style phone
Post by: twocvbloke on February 23, 2017, 05:13:27 AM
Looks like the clip's there to me, just well-disguised in the under-lit pictures... :)

As for being a regular 2500, well, the handset has a single hole for the transmitter, indicating something electronic and probably glued in, there's the volume button by the hook, and being a hotel phone, it's most likely something cheap and cheerful that's easy to replace when broken or half inched by guests... ;D

The message waiting light, I think that works over the 2nd pair on the line cable, could be wrong but others here'll know... :)
Title: Re: It's been a while - 2500-style phone
Post by: andy1702 on February 23, 2017, 09:05:32 AM
I just noticed something else... That keypad looks exactly the same as the one I've been having trouble with here http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=17471.msg180544#msg180544 (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=17471.msg180544#msg180544). So I'd be interested to know what you find inside.The big question is does it need some kind of power supply to make the keypad work.

Andy.
Title: Re: It's been a while - 2500-style phone
Post by: 19and41 on February 23, 2017, 02:18:00 PM
Hope it isn't set up with anti tampering features to make it difficult to service.  Looks like an interesting unit with a past.
Title: Re: It's been a while - 2500-style phone
Post by: twocvbloke on February 23, 2017, 05:06:03 PM
Quote from: andy1702 on February 23, 2017, 09:05:32 AM
I just noticed something else... That keypad looks exactly the same as the one I've been having trouble with

The problem there is you could say that about most 80s-onwards north american touchtone phones, even my Cortelco 2554 which has a modern electronic keypad, buttons look the same as yours but the internal circuitry is different, but as for this old hotel phone, we shall see... :)

Quote from: 19and41 on February 23, 2017, 02:18:00 PM
Hope it isn't set up with anti tampering features to make it difficult to service.  Looks like an interesting unit with a past.

I'm guessing that it might have its screws drilled out or replaced with rivets or something along those lines, but, such things never stop me, it'll just be the putting back together that'll be the fun part...  ;D
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: twocvbloke on February 24, 2017, 07:57:08 AM
Incredible!! This phone arrived today!!! And that was apparently sent by 2nd Class post!!! Talk about fast service!! :o

Unfortunately, I'm about to fall asleep, so my screwdriver review of this phone'll have to wait for about 12 hours (~8 to sleep, the rest to wake up!! ;D ), but so far, it's definitely a different feeling phone, and has an electronic tone ringer somewhere inside it as there's no mechanical ringer visible through the base (which is a proper stamped metal baseplate with some slight differences). It's also made by TeleMatrix Inc., and is a model 2500E, so something for you to look up in the meantime...  ;D
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: twocvbloke on February 24, 2017, 10:33:49 PM
Well, I've gone through the phone with my screwdriver, it reminds me a lot of that ProTelX Rotarepo (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=6268.15) telephone I bought & dismantled a few years back, with additional weights located in the thing to make it seem more "high quality", the plastics have yellowed, so could do with some peroxide if I ever got round to trying that process out, the line socket is damaged to the point it disappeared inside when I tried plugging a cable in, and there's also a bit of damage on the front which wasn't really visible in the original pictures, but looking closely at them I can just about see it, so, oh well, it's not exactly a showpiece of a telephone anyway... :)

The handset is a 2-piece screwed & clipped affair with a heavy iron weight in the middle with an electret microphone & generic loudspeaker, the phone base itself is an interface board with a few wires going there and there, it has a "Data" socket on one side (presumably for laptops and modem-equipped Psion personal organisers that were once popular with the yuppie crowd), the voice processing electronics seem to be on the back of the push-button dial (so very different to Andy1702's Ibex "746") with the board on the baseplate being merely an interface for the line sockets and the hookswitch, the latter of which is a clicky microswitch akin to those used in GPO 746-type phones...

And of course, the tone ringer is a piezo sounder attached to the finger cup with a hole drilled in it to let the sound out (ignoring the big holes in the baseplate!!), and the message waiting lamp is a simple neon lamp which does seem to flash when ringing, but not very brightly (could be something to do with my BT Linesman phone being a bit low on battery power!)...

Overall, it's not exactly a top quality product, but then, being used in a hotel room where it could see some abuse and/or theft, they probably wanted whatever was cheapest that worked, but I can see where the modern clonephones got their tooling and design ideas from... :)

Need to give it a wash after I've uploaded the pictures (which turned out oddly pink for some reason), smells very perfumey, a stale perfumey sort of smell...
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: twocvbloke on February 24, 2017, 10:34:26 PM
And a couple more looking at the base...
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: 19and41 on February 24, 2017, 11:16:35 PM
Doesn't look bad considering it was made sacrificially.   
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: twocvbloke on February 24, 2017, 11:53:10 PM
It's not too bad a phone, it's just very bare inside, I've just pulled the plastics off the keypad and the whole electronic assembly that makes up the phone (bar the handset), there's really very little to it, but there are a lot of electronic components to make up it's DTMF generator, the audio amplifier (for the handset volume button) and tone ringer circuit, and there seems to be at least two bridge rectifier circuits on the "network" board (I say "network" as it's in the space where a network from a WE (& derivative brand) (2)500 type network would reside), presumably one to power the amplifier and the other for the tone generator circuit...

The data socket is amusing though, it's just literally a passthrough, so you could connect the line cable to the side of the phone instead of the rear, which is handy considering the rear socket is damaged...  ;D
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: andy1702 on February 25, 2017, 03:49:20 AM
I was just about to say are you sure that data connection isn't just another modular socket for the line cord?

I've got a very similar white version (somewhere) that is even lower quality. Mine is an ordinary phone, so no flashing light. The base is plastic and the front face doesn't have the clear plastic cover, it's just a plain moulded part of the shell. I was thinking it was a modern repro but now I'm not so sure.

The giveaway about these phones seems to be that two piece handset.

Andy.
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: twocvbloke on February 25, 2017, 04:01:05 AM
I've seen some of the plastic-based phones over here, but haven't felt the need to buy one of those (and was hoping this phone wasn't one of those!!), there's the other version with the K-type handsets too (the squared-off handsets), but those are far easier to spot... :)

Anyway, I gave the plastics a good washing so it's all nice and clean, the handset was quite yucky with its oral and aural detritus, but it's all sanitised now, haven't done anything about that crack in the front as the plastic seems to have deformed on the corner so probably needs a bit of heat to soften it to push it back up where it belongs, but, I'll think about it... ;D

Anyway, spot the reassembly mistake... ::)
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: ..... on February 25, 2017, 07:34:11 AM
Quote from: twocvbloke on February 25, 2017, 04:01:05 AM
Anyway, spot the reassembly mistake... ::)

The small clip that holds the face plate in place...  :o
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: twocvbloke on February 25, 2017, 07:50:32 AM
Nope, that's where it's meant to be, let's just say, count from 1 to 9...  ;D
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: Jim Stettler on February 25, 2017, 08:03:07 AM
I had some hotel phones where they used hardwire cords with  "mousehole" fillers in the line and handset jacks locations. The hardwire handset cord is pulled thru the mod opening in the handset (no jack in handset). They did have a modular datajack on the side.  These were used in hotels  to help prevent telephone theft.  The mouseholes were made for "newer" generic  housing w/ thinner plastic. they were flat and didn't have the raised "ridge" like a WE housing or mousehole. They didn't fit WE plastics.
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I have taken apart others where the line and data jacks are assembled  "jumped" together, w/ 1 set of leads going to the network.
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Regarding the faceplate retainer method.   Early 2500 housing had a small plastic "boss" at the top of the faceplate location, a small metal clip is screwed into the location. The clip holds the faceplate in, and can be released with a paperclip when the phone is assembled.
Later faceplates have a plastic "nub" at the top. The "nub" can be popped into the housing to hold the faceplate in. the later faceplates can be used with earlier housings.  I think most 2500 plastics still have the "boss" for the faceplateclip, even if it is never used.

Justb some Observations,
Jim S.
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: ..... on February 25, 2017, 09:18:52 AM
Got it, 9 8 7.  ;D
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: Jim Stettler on February 25, 2017, 01:21:02 PM
Quote from: twocvbloke on February 25, 2017, 07:50:32 AM
Nope, that's where it's meant to be, let's just say, count from 1 to 9...  ;D

I have heard of 2500 set keypads being converted for accountants. Accounts use an adding machine/number pad  format. Just a matter of swapping keys and wires I think  (not all touchpads).
Jim S.
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: twocvbloke on February 25, 2017, 10:11:43 PM
It'd be difficult to swap the keys around in this phone to work like a calculator, it's a basic PCB with contact pads on the board & a rubber membrane keypad behind the buttons, but the buttons definitely can be put in the wrong order, confusing the idiot who put them back in... ;D
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: Jim Stettler on February 25, 2017, 10:29:04 PM
I think WE 35 touchpads can be converted to adding machine layout, The WE 35 can also create the 4th column tones. The 4th column was special purpose. The 4th column is typically seen on autovon sets.
slightly off topic trvia,
Jim S.
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: Owain on February 26, 2017, 09:00:18 AM
Quote from: Jim S. on February 25, 2017, 10:29:04 PM
The WE 35 can also create the 4th column tones. The 4th column was special purpose. The 4th column is typically seen on autovon sets.

And on an Intertel hybrid system that used DTMF sets with 4th column for features, and DC ringing.
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: twocvbloke on February 27, 2017, 07:49:38 AM
Seems I get to take apart the phone again as I found the missing plastic from the broken socket, didn't even notice it had arrived with the phone to be honest!!! ;D
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: ..... on February 27, 2017, 08:09:20 AM
Quote from: twocvbloke on February 27, 2017, 07:49:38 AM
Seems I get to take apart the phone again as I found the missing plastic from the broken socket, didn't even notice it had arrived with the phone to be honest!!! ;D

Thank god for crazy glue. LOL :)
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: twocvbloke on February 27, 2017, 08:23:56 AM
Quote from: Autonut on February 27, 2017, 08:09:20 AM
Thank god for crazy glue. LOL :)

Not got Crazy Glue, just Super Glue, but either way, they're both Cyanoacrylate...  ;D

Fixed, not my best work (mostly cos I stuck two fingers together in the process!!), but it's in one piece now... :)

And while I'm posting pictures, I have my Linksys PAP2T running off USB power (specifically a 10Ah USB battery bank), which is handy for a portable intercom... ;D
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: andy1702 on March 01, 2017, 04:07:48 AM
I didn't know a PAP2 could run off USB power. Where did you get the cable to do that? Mine just came with a wall adapter.

Andy
Title: Re: It's been a while - "modern" TeleMatrix 2500E hotel room phone...
Post by: twocvbloke on March 01, 2017, 04:41:08 AM
Officially they don't run off USB power, if you look closely at the picture, you'll see that I made that cable out of a scrap USB cable and a wire off a blown wallwart transformer, splicing them together to make a USB A to barrel plug cable, and as this PAP2T runs on 5 Volts with a max. current of 2 Amps, it's well within the scope of modern USB power adaptors and power banks... :)

I think there's also a 12v version (which would have been handy as I have plenty 12v supplies knocking about!!!) which wouldn't work without a boost converter to step the voltage up to 12v...

One thing to note is that you need to tie the data wires together to fool a modern USB supply into thinking the device was a fast-charge device so that it fires out the 2Amps as required by the PAP2T... :)