Classic Rotary Phones Forum

Telephone Identification, Repair & Restoration => Technical "Stuff" => Topic started by: Dwayne on March 13, 2023, 06:02:06 AM

Title: NE 500 C\D no ring
Post by: Dwayne on March 13, 2023, 06:02:06 AM
My first time on this site so not sure if I'm in right place. Everything seems to work with the phone but it doesn't ring when called.  I thing it may have been set up for party line.  Wondering what wires have to be changed to make it ring. NE 78 500 C\D on bottom.
Title: Re: NE 500 C\D no ring
Post by: FABphones on March 13, 2023, 06:25:59 AM
Hi Dwayne and welcome to CRPF.

For us to help you best, please add photos of your phone showing the interior (and an image or two of the exterior/base would be good too).

 :)
Title: Re: NE 500 C\D no ring
Post by: poplar1 on March 13, 2023, 08:56:44 AM
Quote from: Dwayne on March 13, 2023, 06:02:06 AMMy first time on this site so not sure if I'm in right place. Everything seems to work with the phone but it doesn't ring when called.  I thing it may have been set up for party line.  Wondering what wires have to be changed to make it ring. NE 78 500 C\D on bottom.

If the phone was never converted to modular plug-in, then chances are the black ringer wire is on the G screw terminal inside the phone, along with the yellow line cord wire. If it is, try moving the black ringer wire to the L1 terminal, which probably  also has the green line cord wire.

Final result will have Black Ringer wire and green line cord on L1, red ringer wire and red line cord on L2, slate (gray) ringer wire on K, and slate-red ringer wire on A. Yellow line cord on G with no other wires.
Title: Re: NE 500 C\D no ring
Post by: Contempra on March 13, 2023, 05:45:28 PM
Quote from: poplar1 on March 13, 2023, 08:56:44 AMFinal result will have Black Ringer wire and green line cord on L1, red ringer wire and red line cord on L2, slate (gray) ringer wire on K, and slate-red ringer wire on A. Yellow line cord on G with no other wires.


.. And what do you do with the black wire from the line-cord ? I connect it to the second screw in front of the yellow wire. I've never had any problems doing that until now. Is there any danger  David ?
Title: Re: NE 500 C\D no ring
Post by: TelePlay on March 13, 2023, 06:12:41 PM
Quote from: Contempra on March 13, 2023, 05:45:28 PM.. And what do you do with the black wire from the line-cord ? I connect it to the second screw in front of the yellow wire.

I cut the black and the yellow wires off after the line cord retainer when converting to new, flat 4 conductor line cord.

If using the original line cord, I leave yellow on G and tape off the end of the black if it hasn't already been cut off.
Title: Re: NE 500 C\D no ring
Post by: loblolly986 on March 13, 2023, 07:01:29 PM
If using a modern four-conductor spade-to-modular line cord, I would either tape/store or cut off the yellow and black conductors and connect the black ringer wire to L1, as others have described. Yellow and black in modern modular connections are meant for such uses as carrying a second line and thus, it seems to me, are probably best not connected to anything in a single-line phone.

With the typical original three-conductor hardwired line cords, yellow was for ground and was connected to G, as was the black ringer wire. For regular individual-line/bridged ringing, the historically-correct approach (at least for W.E. 500C/D models per the Bell System Practices; not personally certain about N.E.) is to leave this alone and, at the *wall end*, connect yellow to the same terminal as green in the 42A connecting block, four-prong plug, or (alternatively nowadays) modular adapter plug/block.
Title: Re: NE 500 C\D no ring
Post by: poplar1 on March 13, 2023, 08:37:36 PM
Quote from: Contempra on March 13, 2023, 05:45:28 PM.. And what do you do with the black wire from the line-cord ? I connect it to the second screw in front of the yellow wire. I've never had any problems doing that until now. Is there any danger  David ?


The danger is that the wall jack may have a second line connected to black and yellow of the inside wire (wire from the station protector to the jack). Or, it may have 6-8 Volts AC for the dial lamp in a Trimline or dial lamp/night light in a Princess. If you then connect yellow and black to the same screw (G in a 500, GND in a 302 or 5302), you are then shorting out the 2nd line (if present) or the transformer (if present).

Cutting the "extra" yellow and black line cord wires inside the set is "quick and easy", but not a good idea in my opinion. I would connect the yellow wire to G (or GND) and insulate and store the black wire. (I am greatly disappointed  (déçu) when opening a 302 with D4W mounting cord (line cord) with factory equipped 283B 4-prong plug, only to discover that the installer cut off the black wire since he didn't need it for the 302.)
Title: Re: NE 500 C\D no ring
Post by: poplar1 on March 13, 2023, 08:55:33 PM
Quote from: loblolly986 on March 13, 2023, 07:01:29 PMWith the typical original three-conductor hardwired line cords, yellow was for ground and was connected to G, as was the black ringer wire. For regular individual-line/bridged ringing, the historically-correct approach (at least for W.E. 500C/D models per the Bell System Practices; not personally certain about N.E.) is to leave this alone and, at the *wall end*, connect yellow to the same terminal as green in the 42A connecting block, four-prong plug, or (alternatively nowadays) modular adapter plug/block.

This is true for hardwired 500 sets. However, for WE 302s and 5302s on individual lines, the AT&T standard, at least by the 1960s, was to connect the ringer circuit to L1 and L2 inside the set (red ringer to L1, black ringer to K, slate condenser to K, and yellow condenser to L2). The yellow mounting cord conductor was connected to GND inside the set, red to L1, and green to L2. Southern Bell Installers/repairmen were instructed to disconnect the yellow station wire at the station protector ground post, unless the subscriber had a party line.

Attachments from TCI Library
Title: Re: NE 500 C\D no ring
Post by: Contempra on March 13, 2023, 10:32:20 PM
Quote from: poplar1 on March 13, 2023, 08:37:36 PMI would connect the yellow wire to G (or GND) and insulate and store the black wire.

Okay , so now i'll connect the yellow and not the black . thanks for the advise .