How do I make my WE 302 ring?

[ddawson]

Let me start out by saying I am new to this and know very little about old phones. I have been digging through my dad's garage and have found many different rotary phones. I thought it would be cool to clean a few up and see if they work. Most of them do with exception of the ring. My dad says I need a straight line ringer but he has none to fit the phones. Any suggestions? Most of the phones are AE and Strosberg Carlson only a couple 302s

[WesternElectricBen]

Hi, and welcome.

To start off, if the phone is just wired incorrectly:

It looks like you need to move the black wire, at Terminal L2, to terminal K on the on mounting plate.

Simple Diagram: http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=816.0

Hope that helps,
Ben

[ddawson]

Ben, I wired it like  your diagram showed and still no ring. It did sound like it was trying to ring. I could hear a buzzing sound when it was supposed to be ringing. I appreciated your help but maybe it has other issues. Any more suggestions? I do have another one that I could swap ringers with.
Thank you for your help,
Darren

[WesternElectricBen]

Okay, so now it is wired correctly, your going to need to add a capacitor, so it has the correct voltage to ring the bells. It turns out your dad is right, and does need a straight line, but once again, with a cap it should work.

I'm not exactly sure on the MF you will need, but if you read the numbers off of the ringer, I'm sure someone like Poplar1 could help you find the right one.

Ben

[ddawson]

IT RANG! I Moved the bias tension spring to the center notch. Thanks for all your help.

[Dennis Markham]

Darren,

I had sent you some tips prior to the other responses posted here.  That was based upon your inquiry to me a few days ago.  If you think the ringer is trying to work, move the bias tension spring.  It's currently in a position all the way to one side (as seen in your photo).  That is the thin wire that is located on the ringer, between the coils.  Move it to the center position and see if that helps the ringing any.

Welcome to the Forum, by the way.

~Dennis

Looks like you followed my advice and posted while I was posting.  Congrats.

[Dennis Markham]

Darren, you can enhance the ringing even more by adjusting the ringer gong(s).  If you loosen the screw inside the gong, you can rotate the gong and notice that it moves toward and away from the clapper.  With trial and error you can rotate the gong, tighten it down and see if the volume of the ringing improves.

[ddawson]

Dennis, I will give that a try. Thanks for the info. Do you know if an AE Phone with a 30~ 40~ ringer can be modified to ring or does it need a new ringer?

[Dennis Markham]

Some here have modified "frequency ringers" to vibrate enough to cause them to ring.  I have no experience with that.  If you search around on the forum you should find some threads regarding the modification of the ringers.  The best thing, in my opinion is to try and find a straight line ringer to replace them.  A 20~ ringer or a straight line ringer will work just fine.

If anyone wants a frequency ringer, let me know.  I've got a shelf full of them.  They make good paper weights.