Stromberg and Carlson problems

[cmartin10036]

Hey guys,
I recently purchased a Stromberg and Carlson rotary phone from a flea market for 20$. Upon taking it home i realized the phone has two major problems. The phone receives calls but does not ring, there is a dial tone when it is plugged in. When i try to make an outgoing call, the phone makes an odd clicking noise as the dial rotates but the call never goes through. After some research i suppose something with the wiring is wrong. I apologize if i sound odd in my descriptions for i know nothing of phones. So if someone would be so gracious as to help me i would greatly appreciate it if you spoke in the simplest of terms. I will attach photos of the phone. Thanks to your help in advance!!
PS. Once i removed the cover of the phone, there was a black wire sticking out not connected to anything? I wonder if this has anything to do with my problems?

[G-Man]

The leads of the handset cord should to be placed on the following terminals...

Terminal "R" -   Red and White wires from handset
Terminal "B" -   Black wire from handset
Terminal "GN" -White (other) wire from handset

The attached diagram shows where the other wires should be terminated.
Also, the black wire from the handset line cord is not used and for convenience, it should be placed on the "G" terminal, along with the also unused yellow wire.

[G-Man]

Now, to address your ringing problem. 

Is your telephone connected to a conventional telephone line or to an internet telephone service?

It appears (according to my poor eyesight) that your ringer is wired correctly to the network. However, the armature is lying against the armature stud instead of in the opposite direction, against the rear pole-piece. 

The first step would be to move the clapper with your finger to see if it moves freely with little resistance. If it seems ok, then change the bias spring (shown in the photo) to the opposite position (high or low notch) than it is currently in. (The bias spring also appears to be bent and may have to be straightened). 

See if this resolves the problem;  if not, myself or others on the list can provide further assistance, or at least clearer instructions than I can, in solving your problem.

[G-Man]

Specific to the ringer in your telephone......

[cmartin10036]

G-Man,
I followed the directions of the wiring diagram, 2 questions. For the slate- white wire connected by the switch, where does that one go since it can go in two places?
Also i know i sound stupid , but in regards to the terminals some have 2, does it matter which one a wire goes on?

[poplar1]

Slate-white hookswitch goes to F for dial sets. (Goes to RR only when it is a non-dial set).
Are you asking about the double terminals--L2, G, GN, B and R? You can use either of the two screw terminals on these.
Does the clapper move back and forth easily if you push it with your finger? Sometimes, if a set is dropped, the stop rod gets stuck and prevents the clapper from moving.

[cmartin10036]

poplar1,
what does dial set and non dial set mean?
the clapper isn't difficult to move.

[G-Man]

A non-dial set is not equipped with a dial and thus not applicable to your instrument.The diagram that I provide shows it connected to terminal "F" along with the blue wire from the dial. That should not be an issue since it appears that only the wires connected to the "C" "GN" "B" "R" terminals are in the wrong positions. I am unable to see all of them so following the diagram should help you in relocating them to their proper positions. I would not worry too much about the ringer at this point, instead concentrating on getting the rest of the set working before tackling ringing issues.

[cmartin10036]

success! well partially... I rewired the phone and called, it rang and answered perfectly!
it still won't dial though!when i dial a number, it just gives me a dial tone then a busy signal.
here are some photos with the rewiring.
What could be the problem? why won't my beautiful phone dial?

[G-Man]

success! well partially... I rewired the phone and called, it rang and answered perfectly!
it still won't dial though!when i dial a number, it just gives me a dial tone then a busy signal.
here are some photos with the rewiring.
What could be the problem? why won't my beautiful phone dial?

Earlier, in anticipation of this problem, I asked whether your telephone service is being provided by a traditional telephone provider through a pair of wires or by an internet based telephone service.

If it is by traditional means, we can continue troubleshooting.  If your service is provide through the internet by a cable company such as Comcast or a service like Vonage, then we will need to establish whether they support dial pulse signaling or not.

[G-Man]

A closer look at your latest photographs seems to show that you have the red handset lead on terminal "L2" instead of "R".

If that is correct, change it and test it once more.

I have to go out so I am not able to check the rest of the wires until I return but perhaps there are others who can.

[Wayback Mike]

Not to veer off topic but fwiw, I've had Vonage service for a couple of years and the adapter they supplied me handles pulse dialling fine.  It will also ring at least three old school telephones.  Model # VDV22-VD

[andre_janew]

How did you manage to get the red handset lead over to L2?  I didn't think it was long enough to do that!

[G-Man]

success! well partially... I rewired the phone and called, it rang and answered perfectly!
it still won't dial though!when i dial a number, it just gives me a dial tone then a busy signal.
here are some photos with the rewiring.
What could be the problem? why won't my beautiful phone dial?

Have you had an opportunity to move the red handset wire from L2 to R? If so, does it now work properly?

[G-Man]

cmartin10036-
As per our pm's here is another wiring diagram...