News:

"The phone is a remarkably complex, simple device,
and very rarely ever needs repairs, once you fix them." - Dan/Panther

Main Menu

WE 302 Ringer Repair

Started by gands-antiques, November 08, 2017, 08:54:41 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

gands-antiques

I have three or four 302 ringers that are either dead or very weak.  Is there any repair for the ringers?

I've cleaned the contacts and adjusted the bias spring to each of the positions but still didn't improve any.


Thanks,
Gary

Ktownphoneco

Gary   ....  I've encountered the same thing over the years.    But there's a couple of things you can try.   If you have a soldering iron with a small tip suitable for electronics repair, and a volt / ohm meter, try this on the ones that are "dead".    Remove the gongs ( to get at the 2 round head machine screws that hold the coil assembly in the ringer frame ), and remove the screws and the coil assembly from the ringer frame.    Take your meter and set it to read ohms.    Place one meter probe on the trail of solder that crosses the top of the fiber board that connects the two iron core posts of both ringer coils, and place the other lead from the ohm meter on the red ringer wire.     If you get a steady or consistent reading on the meter, then that coil is ok.    Repeat the previous step with the black ringer lead.   If the red wire checked out ok, then you shouldn't get any reading with the black ringer wire, which means there's an open in the coil somewhere.    More often than not, I've found that the end of the magnet wire where it comes up through the fiber board and is soldered to one end of that trail of solder has broken it's connection with the solder.   By heating the soldering iron up to it's working temperature, and using some fresh rosin core solder, insert the tip of the iron into the hole in the fiber board where one end of the magnet wire from the coil winding should be located, along with some fresh solder, and let the fresh solder melt in with the factory solder allowing a small amount of it to enter the hole in fiber board, then let it cool.   Once the solder has solidified, re-conduct the test with your ohm meter across the black ringer wire and the line of solder on top of the fiber board, and hopefully you'll get a reading.    You can double check by measuring the ohms reading by connecting both leads of your ohm meter to the red and black leads of the ringer.     That should give you the total impedance of the ringer, and verify that the break has been repaired.   If you get no reading after re-soldering, then the break in the magnet wire is elsewhere, and probably not easily fixable.

Regarding weak B1A ringers try this.      If memory serves me, the two machine screws that hold the ringer coils to the ringer frame are No. 8 round head machine screws.     Next time your near Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace, or any other hardware store, pick up a small package of No. 8 flat washers.     Just make sure they contain "iron".   Hold the package near a magnet and see if the washers are attracted to the magnet.   You can always find something in the tool department with a magnet attached to it.    Just borrow the tool for a few minutes to test the washers.
Then remove the gongs to get at the two machine screws holding the ringer coils to the frame, and slip a flat No. 8 washer between the top post on one coil at a time, line up the threaded hole in the coil with the new washer and re-install the screw but don't tighten yet.    Do the same with the other post, then tighten both machine screws.      What your actually doing is moving the bottom of the ringer coils, and the clapper rocker plate closer to the magnetic frame of the ringer.    When current is applied to the ringer, the clapper rocker plate at the bottom of the ringer will perform better when it's closer to the magnetic frame of the ringer.    If you can get two washers on each post, it's even better, but make sure that the clapper rocker plate does not touch the magnetic frame of the ringer.   Even with just one washer on each post you should see a noticeable difference in the performance of the ringer.

Jeff Lamb 

gands-antiques

Quote from: Ktownphoneco on November 08, 2017, 10:22:25 PM
Gary   ....  I've encountered the same thing over the years.    But there's a couple of things you can try.   If you have a soldering iron with a small tip suitable for electronics repair, and a volt / ohm meter, try this on the ones that are "dead".    Remove the gongs ( to get at the 2 round head machine screws that hold the coil assembly in the ringer frame ), and remove the screws and the coil assembly from the ringer frame.    Take your meter and set it to read ohms.    Place one meter probe on the trail of solder that crosses the top of the fiber board that connects the two iron core posts of both ringer coils, and place the other lead from the ohm meter on the red ringer wire.     If you get a steady or consistent reading on the meter, then that coil is ok.    Repeat the previous step with the black ringer lead.   If the red wire checked out ok, then you shouldn't get any reading with the black ringer wire, which means there's an open in the coil somewhere.    More often than not, I've found that the end of the magnet wire where it comes up through the fiber board and is soldered to one end of that trail of solder has broken it's connection with the solder.   By heating the soldering iron up to it's working temperature, and using some fresh rosin core solder, insert the tip of the iron into the hole in the fiber board where one end of the magnet wire from the coil winding should be located, along with some fresh solder, and let the fresh solder melt in with the factory solder allowing a small amount of it to enter the hole in fiber board, then let it cool.   Once the solder has solidified, re-conduct the test with your ohm meter across the black ringer wire and the line of solder on top of the fiber board, and hopefully you'll get a reading.    You can double check by measuring the ohms reading by connecting both leads of your ohm meter to the red and black leads of the ringer.     That should give you the total impedance of the ringer, and verify that the break has been repaired.   If you get no reading after re-soldering, then the break in the magnet wire is elsewhere, and probably not easily fixable.

Regarding weak B1A ringers try this.      If memory serves me, the two machine screws that hold the ringer coils to the ringer frame are No. 8 round head machine screws.     Next time your near Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace, or any other hardware store, pick up a small package of No. 8 flat washers.     Just make sure they contain "iron".   Hold the package near a magnet and see if the washers are attracted to the magnet.   You can always find something in the tool department with a magnet attached to it.    Just borrow the tool for a few minutes to test the washers.
Then remove the gongs to get at the two machine screws holding the ringer coils to the frame, and slip a flat No. 8 washer between the top post on one coil at a time, line up the threaded hole in the coil with the new washer and re-install the screw but don't tighten yet.    Do the same with the other post, then tighten both machine screws.      What your actually doing is moving the bottom of the ringer coils, and the clapper rocker plate closer to the magnetic frame of the ringer.    When current is applied to the ringer, the clapper rocker plate at the bottom of the ringer will perform better when it's closer to the magnetic frame of the ringer.    If you can get two washers on each post, it's even better, but make sure that the clapper rocker plate does not touch the magnetic frame of the ringer.   Even with just one washer on each post you should see a noticeable difference in the performance of the ringer.

Jeff Lamb 


Thank a lot Jeff...

This is fantastic information and I really appreciate it. I won't be able to try the fixes today but I will sure give it a try tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks again,
Gary