444 Keyset Question.

[Dan/Panther]

I purchased my first 4 button keyset 444 from eBay. I've never seen a side photo of one. Are they much longer then the standard 300 series, both front and back, I assume they are ?
Dan

[Phonesrfun]

Yes, they are longer. More "stuff" in them.  Same goes for the 500 series keysets.

They have switches, lights and terminal boards that would not fit in the more compact housing.

[rdelius]

That set might be a 440 because the buttons are not clear to light.44os are hard to find
Robby

[Dan/Panther]

That set might be a 440 because the buttons are not clear to light.44os are hard to find
Robby

How much harder to find ?
Dan

[ESalter]

They're out there, but they definitely aren't as common as the 444s, same goes for 460 vs 464.  A few months ago I picked up a 460 really cheap because the housing was cracked.  I repaired the crack to be near invisible and it's a very nice phone now. 

However...  All of the buttons were stuck down at once.  The buttons are made of bakelite and the housing is plastic(obviously).  What happened is the holes in the housing shrunk to the point they were tight on the buttons so the buttons would stick.  The bakelite buttons have a small flange that captivates them in the housing, that's the part that was bound.  I spun all of mine in the drill and carefully filed a little bit of that flange off, just enough they moved freely in the shrunken holes.  In the event the buttons on your 440 are stuck, you might end up needing to do the same. 

Eric

[Russ Kirk]

Nice set.  Does yours have a metal or Bakelite housing?

[Dan/Panther]

Mine is the 440EC-3 III dated 2-42.
It's made out of tenite. Here are some internal photos and unusual markings. Notice War era BRASS bells ?

Dan

[GG]

Am I dense or is there not a capacitor in that phone?  In which case presumably the bell rings on common leads fed by the 90-volt ringing supply in the KSU? 

And in that case, is the speech circuit modded to not need a capacitor? 

Or is the capacitor hiding under the keyset? 

(I have the 6-button version of that around somewhere, but with lighted buttons, and I don't recall it not-having a capacitor inside.)

[Phonesrfun]

Memory has it that it is located under the back edge of the terminal strip just in front of the induction coil.  I don't have my own handy here to look at, but I know they did come equipped with capaitors, just as the 302 counterpart.

[AE_Collector]

I bet the capacitor(s) is underneath the terminal board behind the keystrip. I have a 464 around here as well.

Terry

[Greg G.]

I have one also (440).  One of my few ebay purchases.  Functions as a single-line phone.  I'm still looking for the button ID plate.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=4676.0

[Dan/Panther]

Yes the capacitor is under the board. Why all the vermillion X's. I forget what they mean.
D/P

[Dan/Panther]

January 3 1942, was a Saturday.
D/P