News:

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

Main Menu

Really dumb question ... 4 wire code ... three hooked up ... don't I need two?

Started by xtal_01, January 22, 2018, 07:22:04 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

xtal_01

Just showing how much I don't know about phones ....

I am replacing the cord on a NE 500 C/D

I had never noticed that only 3 of the 4 wires were hooked up.  The black wire was just laying loose.

Do all 4 wires need (or more correctly should) be hooked up?  If so where?  I always thought you only needed two wires (green and red) .... why would the yellow have been hooked up?

Right now this is how they are hooked up (I assume this is how it has always been):

L2 - red
G  - yellow
L1 - green

Black not even taped up .... just hanging loose.

Thanks ..... Mike

Here is a bit more detail ... don't know if you need it or not ....

This is an old NE 500 C/D (about 1963) that I got.

I get my phone over the internet.

I have no idea if the yellow is hooked up inside the modem.

I did plug the phone into the modem and it did ring.

If obviously will not dial out but I have a Dial Gizmo on the way to solve that.

The clip on the phone jack was broken off.

I purchased a new cord.

When I pulled off the cover, I found three of the 4 wires connected.

I thought I only needed two wires for a phone to work (including to ring).

That would be the Green going to L1 and the Red going to L2 (hope I have these right).

On my phone the Yellow was hooked to G and the Black just laying inside loose.


TelePlay

Only two wires are used today, red and green. The yellow wire may require you to move a wire on the network, poplar1 will tell how so I won't guess at it off the top of my head.

The modular connector in the wall used the center two conductors, red and green. The outside connectors are not use (yellow and black) unless you have 2 POTS lines and then the second line will be on yellow and black. Assuming you have one POTS so black and yellow are not connected to anything in the wall.

Don't worry about untapped black or yellow wires. Someone can help you with the network connections for red and green, normally to L1 and L2.

AE_Collector

Back in the days when many people had party lines, the ringer was hooked from tip OR ring to Ground rather than from tip TO ring. The ground came into the phone on the yellow lead. The yellow leads of the station wire were hooked to ground at the protector. Most phones made through the 1970's came with three wire cords to allow for this.

In the days before modular plugs on the end of birds, the ringer was usually connected from ring to ground in the phone. If installing a private line service the installer simply put the green and yellow cird leads together on the green wire at the junction block so the phone would ring. A party 1 phone was wired with all three cord leads wired straight at the block including the ground lead so it would ring fir party 1. A party 2 phone was wired to all three leads but green and red were reversed to make the phone ring for calls to party 2 only.

Terry

poplar1

You can put the yellow wire on G if you want. It's just a "blind terminal" -- not connected to anything inside the network.

You may want to put some tape on the end of the black wire.
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

xtal_01

Awesome guys!

It worked! 

Plugged into the modem .... called it with the cell and it rang!

Can't wait to get my Dial Gizmo in (hoping it will come in this week) so I can try calling out.

Thanks again .... Mike