Classic Rotary Phones Forum

Telephone Switching => Telephone & Data Building Wiring Systems => Topic started by: dc4code on September 23, 2018, 12:55:21 PM

Title: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: dc4code on September 23, 2018, 12:55:21 PM
Hello!

I am getting a Stromberg-Carlson #554 for the wall in the kitchen,

So there is a phone jack near the floor on the wall I want to put it on. So I was thinking of making a splice in that box and running the wire up behind the wall and then out onto another wallplate that the 554 will be connected to.

The only issue is what type of mounting brackets and wallplate do I need?

the phone I got from eBay is only coming with the phone. nothing else.
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: poplar1 on September 23, 2018, 01:16:02 PM
Does the phone you are purchasing have a modular plug (usually blue) on the back? (Perhaps you can provide the ebay link for us.)

If not, you can just use a modular to spade cord (same as for converting any hardwired desk set) and connect the plug into the baseboard jack and the loose ends to L1 and L2 inside the wall phone.
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: dc4code on September 23, 2018, 01:52:45 PM
Quote from: poplar1 on September 23, 2018, 01:16:02 PM
Does the phone you are purchasing have a modular plug (usually blue) on the back? (Perhaps you can provide the ebay link for us.)

If not, you can just use a modular to spade cord (same as for converting any hardwired desk set) and connect the plug into the baseboard jack and the loose ends to L1 and L2 inside the wall phone.

Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: HarrySmith on September 23, 2018, 03:37:51 PM
Looks like you will need a back plate & a wall plate.
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: Jim Stettler on September 23, 2018, 03:53:35 PM
Quote from: HarrySmith on September 23, 2018, 03:37:51 PM
Looks like you will need a back plate & a wall plate.
o a couple of screws and  a hardwire/mod cord .
Jim S.
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: HarrySmith on September 23, 2018, 05:35:09 PM
Yes, there is always that! You could just screw it right to the wall. Bring your wire up & in through the back, find a stud for at least one screw and an anchor for the other, done!
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: dc4code on September 23, 2018, 05:52:18 PM
thanks, guys!

I will post pictures in a few days when the phone comes! :)
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: Butch Harlow on September 23, 2018, 06:02:19 PM
If you intend to use it, find a 228 modular wall plate. It screws into the back of the phone and has wires that go to a sliding male rj-11 adapter. They put them of 554 models that got upgraded to modular during their lifespan. Then you can just buy a regular wall jack and it will hang on the 2 studs and plug right in, no cords necessary. I will try to find a pic of both for you.
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: Butch Harlow on September 23, 2018, 06:08:39 PM
This one is a little pricey, and NT, but will fit. 228 wall plate (https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F273471743628) I have a couple that have this already. See pics for the wall jack as well.
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: dc4code on September 24, 2018, 10:33:41 AM
Thanks, I will consider that.

But being a little short on money for this project I was thinking of running a cable from the jack at the bottom up the wall and put a little opening. then I would connect the cable to the inside of the phone with some spade connectors I have and then fasten the phone onto the wall securely.

If that doesn't work out well I will look into the product you sent me :)
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: HarrySmith on September 24, 2018, 12:42:05 PM
Quote from: dc4code on September 24, 2018, 10:33:41 AM
But being a little short on money for this project I was thinking of running a cable from the jack at the bottom up the wall and put a little opening. then I would connect the cable to the inside of the phone with some spade connectors I have and then fasten the phone onto the wall securely.

That's what I suggested, all you need is a couple of screws. The economical way to do it!
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: Key2871 on September 24, 2018, 01:40:45 PM
Just run the wire right up the middle of the set. There's a spot for it already in the case.
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: poplar1 on September 24, 2018, 03:00:32 PM
Please take a picture of the bottom of the housing (shell). There is at least one opening ("mouse hole") for the handset cord, but there may be another one to the left of that hole.

In any case, you don't have to make another cut in the housing. If there is only one hole, you can run the line cord in the same hole as the handset cord. Or, if there is a second hole, closer to the left edge, you can run the wire there.
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: dc4code on September 24, 2018, 05:44:01 PM
Quote from: poplar1 on September 24, 2018, 03:00:32 PM
Please take a picture of the bottom of the housing (shell). There is at least one opening ("mouse hole") for the handset cord, but there may be another one to the left of that hole.

In any case, you don't have to make another cut in the housing. If there is only one hole, you can run the line cord in the same hole as the handset cord. Or, if there is a second hole, closer to the left edge, you can run the wire there.

I'm not making any holes. there is already a hole on the back where the cable to L1 and L2 and connected to run out. I will have a hole on the wall where I mount it on so it looks nice and clean with no wires coming out.
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: TelePlay on September 25, 2018, 03:34:23 AM
     Regular Member Post (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=20151.msg206412#msg206412)

I've had more than a few of these and we had one in my boyhood home.

Mounting was to remove the housing, attach the phone directly to the wall with large headed flat head screws using the two slots (in red box) at the top and secured with one large headed flat screw at the bottom (in red box) and the line cord would come out of the wall and go into the phone in one of the two open slots (in green boxes), probably the wider slot to take extra wire inside the phone. Once the metal base was attached to the wall, the housing was replaced to complete the installation.

This image  shows this phone was mounted as such in that white wall paint is on the housing (in the yellow circle). IIRC, the wall had nothing more that a small hole in the wall with the station wire being run inside the wall to the phone mounting location. Also, this type of mount really held the phone to the wall unlike the back plate and "pegged" wall plate which added the convenience of being modular but sort of loose handing on just two pegs.

The alternative to running the station wire within the wall was to drop a line cord down from the phone to a jack near the floor and these phones did have a second slot (mouse hole) in the bottom, next to the handset cord clot (blue box) for the line cord to enter the phone. It did't look as clean as in "in the wall" wire but it worked.

If I'm wrong on any of this, please reply with a correction.
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: Butch Harlow on September 25, 2018, 07:13:20 AM
They definitely left an installer with a wide variety of options to hang the phone. One thing I have never understood was the two horizontal keyholes. As if someone would mount the phone sideways.
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: FABphones on September 25, 2018, 09:09:29 AM
Just for comparison here is a photo of my S.C. 554.

Whoever it was that put the line cord on ignored the mousehole totally.  ::)

After I've moved it over it will take pride of place on the kitchen wall.  :)
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: dc4code on September 25, 2018, 11:29:31 AM
thanks for all the information! :)
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: poplar1 on September 25, 2018, 11:34:49 AM
Quote from: Butch Harlow on September 25, 2018, 07:13:20 AM
They definitely left an installer with a wide variety of options to hang the phone. One thing I have never understood was the two horizontal keyholes. As if someone would mount the phone sideways.

The screw at the bottom actually should not be all the way at the end of the keyhole. It is horizontal so that the phone can be mounted at a right angle to the floor, even if the screw is not in exactly the right place.
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: jsowers on September 25, 2018, 01:32:14 PM
One small suggestion I have, which may already be obvious to some, is the mounting slots on the back are keyed and if you have a stud in the wall you can line up the right-hand top slot and the screw for the bottom slot so they go into the wall stud. The screw ends up in the narrow part of the keyway and you can easily put a pencil mark where the screw goes. You can also use a sheet of paper to mark the screw locations and hold that to the wall to drive the screws. Then with the screws in the wall, and tearing off the paper, you place the top slot on the screw first and then the bottom one and you can level the phone with that horizontal slot and tighten down both screws. You can add the second screw in the top if you like, but the stud may not be wide enough to accept both.

I'll never forget my grandmother's black 554 that was mounted by Southern Bell. It was on a wall in her kitchen that was shared by the basement stairs on the other side. So every time I went to the basement I could see the station wire behind the phone, stapled to the wall with those tiny staples.
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: dc4code on September 25, 2018, 08:29:49 PM
Quote from: jsowers on September 25, 2018, 01:32:14 PM
One small suggestion I have, which may already be obvious to some, is the mounting slots on the back are keyed and if you have a stud in the wall you can line up the right-hand top slot and the screw for the bottom slot so they go into the wall stud. The screw ends up in the narrow part of the keyway and you can easily put a pencil mark where the screw goes. You can also use a sheet of paper to mark the screw locations and hold that to the wall to drive the screws. Then with the screws in the wall, and tearing off the paper, you place the top slot on the screw first and then the bottom one and you can level the phone with that horizontal slot and tighten down both screws. You can add the second screw in the top if you like, but the stud may not be wide enough to accept both.

I'll never forget my grandmother's black 554 that was mounted by Southern Bell. It was on a wall in her kitchen that was shared by the basement stairs on the other side. So every time I went to the basement I could see the station wire behind the phone, stapled to the wall with those tiny staples.
Thanks,

and is that phone still there? cool story :)
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: Babybearjs on September 25, 2018, 09:22:57 PM
for all those who are not aware, this adapter also works on the 354 wall phone. (and the 356, 57, and 59)! this is how you modularize these phones for current use!
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: Jim Stettler on September 25, 2018, 09:27:21 PM
Quote from: Babybearjs on September 25, 2018, 09:22:57 PM
for all those who are not aware, this adapter also works on the 354 wall phone. (and the 356, 57, and 59)! this is how you modularize these phones for current use!
You can drill a couple of holes in them and mount them to AE90's.
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: jsowers on September 26, 2018, 06:34:32 AM
Quote from: dc4code on September 25, 2018, 08:29:49 PM
Thanks,

and is that phone still there? cool story :)

No, the phone isn't still there on the wall. My aunt lives there now and they modernized and added onto the house and what once was the kitchen is now the den and a phone on the wall there wouldn't make much sense. The wire may still be on the basement stairway side of the wall. That phone was ideally located when my grandmother was alive because it was next to her side door. You could hear it outside in the yard where we all gathered every Sunday and many's the time we would have to run in and answer the phone--two quick rings. She was on a two-party line. Her number cards said "Answer 2 rings."

My aunt thinks she still has the phone, but I never saw it nor the 1954 500 set she had in the bedroom after the remodel. My aunt has her own phone collection in the basement. She says they remind her of my uncle, who worked for Southern Bell for 30 years.
Title: Re: What wallplate for a 554?
Post by: dc4code on September 26, 2018, 01:20:06 PM
Quote from: jsowers on September 26, 2018, 06:34:32 AM
No, the phone isn't still there on the wall. My aunt lives there now and they modernized and added onto the house and what once was the kitchen is now the den and a phone on the wall there wouldn't make much sense. The wire may still be on the basement stairway side of the wall. That phone was ideally located when my grandmother was alive because it was next to her side door. You could hear it outside in the yard where we all gathered every Sunday and many's the time we would have to run in and answer the phone--two quick rings. She was on a two-party line. Her number cards said "Answer 2 rings."

My aunt thinks she still has the phone, but I never saw it nor the 1954 500 set she had in the bedroom after the remodel. My aunt has her own phone collection in the basement. She says they remind her of my uncle, who worked for Southern Bell for 30 years.

interesting story thanks for sharing :)