News:

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

Main Menu

B1AL ringer

Started by Babybearjs, November 15, 2011, 02:27:02 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Babybearjs

why did WE make 2 versions of the ringer for the 300 series phone? the B1AL is 2 wire and the B2AL is 4 wire... they did'nt need that! there is only 2 conections for the bell.... the cap, and the line... did they make the B2AL for the 5300 series? I had to change out the bell in my 354 and it was the ring that went bad. the B1AL works just fine in my phone... the main reason I'm posting this is because it seems like a waste of time for WE to design something that isint going to be used... the C series bells were used in the 500's... they could have stayed with the B series, since the B2AL had the 4 wires also.... strange....
John

Bill

If I recall correctly, the split ringer in a B2 enabled some party line functions that couldn't be done with a B1 ringer. And again, IIRC, the two coils in the B2 did not have the same resistance - not even close. Again, this enabled some party-line functions - or perhaps some party-identifcation functions in a party-line setup.

Others will know more - but there was a reason.

Bill.

Phonesrfun

Yes, the split ringer coils have uneven resistances (on purpose).  The split ringer coil was then made standard on the 500 set.

The purpose in having an uneven and split ringer coil is to have a resistance available that can be measured by the central office when the phone is off hook.

Depending on which party on a party line a particular phone was connected to, one side or the other of the coil was connected to ground as a reference.

The central office could then tell which of two parties were making an outgoing call for billing purposes.  THis was known as Automatic Number Identification (ANI).

That feature has long been outgrown, since there are no party lines any more. 

The split coil ringer has a total resistance the same as a non-split ringer, and thus, it can be used the same as a regular B1A ringer.

Quiz:  Can you fingure out how to connect the 4 wires where 2 would normally be connected?
-Bill G

Babybearjs

bill, thanks for the info... I'm so used to seeing the C series bells  using the "A" and "K" terminals that seeing the 4 wire on a "B" series makes me scratch my head, forgetting about the partylines.... they did'nt have those in the SF Bay Area back in the 60's and 70's. I've never had to deal with partylines except when you want to use the house phone and your sister is chattering non stop on the phone.... I guess you could call that a kind of "partyline"  anyway... thanks for the info. as far as making a 4 wire bell work on a 2 wire setup, thats easy... you just de-solder the slate and slate-red and put a jumper in their place. now, the B2AL is wired just like the B1AL, with just the red and black. Had WE wired the 354 and the 304 with the yellow cap wired to the "A" terminal then it would have been wired just slike the C series on the 500 phones. the ringer cap is "A and "K" and the phone wiring follows the 500 scheme. John
John

Phonesrfun

Yes, they changed things around over the years.  Instead of desoldering and jumpering, you can tie the slate and slate/red together on terminal E, if the phone has the terminal pad with the E screw on it.  The 304 and 354 phones should have an E terminal.  At least that is the way the diagram in the TCI library shows it.

Even though I grew up in the 50's and '60's we always had a private line due to my dad's job as an assistant DA in the county I grew up in.  He was required to have a private line, lest some snoopy neighbors get wind of what the DA was up to.
-Bill G