Starlite dial wanted! Alive and glowing.

[dsk]

I want to make my black Starlite wall telephone glowing in the dark, just as a Starlite should.
Anyone out there who may help me with a working glowing dial I may use?

Regards

dsk

[GG]

Me too.  After d_s_k gets one. 

BTW, something I did in highschool: disassemble the dial on an AE 80 or 80E, and you will notice there is plenty enough space for a 1A2 keystrip lamp.  Solder two wires to the contacts on the bulb, run 'em to a terminal strip, and use the Yellow and Black wires in the line cord to run any reasonable low-voltage power supply.  My version had a small slide-switch with a resistor, poking through one of the existing slots in the 80E base, to turn the light to a brighter or less-bright setting.  Today this could be done with LEDs in an appropriate color for the phone.

The result is that the light shines through the hole at the center of the numberplate and gets picked up by the fingerwheel quite sufficiently to make it possible to see the numberplate and dial in the dark. 

Nowhere near as cool as an electroluminescent Starlite dial, but functional.

[JorgeAmely]

dsk:

Don't forget that domestic power lines in Europe are 220 VAC, 50 Hz. Something to think about before you plug some made to operate from 120 VAC.

[dsk]

If I get the dial I have to measure some forth and back, and find both right current, and voltage to put into that lamp.
We have 230v here so either I have to set it up as in the wiring diagram, and use a transformer to 110V, or just find a transformer to considerable lower voltage (whatever needed to the lamp itselves) and limit the current if needed with a resistor.

I have been working with both 230/130 and 400/230 volt systems here, and knows US 120/240(208) and 3phase 277V systems so I hope not have to make more mistakes to learn how to do this.
Really good trim for the brain  

dsk

[HarrySmith]

I just got a Starlite along with a clear 2500. I only wanted the 2500, the Starlite is a faded Pink deal. I will test the dial, if it works it's yours!

[dsk]

    Great!
Thank you.

dsk

[dsk]

I am not sure about the if the first, and later dials has different characteristics.
The early dials with separate ac cord had two 27 kilo-ohms resistors in series with the "lamp", the later ones had a current limiting plug with 47 kilo-ohms resistors, and this plug could supply 2 dials.

My suggestion to make a 230V adapter is this: 2 current limiting resistors, and one bridge resistor making a voltage divider.   Everything soldered together in an ordinary plug, and filled with regular siliconecompound, or epoxy.

dsk

[stub]

d_s_k,
         We have the 120ACV plug and connecting block ,waiting on a working 182 dial from Terry. This plug has the two 47K ohm limit resistors and fuses in it.
          Terry's going to send me a dial with my order and we will go from there. I think these plugs support one dial.               Later ,  stub

[stub]

Here's what one would need-
                                             1 - 182 electroluminescent dial and faceplate , minus the dust cover
                                             1 - current limiting plug
                                             1 - connecting block
                                             2 - connecting lugs from same 182 donor for C and D connections
You can't use the off, dim, bright switch - clearance issue ( unless you trim 192 case )     That's about it.
                                                                                          Mine works great!!!    stub

[stub]

Harry,
          The electroluminescent dial rings are repairable, if not broken, so don't toss any.   stub

                                         http://tinyurl.com/3u6zczr

[dsk]

AE has confusingly many variations of both the starlite and 80E. Thosetwo I have)
I have managed to find the circuit diagram with the right PCB.
And now I have thought about how to adapt it 20 230V. A new way to solve it. Current limitation, voltage limitation and even with those resistors, it will not be much heat.

dsk

[GG]

I picked up a handful of Starlites at the show yesterday.  One has the infamous glowing dial ring, which as expected isn't working but can be repaired.  There's another early - mid 1960s version (metal dial card retainer ring), a late 60s - early 70s version (solid-center fingerwheel & spider), and a couple of later ones (solid-center screw-mounted fingerwheel).  All are turquoise except the newest one, which is AE's newer slightly darker green but still of the era with two hookswitch plungers (rather than the most recent version with a single hookswitch plunger on the Starlite desk set). 

More "stuff" for the ol' workbench.... :-)

[AE_Collector]

which is AE's newer slightly darker green

More "stuff" for the ol' workbench.... :-)

Avocado Green.

I haven't been able to find my workbench for a long time now.

Terry

[GG]

Avocado!  That's a lighter "avocado" than Western Electric's green of the same era.  For that matter, AE ivory looks like it got a "sun tan" but in fact it really does have a tiny bit of "green" in it (this via an 85E and a Canadian 80, both AE ivory).

A quick check of all of the Starlites shows the totals are three with electroluminescent dial (two turquoise, one avocado), one without (turquoise, and missing its handset).  So in theory I could use one of those dials for a wall set.

I'm a total wimp about mixing AC mains power with telephone equipment, so either a) I'll put separate mains cords on all of them or b) look for an alternative way to power them for instance with an isolation transformer and/or some very low-value fuses that'll blow with anything more than a few milliamps going through them. 

Question: Where can I find a good source for the solid-center AE fingerwheels and the 4-legged "spiders" they mounted on, and the large center screws that held them in place?  (I have a bunch of new-type screw-mounted plastic fingerwheels & screws if anyone wants them.)  Also looking for a couple of otherwise-trashed AE dials with intact main shaft assemblies, for use swapping the shafts into the dials that need spiders & solid-center fingerwheels.

[G-Man]

Saturday, Vaughn Rider had a number of n.o.s. power plugs for A.E. Starlites for sale at the NorCal Telephone Show that Gary Goff hosted.

They contain current limiting resistors that also serve as fuses.