Help with an AE34

[DNO]

I'm new to the forum and to the whole world of phone collecting.  I've had my eye open for a nice, functioning 302 for a while and I finally found one at a local estate auction.  That is, I found two metal bodied Northern Electric 302s as well as a D1/F1 with a 685a subset (I've been doing my homework).  They all work well so far.  The reason for this post, however, is the fourth phone I found at the sale.

That phone is apparently a Canadian made AE34A3B.  It has a crack in the Bakelite body but I loved it the instant I spotted it.    Now the problem.  The phone will receive calls fine.  It rings fine...beautifully actually.  Dialing out is the problem.  

When I try dialing out, it makes the other phones in the house ring...dial a number, get a ring.  Sometimes it doesn't do this on all the numbers.  

If I persist and keep dialing, I may get the "We're sorry, your call cannot be completed..." message on the 8th digit (in a ten digit number).  That may be my sloppy dialing, I admit.

If I hang up and try again  and  persist through the ringing again, I have managed to complete the call successfully.

Is there any way to get this beauty to make a call without the other phones in the house ringing as I dial?

I hope I stated this one clearly enough!  Confuses me, for sure.

I'll post a photo of the phone and the wiring.

[dsk]

Please read this thread: http://tinyurl.com/blobvs9

I'm still working on how to do it even simpler, and hat source of sound in the diagram is not needed.
A small battery is enough.

My first tests was done by using a 1000Hz tone, and was slightly easier to decode. My last test (not in the thread ) was performed with a 9V battery with to little energy for the smoke detector.

dsk

[DNO]

Thanks for the post, dsk.  Not being terribly technical, I'm afraid you lost me!

I did notice that the dial is running faster than my 302s and my 500. Ah well perhaps I'll just use it for incoming calls and just enjoy it's sweet deco looks!

[LarryInMichigan]

DNO,

It is not unusual for other phone ringers to pick up the voltage changes on the line caused by dialing and make a bit of noise.  The situation can sometimes be improved by reversing the polarity on the phone.  Try exchanging the red and green wires on the "L1" and "L2" terminals in the phone.

As far as dialing out not working, if the dial is not producing pulses within the accepted ranges of width and spacing, the phone equipment will not recognize them.  If the dial returns too quickly, that could be the problem.  You can slow the dial by carefully bending the little arms in the governor outward a bit.  The usually recommended solution for dial problems is to send them to Steve Hilsz for repair (http://www.navysalvage.com/).

I would recommend that you apply a bit of super glue to the crack on the inside of the phone shell to help keep the crack from spreading. 


Larry

[DNO]

Thanks for the advice, Larry.  I will try changing the polarity.  I was a little suspicious of the wiring. It doesn't seem to agree with the wiring diagrams that I've been able to find.  The dial issue I may just leave alone until I get more familiar with classic phones.  I'll probably change the wires at some point as well.

As far as the crack spreading, that one may be too late.  Here's a photo of the back of the phone.  But I have to admit I quite like this phone, cracks and all!

[poplar1]

If it is the other phones that have ring tap, then maybe you will have to reverse the two ringer wires or the two line cord wires of the *other* phones, not the AE 34.

Also, if not already mentioned, check the *other* phones for tension of the biasing springs and the distance between the clapper and the gongs (minimum 1/64 inch) when not ringing.

[LarryInMichigan]

AE34s (and 35s, 40s, and 50s) love to crack almost as much as Kelloggs do.  I have found that super glue is quite effective at holding cracks together.  If I were you, I would still try to glue the shell from the inside to at least keep the cracked sides from moving relative to each other and making the damage worse.

Larry

[DNO]

I changed the polarity of the AE34 but it didn't seem to make any difference as far as the other phone is concerned.  That "other" phone is a modern wireless phone...a soulless entity I know but my wife's preference.

Thanks for the super glue advice Larry.  I will have to pick some up.  I just checked and the wider crack at the back will close up with a bit of pressure.  I'll use some super glue to secure it.

Thanks for your help gentlemen!

[poplar1]

Perhaps a cordless phone is more sensitive to the voltage spikes a rotary dial causes. If I had a cordless phone (big if), I would program its ringer to "off" except maybe when you take it outside. Depending on your floor plan, you should be able to have one or more centrally located ringers that you can hear all over the house, particularly if mounted on the wall.

You could also put the 685A subset in one place and the 202 still connected to it up to 250 feet away.

[DNO]

Good point, poplar.  Thanks. 

I've had a 202 with the subset hooked up and it worked fine.  Same with two different 302s.  None of them triggered the sympathetic ringing in the wireless creature...just the AE34.

I think I'll just grin and bear it! 

[poplar1]

If only the AE 34 causes this, it may be the wiring of the AE 34.

[DNO]

I'm just a novice at this but I suspect you are right, poplar.

This morning I had the AE34 plugged in and accepted an incoming call.  It was for my wife but when she tried to pick up another phone the line (on that phone) was dead.  The AE34 seems to have cut off the other phones.   It looks like the AE34 is just not playing nicely with the other phones!  This may be beyond my novice skills.

[poplar1]

Looking at your photos, there is a bare wire in the bottom of the photo, shorting terminal 4 and the terminal next to it. Has that been corrected? Where's Stub?

[DNO]

No, I haven't touched the wiring yet.  I don't feel that I know enough to tamper with anything yet!

[stub]

DNO ,
        Here's a AE 34 diagram. Is your diagram the same as this one? It seems like you may have a wiring issue or a short as David suggested or loose connection causing the phone to go dead . Try tracing out the wires and see what you find. Disconnect and tape the black and the yellow line in wires on G terminal , red and green are the only ones used to connect your phone.  stub