Western Electric 500 won't ring

[banderson]

Hey everybody!

I recently purchased a rotary phone and everything with it seems to work except for the ringing. I have read that this is most likely a wiring problem but even after looking at some diagrams I am hesitant to touch anything without some advice. I was thinking I could post a picture or two and maybe you all can tell what's wrong better than I can haha.
Thanks so much in advance
Ben

Ps. The first photo is inside the phone and the second is inside a box that seems to be changing the three wires to a regular phone jack

[Phonesrfun]

From what I can see, it is wired correctly for bridged ringing.  Other contributing issues could be:
Defective capacitor inside the network
Open (defective) wires leading to the ringer (Not too likely)
Open (burned out or damaged) ringer coil
Weak ringing source.  For instance, the original magic jacks did not have the oomph to ring a 500.

[banderson]

Thanks so much for your reply!

According to what you laid out could one solution be the not use the magic jack and just connect the three wires directly to a new phone cable? Would I just cut one end of a new cable off and connect the three wires to that and put the other end into the wall?

[unbeldi]

You only need two wires today.  The third wire (yellow) was used in grounded ringing which was common until some decades ago.
You should be able to use a standard modular cord from that jack box to the wall jack.

The green wire is called 'tip' (ground level), and the red one is 'ring' (–48 V DC), but polarity isn't important anymore today.
If it were, you would have to rewire that jack box, because technically, it is wired wrong.  It should have red going to green, and green going to red on the screw terminals, because the box is intended to terminate a central office line at the wall, not a telephone.

[TelePlay]

I'm a bit confused. Your second photo shows a simple converter module which allows one to hook an old style 3 conductor line cord to a modular wall jack. All you need to connect the phone to a wall jack or a Magic Jack usb computer phone line is a common modular cord.

I can't quite make out your phone's writing but it seems the adapter Jack is wired for a 3 line POTS system when today only two wires are needed, red and green. The yellow wire needs to be moved to either the red or green wire in the jack or in the phone.

EDIT: yes, what unbeldisaid while I was typing.

[banderson]

Thanks for everyone's help so far.

I guess I have confused myself as well as everyone else. I'll try and explain this better. So when I got this phone it came with the jack that is turning it from the classic three pronged connection to a modular connection. I think that's what it's called at least. When I use a regular modular cord I had in my house to connect this jack to the wall the phone works fine except for no ringing. So are you saying if I switch the yellow wire in the jack that I have and then try it like before the phone could now work. Please let me know if you want more pictures or info I'll be happy to post it!

[unbeldi]

Thanks for everyone's help so far.

I guess I have confused myself as well as everyone else. I'll try and explain this better. So when I got this phone it came with the jack that is turning it from the classic three pronged connection to a modular connection. I think that's what it's called at least. When I use a regular modular cord I had in my house to connect this jack to the wall the phone works fine except for no ringing. So are you saying if I switch the yellow wire in the jack that I have and then try it like before the phone could now work. Please let me know if you want more pictures or info I'll be happy to post it!

No, the yellow wire in your line cord is already disconnected from the ringing circuit. Forget about yellow. It terminates on the elevated terminals on the network, and there is nothing else connected there anymore.   This was used in grounded ringing, but your phone itself is already converted to bridged ringing using only the two line conductors, green and red.

If you look at the screw terminal row closest to the gongs, you'll see in the center a screw with a green wire and a black wire.  The green goes out the line cord, and the black one is the ringer connection.  Originally, for grounded ringing, this black wire was connected with the yellow wire on the elevated post.

[banderson]

Ok so the yellow wiring doesn't matter. So as to the earlier comment that the jack might not be powerful enough to power the ringer. Should I not use the jack at all and just instead try to connect the three wires directly to a modular wire. There's videos on YouTube on how to do this I believe... Or should I try something else?

[unbeldi]

Can you move the clapper arm, or striker, by hand? It shouldn't be too hard to move it, it should not be stuck un-moveable.  There is a tension spring, called bias spring, which determines how easily it is allowed to move, it may help to set it to its weakest position.
Does it at least vibrate a little when the unit is supposed to be ringing?

[banderson]

I pushed on it a little and it moved pretty easily but when I called it nothing vibrates at all

[Dennis Markham]

Banderson, welcome to the forum.  What Unbeldi said about the bias tension spring may be your problem.  I've uploaded a photo a few times showing the two positions of the bias tension spring on the C4A ringers.

Check out this thread:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=2905.0

Look at my reply #3.  Try moving your spring to the position in the second photo.  Often this will make the ringer work.

~Dennis

[banderson]

wow thank you guys soo much it works now!!! I just had to move the tension spring to the other position and bingo it worked good as new!!!! Really you guys are lifesavers!!

[Dennis Markham]

Glad to help.  Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.  (I've heard that somewhere before).

~Dennis