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Stromberg Carlson 1243 with very quiet ring

Started by freysmith, December 02, 2011, 11:44:51 PM

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freysmith

Hi, I am new here to the forum and I have just found a Stromberg Carlson 1243 in great condition, when I hooked it up, everything works fine except, it has a very quiet ring, not what I was expecting, you can hardly hear it. Is there not enough power coming through the phone line to make this ring in the right way? What can i do to get that nice LOUD ring? Thanks for the help.

AE_Collector

Welcome to the Rotary Forum Freysmith!

I don't know much at all about SC phones but there are lots of possibilities to get your ringer louder. If you are on a VOIP phone provider of any sort it could be related to that. More likely though it is just the adjustment of the ringer or it could be a fequency ringer.

Any chance you can post some pictures and someone wil llikely be able to gve you some suggestions.

Terry

LarryInMichigan

freysmith,

It is possible that your phone has a "frequency" ringer which was designed to ring for a voltage at a specific frequency.  These were used for party lines by non-Bell companies, and many SC phones have these ringers.  If yours is a frequency ringer, it can easily be replaced with a "straight-line" ringer.  I probably have a spare one here.

It is also possible that the pivot or electrical contacts are dirty.

Larry

GG



I'm going to guess you have a frequency ringer, since SC 1243s were commonly used by Independent (non-Bell) telcos on rural party lines.  Frequency ringers were designed to ring only on one frequency of ringing voltage (e.g. 16 Hz, 32 Hz, 66 Hz, etc.) to enable selective ringing on party lines. 

The quick test is to flick the clapper with your finger.  If it quickly comes to rest near one gong or the other, it's almost certainly a straight-line ringer (good).  If it just "wiggles" in the middle between the two gongs, it's a frequency ringer (the exception being on North Electric's extended numberplate phones, where the clapper is held by a spiral wire spring between the gongs).  There are various tricks to make frequency ringers ring on conventional ringing voltage (which happens to be 20 Hz, though 25 Hz is sometimes found on PBXs and suchlike). 

The simplest thing you can do if you're getting a quiet ring on a frequency ringer, is to take advantage of the fact that the bell clapper is moving at all, by adjusting the bell gongs to be closer together.  For most ringers, this entails loosening the screw at the center of each gong, and pivoting the gongs (they are mounted eccentrically) so the inner edge of each is closer to the clapper.  There are various other tricks for this, that usually require the careful use of tools and some degree of skill, but there's no better way to develop the skills than to start practicing. 

freysmith

Thanks for the help, I tried to clean the contacts, and I adjusted the bells, but the phone is still quiet. Here is a picture I hope this will help in getting this right.


Phonesrfun

The picture did not come through. 

My guess, like the others, is that it has a frequency ringer in it and not the required straight line ringer. 

Unfortunately, there is little in the way of adjustments that can make any difference at all, and there is nothing that can be done to make them ring LOUD as a straight line ringer would.

Some have been able to get them to ring a little louder with some physical modifications, but those modifications are probably beyond what the average person is equipped to make.

-Bill G

freysmith

I'll try the picture again.

Phonesrfun

Holy Cow, Batman, that is a straight line ringer and not a frequency ringer, so you should be able to adjust your way to a loud ring.

I can't talk right now, because I am at work, but I am sure others can help you on the adjustments and so forth.
-Bill G

LarryInMichigan

Have you watched how it moves when it is ringing?  It may help to adjust the gong positions.  Loosen the screws next to the gongs to adjust their positions.  If they are too close or two far from the clapper, you will not get a proper ringing.

Larry

freysmith

I have watched it as it is ringing, the clapper does not move much, I have the gongs moved in as far as I can bring them, and I also tried adjusting the spring that is to the left of the clapper. Any other ideas?

Phonesrfun

Perhaps the pivot screw/nut is over tightened and causing the pivot point to be too stiff.  It should easily be able to pivot back and forth on that point.
-Bill G

Phonesrfun

#11
Also, which terminals are the two wired from the ringer connected to on the network block?

Actually, I can see the jumpers between L2 and G and the one between C1 and C2 are correct, and that the black ringer wire is connected to C2.  What I cannot see is where the red ringer wire is connected.
-Bill G

freysmith

It looks like the red wire is attached to the #3 post.

Phonesrfun

Well, that's where it should be according to the diagram, although if I designed the phone, I'd connect the red to #1 and not have it go through the dial pulse contact, but that is neither here nor there.

Try looking to see if the pivot screw is so tight that the armature does not move back and forth freely.  If it is over tightened, rusted or real dirty, that would impede the clapping of the armature.

Other things to look for:

With the jumper between C1 and C2, the two sections of the ringing capacitor are bridged together in parallel.  If one of those capacitors happens to be shorted, it could cause a problem, but probably not the problem you are having.  A long-shot would be to disconnect the jumper between C1 and C2 and see if the ringer behaves any better if connected just to C1 or just to C2.

Another issue might be a short in the ringer electromagnet coils.  With the black and red wires unhooked, measure the DC resistance between the red and black wires with an ohm meter.  It should measure about 1,000 ohms or so.  If it is significantly less, there may be a short in one of the windings. 
-Bill G

freysmith

Quote from: Phonesrfun on December 14, 2011, 01:15:48 PM
Perhaps the pivot screw/nut is over tightened and causing the pivot point to be too stiff.  It should easily be able to pivot back and forth on that point.


That was it, now it rings nice and loud. On to the next project. Thanks everyone for your help!  ;D