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WE 300 ringer does not work

Started by jem872, April 01, 2012, 10:40:30 PM

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jem872

  Still cannot get ringer to work on my WE 300 phone. Wiring is all wired correctly, can someone tell me what the voltage is suppose to be going to ringer so I can check it, and is it a DC voltage? The ringer is a 2 wire ringer, B1A I think. Ringer is real loose and moves around on mount. Does this have to be grounded or insulated from frame? Condenser is a 2 wire (red to C and black to dial blk). Has a second loose condenser .47mf between Y ank K. Need to know how to test ringer so I can find fault. Replaced condenser between Y and K with no results. Want to test line voltage and ringer.   THANKS

JorgeAmely

#1
You need around 90VAC at 20 Hertz to get the ringer to go, assuming it is a straight line ringer. Post some pictures to make sure it is not a frequency ringer, which rings at other than 20 Hz frequencies.

There is always a possibility that a coil is open. Check with a DVM or similar meter to make sure you get continuity across each coil. A shorted ringing capacitor is another reason why a ringer would not work properly.

Do not put a DC voltage across a ringer: there is a chance this will demagnetize the magnet. Don't ask me why.  :o :o :o
Jorge

jem872

I put an ohm meter across ringer wires and it appeared to be open. Upon further inspection one of the two coils spin around so I am assuming the wires are sheared off. I may try to repair, otherwise I am going to have to find a replacement. I tried to test the capacitor by using an ohm meter and switching meter leads back and forth with capacitor unhooked. I would think the meter would jump if it was good? It doesn't. Also one of the bells on the ringer has an insert in it which had to be removed to gain access to the mounting screw. What is this for? Can you check for voltage across the incoming line (red & green) when a call is coming in or is this voltage produced within the phone?  THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!       Jerry

JorgeAmely

Hi Jerry:

Sorry to hear about the spinning coils in your ringer. Sometimes lightning strikes can damage these coils, but yours seems that someone tinkered with it and that caused them to fail. You may try your luck at fixing them, but be aware that each coil has around 3,500 feet of very fine copper wire with a very thin insulator covering the wires in the form of a lacquer. You may unwind fifty to a hundred feet to look for the broken coil, but beyond that it is a lost cause.

It seems that the capacitor is good. Capacitors are essentially two metal plates separated by some insulator (such as paper, plastic, or any other non conducting substance) and a meter set to measure resistance will show infinite resistance, therefore, no needle jump.

Can you post a picture of the bell you had to remove to have access to a screw?

Typically, between the red and green wire, you can expect around 48 volts DC, or -48, all depending on how you connect the meter to the line. Be careful when you make this measurement: an incoming call can make this voltage rise to well over a hundred volts to make a ringer ring. When someone is taking on the phone, the voltage is a much milder 9 to 5 volts DC (or -9 to -5), depending how you connect the meter to the line.

These voltages can change a little, depending if your phones are behind a PBX or far for a central office.  And please, don't make any measurements when the weather outside is bad.
Jorge

stub

Jerry,
        Sorry to hear about one ringer coil spinning. Here is one way to do it - http://tinyurl.com/85epjq9
Go down to Reply #9 and GOOD LUCK if you decide to try it. It can be done, so far once was enough for me.  stub
Kenneth Stubblefield

jem872

Tried the rewind bit. Fixed the bad coil and hurt the good one. Not going to do that again. Ended up getting a replacement, hooked it up and everything works fine. Thanks everyone for your input.  Jerry