Ringer volume in 653

[tallguy58]

Anyone know how to adjust the volume of the ringer in a 653 or similar phone?

It's that old style commonly found in WE subsets. I see a couple of screws and a spring with a thread attached to it.  I'm confused...as usual.

Thanks in advance.....Bill

[Phonesrfun]

I would not adjust the screw that has the string and spring attached.  That is the bias adjustment, and while it may affect loudness to a degree, that is not the method for adjusting the ringer loudness.

At the base of each gong post is a screw with a slotted hole that allows the gongs to be moved closer or farther away from the clapper travel.  The closer to the clapper a gong is, the lower the volume.  The farther away, the louder, until it gets so far away that the clapper no longer strikes the gong.

[HarrySmith]

Just to clarify the location of the adjustment it is circled in the picture below. Careful with the screws, they break easily! Don't ask how I know that. Yours appears to be fairly clean, may not be an issue. If there is any signs of rust a good soak with some penetrating oil should help.

[Phonesrfun]

Harry:

Nice touch with those circles!. 

[tallguy58]

Thanks guys.
As always...great advice.

Cheers......Bill

[unbeldi]

Is that a 21D condenser in that set? It's the large one under the terminal strip.
I suspect the smaller one under the coil is a (1)149A.

I'd also be interested in knowing the ringer number.  It should be stamped on the yoke.
Hmm... 42 or 52?
It looks just like a #6 or 8, but those have 2x700 ohm coils, yours is a 1000 ohm ringer.

[Kenton K]

When unscrewing the gong post, make sure to get some penetrating oil to loosen the screws. I once didn't use oil and striped one of the screws.

[poplar1]

There's also a hex-headed brass screw that apparently limits the movement of the armature.

EDIT: To clarify, this is *not* the screw with the string attached for the biasing spring. Rather, it is the screw that is near the L2Y terminal. It's called a lock-nut in Catalog #9.

[poplar1]

Is that a 21D condenser in that set? It's the large one under the terminal strip.
I suspect the smaller one under the coil is a (1)149A.

I'd also be interested in knowing the ringer number.  It should be stamped on the yoke.
Hmm... 42 or 52?
It looks just like a #6 or 8, but those have 2x700 ohm coils, yours is a 1000 ohm ringer.

Doesn't the 42 have additional taps? 8A changed from 2x500 to 2x700 but the impedance stayed the same.

[unbeldi]

Is that a 21D condenser in that set? It's the large one under the terminal strip.
I suspect the smaller one under the coil is a (1)149A.

I'd also be interested in knowing the ringer number.  It should be stamped on the yoke.
Hmm... 42 or 52?
It looks just like a #6 or 8, but those have 2x700 ohm coils, yours is a 1000 ohm ringer.

Doesn't the 42 have additional taps? 8A changed from 2x500 to 2x700 but the impedance stayed the same.

I don't think so, but I have no samples.
I have been trying to sort this out and make a chart of configurations found or known to exist.
Yes, both 6A and 8A were redesigned at some time for higher DC resistance, while leaving the impedance unchanged. This happened sometime between 1916 and 1923, the number #5 catalog makes a note of it. Because of machine switching?
The 21D condenser is from way before 1910, I think originally in the 1295 type subsets, but I have found it even in a 634A that was apparently converted in the 1940s, and it seems a bit strange that a 30-year old huge capacitor would still be installed that late, despite the re-use attitude in the system. Smaller caps existed by then. But perhaps that is understandable in the context of material shortages in the 40s.

[poplar1]

"*The No. 8A Ringer was formerly wound to 1000 ohms resistance instead of 1400 ohms. The 1000 ohm and 1400 ohm ringers have the same impedance and may be used interchangeably in service."

"**One spool of the Nos. 52 and 72 Type Ringers has a 3000 ohm supplementary non-inductive winding over the regular winding. The two windings are connected in series and the junction brought out to an extra terminal on the spool head for use in connection with an extension bell. These are the equivalent of using a 3000 ohm non-inductive resistance coil in series with a 1000 ohm, No. 8 Type ringer."

"The Nos. 68 and 72 Types are similar to the 8 and 42 Types respectively, of corresponding code letters, except arranged to mount 2 1/2 inch gongs having eccentric holes, in an inverted position, such as No. 29C"

from Western Electric Catalog #9 c. 1930, 1935 page 189 "Ringers"

===================================================
So the ringer pictured above is apparently an 8A. The similar ringer with inverted gongs  is a 68A. Since the 72A is recommended in place of the 42A, the 42, 52, and 72 must all have the additional windings. These ringers were useful on 4-party selective lines where PC (pulsating Direct Current) or SC (superimposed current) was used for ringing only the desired party.

The other *biased* ringers shown here are the No. 78 type used in 584 and 684 Subsets.