Rewiring an old rotary phone

[harpgaly]

I have an old phone that is a bit messed up inside.  The handset wiring is red/white/black and I am not sure which terminals are for what. The 2 RJ11 lines are probably not on the correct terminals either.  I am hoping somebody here knows where things go.   I imagine it also needs some patch wires between terminals. What a mess!  Maybe just take my photo and draw in the lines?

It has no ringer obviously.  Would be nice just to have it dialing out and receiving.

[poplar1]

This phone was used with a subset which contained the ringer, capacitors and induction coil. As is it is not complete. It would usually have 4 wires from the phone to the subset, then 2 wires from the subset to the telephone line. The phone part would be wired as follows:

Yellow wire from subset to Y terminal on hook switch
Green wire from subset to GN terminal on hook switch
Black wire from subset to BK on dial
Red wire from subset to R on dial

Handset:
White wire (receiver) to W on dial
Black wire (transmitter) to BK on dial
Red wire (common) to R on dial

Also 2 short wires (jumpers):
From W on hook switch to BB on dial
From BK on hook switch to Y on dial

Subset--such as 684A or the base of a 302 set:
Green from phone to GN
Red from phone to R
Black from phone to BK
Yellow from phone to L2Y

Line:
Green to L1
Red to L2

[HarrySmith]

Nice looking D mount& E1 handset. As already stated you need a subset or ringer box to make it a complete phone. Alternately a mini network can be added inside but still won't give you a ringer.

[dsk]

I hope you're not trying to plug it in directly to the phone jack, because it will damage it.  You need a proper subset for it.  We'll be glad to help you find a subset for it. 

This sounds dramatic, but yes after a some time, the receiver will loose its permanent magnetism. No reason to don't test it and find/make a subset.  This has been discussed in the forum earlier, without a common agree about whats OK. We all agree in a solution with a proper subset are the best solution.

dsk

[harpgaly]

Hmmmm yeah I thought there might be another component missing (subset).   Thanks for all of the help and hints!

[Doug Rose]

I hope you're not trying to plug it in directly to the phone jack, because it will damage it.  You need a proper subset for it.  We'll be glad to help you find a subset for it. 

This sounds dramatic, but yes after a some time, the receiver will loose its permanent magnetism. No reason to don't test it and find/make a subset.  This has been discussed in the forum earlier, without a common agree about whats OK. We all agree in a solution with a proper subset are the best solution.

dsk

Agreed the best solution is a subset...BUT some people just want a working phone sitting in their living room, just like their Grampy had. To be used once in awhile, but really more of a showpiece. Lift up the handset and show their friends it works and dial their cell phone and impress their guests. "Made in the 30s and it still works today, how about that?" I don't think anyone wants to sit and have a long conversation on an E1 handset.

While the advice of a subset is sound,  I think the term "Working Phone" is being missed. It is real nice D1 that could be made to function.... better word? Without dropping more cash into it and frustration making it a fully functional phone with subset. To me it would be tough to make it work, if I had all the correct parts. To a novice it is unthinkable. Not everyone is a collector or a purist, they just want a phone to "function" in their home and impress their friends. Just my two cents...Doug

[paul-f]

And, by the way, welcome to the forum.

When you get a chance, please let us know a bit more about you and your collecting interests here:
  http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?board=49.0

We love photos, too.

[poplar1]

Agreed the best solution is a subset...BUT some people just want a working phone sitting in their living room, just like their Grampy had. To be used once in awhile, but really more of a showpiece. Lift up the handset and show their friends it works and dial their cell phone and impress their guests. "Made in the 30s and it still works today, how about that?" I don't think anyone wants to sit and have a long conversation on an E1 handset.

While the advice of a subset is sound,  I think the term "Working Phone" is being missed. It is real nice D1 that could be made to function.... better word? Without dropping more cash into it and frustration making it a fully functional phone with subset. To me it would be tough to make it work, if I had all the correct parts. To a novice it is unthinkable. Not everyone is a collector or a purist, they just want a phone to "function" in their home and impress their friends. Just my two cents...Doug

I'm sure you could figure out how to wire it to a subset if you tried. In fact, you can "reverse engineer" it by looking at any 302. A 302, after all, is a "C" set--or "combined" set. It combines the functions of a 202 and a 684BA subset. If you look at a 302, you will see that there are 5 wires going from the housing to the base--green, yellow, red, black, and slate-red. If you moved the red handset wire to R on the dial, and one end of the slate-red jumper from L1 to R on the induction coil, you would then have just four wires from the upper part of the phone to the base: Green (hookswitch wire to GN on the induction coil), Yellow (hookswitch wire to L2Y terminal on the induction coil), Red (from R on the dial to R on the induction coil), and Black (from the condenser in the base to BK on the dial). This 302  now is exactly the same as a 202 connected to a subset!

[Doug Rose]

Harpgaly...if you are looking to get your phone working as it is, I will gladly help you. No subset, no ring....just a phone to show your friends that you have a working old phone. No guarantee that all the parts of your phone work, but we can give it a go.  Does your phone have a bottom. PM me and we'll work out a plan....Doug