1984 NT 2500

[.....]

Picked this 1984 Northern Telecom 2500 with a link button for $2.00 at local thrift store yesterday. It looks like it had been refurbished in 1990. It needs a clean up.

Also picked up for $1.00 A handset for my iPod at the same store. I tried it out using the MagicJack app on my iPod and it works great.

[Pourme]

Excellent day at the thrift store, Doug!

[andre_janew]

I've never seen a phone with a link button.  What is it supposed to do?

[unbeldi]

A link button usually performs the same function as pressing the hook switch briefly.  It is also called a flash button or recall button.

Using a button makes the process more reliable as the flash signal is usually a quite well defined interruption of loop current.  Active too long, it is misinterpreted as disconnect, and the call is dropped.  Active too short, and it is ignored, because the switch guards against transient noise.

Looks like this button also has an indicator light built in?

Does anyone have the Northern Telecom Practice for this set?
NTP 502-8211-208 (1983-09-24) QSKE2500EAX and QSQE2500EAX and QSQE2500EACX—Description, Installation, Connections, and Maintenance

[AE_Collector]

We used those as our standard analog PBX station back in the 80's. "Link" was NT's term for flash and that button delivers a predetermined length of interrupt to avoid dumping calls because of too long or too short of a press as Unbeldi described. Punch the Link button and it takes care of the timing for you. And yes, it has a message waiting light inside as well though it is is the old standard 90 volt AC message waiting so it should flash when the phone is ringing as well.

These "E" sets have almost everything built into the touchpad except the ringer and switch hook contacts. Northern's equivalent of AE's 80E though Northern made it a lot better than AE did. The quest for a not worth it to repair, disposable telephone.....

Terry

[Jim Stettler]

As a side note. NT did a run of these phones for a "rush ?" project. At the end of the run they did a short run of "smoke tint" clear phones as a thank-you gift for the line employees. I have seen about 4-5 of the "smoke tint" ones turn up on Ebay over the years.

I bought the first one I saw and I got the "back-story" on the set.

Jim S.