Playing with the 2500...

[twocvbloke]

Just having a fiddle with the red 2500, and for the heck of it, I thought I'd try some bits from that ProtelX phone that's fallen apart, things like the plungers and finger cup thing, they fit perfectly, infact, the PTX plungers fit better in the AT&T case than the AT&T-supplied ones that the case came with!!!

I was pondering the idea of removing the tone dial assembly and attempting to retrofit a GPO dial and fitting the ProtelX case over the 2500's base, which is a complete no-go, cos of the different screw holes on the case, plus the fact that it doesn't have any notched openings for the sockets, and the case just isn't any good for a real phone...

But anyway, there's not much else to play with with that phone, I've sorted out the ringer so it rings nicely, dial doesn't need anything doing to it aside from a bit of a vacuuming, as does the base, the case does need a clean though, but it's like that old phrase involving polishing unwanted effluent....

Got a couple of pics, the first is the cracked plunger, I don't think it's caused by people slamming the handset down, but more a stress fracture due to the manufacturing process not being quite right, and the second pic is with the PTX plungers in the 2500's case (and they're staying!! They don't rattle about like the clear ones!!), with some modern tech. in the background playing yesterday's Saturday Kitchen on BBC iplayer...

[twocvbloke]

Yuck, seems that in the past someone has nosied inside the network, as there's some of that primordial ooze on the baseplate under the ringer & network, a very very thin layer, but it's sticky as heck.....

Got it on my fingers now, 'orrible stuff it is...

[twocvbloke]

Well, despite my setback earlier with the back pain, I started fiddling with this again, and the modular socket in the handset just completely disintegrated, great.......

Ah well, I managed to wire in the RJ10 socket from the Protelx handset (yet more cheap parts in a decent phone!!) for now, until I either get a new socket, or restore the phone to being hard-wired, haven't decided on that one yet...

I have decided to repair the red handset cable though (which was quite dirty), just need to fit new RJ10 plugs, after buying said plugs, and a crimp tool to go with them... 

[LarryInMichigan]

Yuck, seems that in the past someone has nosied inside the network, as there's some of that primordial ooze on the baseplate under the ringer & network, a very very thin layer, but it's sticky as heck.....

Got it on my fingers now, 'orrible stuff it is...

That goo was put there to protect the network components.  It makes a really lousy dip

Larry

[twocvbloke]

That goo was put there to protect the network components.  It makes a really lousy dip

Larry

No kidding, wouldn't like to have been the workers having to repair networks covered in that stuff, even that slight leakage is nasty, the stuff inside must be just horrid....

That said, looking at the network's plastic casing, it's got a slight bulge on one side, so, maybe it wasn't someone opening it up, but the case just opening up enough to allow some escape for the gunk, unlike the metal-cased networks in my two 500s...