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My first ever... CALL DIRECTOR!

Started by WesternElectricBen, November 20, 2013, 08:53:31 PM

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WesternElectricBen

Hi,

Well, I've always dreamed for a call director, particularly in green, and my dream just came true. I won it on eBay for 25.00 dollars, which seems like the best deal I could get as I've never found one else really.

It is an honest mess, though it will be cool working on my KSU. I hope I can clean up the line cord because that would be terrible to replace that, with all the wires and I assume the cord its self is relatively hard to find in green.

I plan on fixing up the bottom by repainting it and repairing the feet.

As for the cardboard backplate, I'm pretty sure it has been water stained and will need to be replaced as well as the nasty handset cord.

Can somebody relate me a sight to find the backplates or print one out? Is there anything i'm missing, besides a red hold key.

As you can tell, I am pretty "psyched" to own this, but it will be a progress which I am willing to take on.. Well hopefully, its not in my hands yet.

Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/221316294591

Ben

Russ Kirk

- Russ Kirk
ATCA & TCI

WesternElectricBen


ESalter

Original paper mats for the Call Directors might as well be made of Unobtanium.  I'd try to salvage that one if it's at all possible.  They're printed on cardstock with some pretty tough ink.  I bought a couple call directors from that same seller, one of them had the faceplate saturated in oil of some kind.  Literally saturated, when you held the mat by a corner, it dripped off the opposite corner.  Anyway, from pressing it between layers of paper towels for a couple weeks(replacing the paper towel every day) I was able to get all the oil out of it and it looks almost good as new.  You'll likely be able to clean the front surface of yours pretty easily, just be careful with it.  If it's deformed, see if you can't carefully glue it to another piece of cardstock with contact cement to give it some strength. 

Regardless, very nice phone and you definitely got a good deal!

---Eric

WesternElectricBen

Quote from: ESalter on November 20, 2013, 09:17:43 PM
Original paper mats for the Call Directors might as well be made of Unobtanium.  I'd try to salvage that one if it's at all possible.  They're printed on cardstock with some pretty tough ink.  I bought a couple call directors from that same seller, one of them had the faceplate saturated in oil of some kind.  Literally saturated, when you held the mat by a corner, it dripped off the opposite corner.  Anyway, from pressing it between layers of paper towels for a couple weeks(replacing the paper towel every day) I was able to get all the oil out of it and it looks almost good as new.  You'll likely be able to clean the front surface of yours pretty easily, just be careful with it.  If it's deformed, see if you can't carefully glue it to another piece of cardstock with contact cement to give it some strength. 

Regardless, very nice phone and you definitely got a good deal!

---Eric

Thanks so much, Eric.

I will definitely need your help through the process. But do you think there will be a way where someone scanned in a card and uploaded it up on the net where I can print it out? Then glue it to card stock?

Ben

Contempra

Nice find Ben but it is rusted..  a big clean-up and repainting the base....and lot of love my friend and it'll work ;)

WesternElectricBen

Quote from: Contempra on November 20, 2013, 09:47:18 PM
Nice find Ben but it is rusted..  a big clean-up and repainting the base....and lot of love my friend and it'll work ;)

Yeah, I know rust when I see it. This will need a lot of love, like you said.

Some how I wish to preserve the date codes or copy them and put them on the newly painted base. Now that I think, if I did a good job, I would put some nice sheet mettle on the bottom.

Ben 

Weco355aman

Good find.
That is NOT a standard call director.
The 18 button phones had 3 plugs not 2.
Each plug has 20 pairs.  This has only 40 pairs, they did make call directors
that had a relay KTU to make them work.
Post the number when you receive the phone.
Also no red hold button. It may not have a hold key.
Phil

WesternElectricBen

Quote from: Weco355aman on November 20, 2013, 10:55:24 PM
Good find.
That is NOT a standard call director.
The 18 button phones had 3 plugs not 2.
Each plug has 20 pairs.  This has only 40 pairs, they did make call directors
that had a relay KTU to make them work.
Post the number when you receive the phone.
Also no red hold button. It may not have a hold key.

Thank you!

I was wondering about the hold key, if not, is their a way to add one?

Explain relay KTU, please. Okay, I will.

Ben

twocvbloke

Quote from: Weco355aman on November 20, 2013, 10:55:24 PMPost the number when you receive the phone.

I can see the model number in the pictures, either 624A10 or 634A10, with a date of 1-67, dunno if that means anything... ???

G-Man


While perhaps your set was intended to operate in an application without the use of a HOLD key, I suspect someone slipped the wrong keystrip into the first position.

For further information you may want to search the TCI Library.

Here are some excerpts from a BSP relating to sets similar to yours as well as indentifying the concentrator KTU's:

1. GENERAL

1.01 This section contains connection and maintenance
information for 634DA (MD), 634DAM (MD),
634DAMS (18-button) and 635DA (MD), 635DAM
(MD), 635DAMS (30-button) CALL DIRECTOR®
telephone sets used with station line concentrators.

2. CONNECTIONS

2.01 These sets are factory-wired for use with
lA1, 1A2, 6A, or 6B key telephone systems.

Refer to Division 518 for connections to the 235-
or 236-type key telephone units.

2.02 A 235-type KTU is associated with each
634-type telephone set and a 236-type KTU
with each 635-type telephone set.

Because of the single common talking and control
these sets, a line concentrator
Because of the single common talking and control
lead pattern in these sets, a line concentrator
KTU must be associated with each telephone set installed and
cannot be shared, even on a bridged station basis.



Quote from: WesternElectricBen on November 20, 2013, 11:20:04 PM
Quote from: Weco355aman on November 20, 2013, 10:55:24 PM
Good find.
That is NOT a standard call director.
The 18 button phones had 3 plugs not 2.
Each plug has 20 pairs.  This has only 40 pairs, they did make call directors
that had a relay KTU to make them work.
Post the number when you receive the phone.
Also no red hold button. It may not have a hold key.

Thank you!

I was wondering about the hold key, if not, is their a way to add one?

Explain relay KTU, please. Okay, I will.

Ben

HarrySmith


[/quote]

Thank you!

I was wondering about the hold key, if not, is their a way to add one?

Explain relay KTU, please. Okay, I will.

Ben
[/quote]

KTU = Key Telephone Unit. Here is a quick eBay search with a bunch of them.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_kw=TELEPHONE+UNIT+KTU
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

brshaffer

Quote from: WesternElectricBen on November 20, 2013, 08:53:31 PM
I hope I can clean up the line cord because that would be terrible to replace that, with all the wires and I assume the cord its self is relatively hard to find in green.

Ben, I recently cleaned a nasty handset cord by hanging it in a bucket of oxi-clean, keeping the spade lug ends out of the water and clipped to the side of the bucket.  30mins later grime that was hard to scrape off with your fingernail washed right off.  Before and after pics here: http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=10197.msg111364#msg111364

Folks have lots of other methods out here too.  Your line cord doesn't look too far gone. 

Congrats!
_________________________
Brian

Russ Kirk

Quote from: ESalter on November 20, 2013, 09:17:43 PM
Original paper mats for the Call Directors might as well be made of Unobtanium. 

I was very lucky when I got my Northern Electric Call Director (3rd row is a speakerphone) that it came with 3 paper faceplates,  two saying Northern Electric and one with the Bell Canada logo.
- Russ Kirk
ATCA & TCI

HarrySmith

I agree on the cord, it should clean up easy with Oxi-clean and hot water. I have cleaned cords worse than that with great results. I use the Oxi at double strength with hot, hot water, let the cord soak overnight and in the morning simply wipe it off with a sponge! From the eBay pictures it appears the mat should be salvageable also. The worst part from what I could see(it did not do well when I tried to magnify it) is the water stains. You can use tea or other such solutions to darken it uniformly and it should look fine. If you Google "making paper look old" you will find a ton of different methods to do that.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"