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White WE 554 10-58 won't ring.

Started by AET, December 05, 2009, 04:25:17 PM

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AET

I moved G to L1 and still nothing.  I traced all the wires and compared them to my 1960 500 and everything looks right.  I did fix the fact that the phone would answer but the person on the other end couldn't hear you.  I thought that would be the hard part, but after even going as far as to put a new line cord on this one (2nd time I've replaced it), she still won't ring. 

Any suggestions?





- Tom

Dennis Markham

Tom, there are some wires that don't look right in those photos.  But it's difficult to see what's what.  It looks like there are way too many wires on the L2 terminal.  I'll put together a wiring pattern for you.  I'll start by assuming the switch wires are attached to the correct terminals.  Those later phones did not solder the switch wires but attached them under the screws which may be why it looks like there are too many on L2.

I'll report back.

AET

Thanks Dennis, this will soon be my kitchen phone and I'd love to have her in full working order.
- Tom

Dennis Markham

Tom, you can match the switch wires to those on your model 500.

Here's where the other wires should connect:

Dial

Blue Wire to F on Network
Green Wire to RR
White (either one) to GN
White (either one) to R

Ringer

Slate/Red to A
Slate to K
Black to L1
Red to L2

Modular Handset Plug

Green Wire to GN
Black to B
Red to R
White to R

Mounting Cord

Red Wire to L2
Green to L1

The 4 wires on my set that are connected to L2 are:
Red - Ringer
Yellow - Switch
Gray - Switch
Red - Mounting Cord

If you need help with the switch wires, let me know and I'll trace them down via this same method.

~Dennis

AET

Thank you Dennis, I am going to start back up on this phone again tomorrow, I am going to write down your schematic on my Telephone Tool Box (An old shoe box full of parts) so I always have it. 

Also, do you still have those cheesy silver handset covers?
- Tom

Dennis Markham


AET

Okay, I am sure you will come across more.  No biggy.  I don't really NEED them.
- Tom

Dennis Markham

I will put  your name on the next one I come across.

AET

Okay thanks.  I am also looking for extra handset cords, nothing fancy, just white, beige, and black if you have any extras.  Hardwire and Modular.
- Tom

idanewco

I just got an old rotary desk phone for Christmas and it won't ring. It's a Western Electric (Bell System Property -- Not For Sale -- I love it!) and there is a 500DM stamped on the bottom.  I opened up the phone and it looks very much like some of the pictures I see here.
I believe the post that I've quoted below has the answers for me but I am too ignorant to apply them (first time I've ever seen a phone opened up).
The Dial wires are arranged very differently from the post I've quoted below.  Mine are:
Blue to RR
Blue to A
White to R
White to CN (or maybe that's GN)
But the dial seems to work okay.  I was able to make a call.

There are several wires that are not connected to anything and I think, from the colors, they are the ringer wires (they are slate, slate/red, red, and black).  I think I can locate all the connectors for those except K.  I don't see a K anywhere.

Can anybody help me out with this?  I hope I am making sense.  I have a feeling this would be really obvious and easy for a phone expert.
Thanks in advance.

-Ida


Quote from: Dennis Markham on December 05, 2009, 05:48:10 PM
Tom, you can match the switch wires to those on your model 500.

Here's where the other wires should connect:

Dial

Blue Wire to F on Network
Green Wire to RR
White (either one) to GN
White (either one) to R

Ringer

Slate/Red to A
Slate to K
Black to L1
Red to L2

Modular Handset Plug

Green Wire to GN
Black to B
Red to R
White to R

Mounting Cord

Red Wire to L2
Green to L1

The 4 wires on my set that are connected to L2 are:
Red - Ringer
Yellow - Switch
Gray - Switch
Red - Mounting Cord

If you need help with the switch wires, let me know and I'll trace them down via this same method.

~Dennis

Dennis Markham

idanewco, welcome to the forum.

The wiring that I posted in the post you quoted is accurate.  The older dials have wires that are blue, green and two white.  The later dials (usually from modular phones---you said yours is marked 500DM which is "dial" and "modular") were two blue, two white.  So the fact that it's working means other wires may be wired differently too.  I've seen other wiring arrangements on these phones.

A picture is worth a thousand words.  If you could post a photo of what you have it would be easier to diagnose the problem.

Thanks and once again, welcome.

~Dennis

idanewco

Not sure if I know how to post a picture but I'll give it a try.  I'm going to make it an attachment.

Dennis Markham

The picture looks good.  I think you have me stumped on this one.  That is a newer network than what I'm used to......Perhaps the designations are the same but the position of them is much different.  It seems like there are less terminals.  I don't think I have anything that new with which to compare the connections.  Someone else is going to have to chime in here.  Otherwise you can look for a schematic here:

http://www.telephonecollectors.org/library/weco/weco.htm

Scroll down to the 500 Series Wall Telephones.

idanewco

Thanks for taking a look!  This forum is great -- makes me think about digging out the really old phone that my mother used to have to see if I can get it working too.
But back to the current project...
Other details about this phone:
It has an amplifier in the handset (which just seems to create static) and the handset is NOT modular.

Any idea about what years this phone would've been produced?

McHeath

You have a late model 500 there, that's one of the last of the Western Electric 500s with the newer 4228 network.  (The gizmo that all the wires attach to)

There ought to be a date code on the bottom of the phone, the numbers would be something like 83265, or whatever, the first two numbers are the year made and the last three numbers are the exact day of the year.

You ringer should have the red wire at K terminal, which may be the one at the far edge of the network by the ringer gong on the bottom.  The black wire should be at L1 which is, perhaps, the highest mount spot on the network.  (these are the positions on my 1984 WE 500 with a similar network.  The slate and slate red wires don't go anyplace.