What is a WE 40CM candlestick?

[oyang]

Hi all,

I got this WE candlestick very inexpensively and was wondering about how it was used compared to the regular AL series.  As you can see it is marked 40CM on the perch, and the wiring schematics I have found in the TCI library seem to be similar to the AL version.

The main difference I can see is a push button on the column, which appears to engage the switch from the opposite side as the hook would on the AL. This phone came with no hook, so I was wondering if it originally had no hook and was used only for short calls using the button, since you would have to hold it down the entire time? It also came with no receiver, so I was wondering if it used a headset or the usual receiver.

The finish appears original but is not the typical Japan black, but rather a gray color.  This seems to be the same gray color I've seen on the inside unpainted surface of other early WE phones.... There was no fabric on the base bottom, but a retaining ring was present (the fabric you see in the photos was my own addition).

Thanks for any interesting historical info you can provide about this particular model and its usage!

Otto

[oyang]

The switch

[G-Man]

Apparently you have already found information regarding it in the TCI Library so I don't know what else you want to know. But for the benefit of others:

   
• Bower-Barff finish
• Transmitter cutout button

[oyang]

I guess it's not clear to me how it is functionally different than the AL series.  Did this phone have a hookswitch or did it just use the button?  Did it have a regular receiver, or use a headset?  Why would someone get a CM rather than an AL?  In other words, what was the purpose of the different design?

[Phonesrfun]

Sidetone is when you hear your own voice (and room noise) through the receiver that is being picked up by the transmitter. A model 40 is a sidetone set, which was made before antisidetone sets were made.   Sidetone sets were extremely difficult to use in factories or other noisy places because a person could sometimes barely hear the person on the other end because the local noise would literally drown them out.


THe transmitter cut-off button was installed to mute the transmitter to eliminate having to hear the local noise.


These would generally have had a hook and a normal receiver.  The photo of yours seems to be missing both.

[G-Man]

I guess it's not clear to me how it is functionally different than the AL series.  Did this phone have a hookswitch or did it just use the button?  Did it have a regular receiver, or use a headset?  Why would someone get a CM rather than an AL?  In other words, what was the purpose of the different design?

As shown in the schematic, it was equipped with both a receiver and hookswitch.

The note underneath it states that the springs for the cutout button that was used on CM deskstands, were not present on the AL-series, thus the difference between the two.

The uses for the cutout button are very aptly explained by both Bill and in the text shown in the previous postings.
In an effort to clarify it further, I have attached a jpeg of the schematic highlighting the relevant portions.

[oyang]

Thanks both of you guys; it makes sense.  I guess I was having trouble understanding the "why" more than the "what."  Noisy environments is the key I was missing.

Now if one hit the button and cut off the receiver, wouldn't that break the circuit and hang up the phone?  That was confusing me too....

Thanks again,

Otto

[G-Man]

Now if one hit the button and cut off the receiver, wouldn't that break the circuit and hang up the phone?  That was confusing me too....

Thanks again,

Otto

Consult the wiring diagram once more and you will see that the button does not break the circuit nor cut-off the receiver; instead, when the button is depressed, it shorts the two transmitter leads together.

During the time it is depressed, sounds coming into the transmitter from outside sources are muted and not heard by those using the telephone at either end of the line.

This facilitates communication without extraneous noise while being used on the work floor of a busy factory, power plant, or even in a noisy saloon.