atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Telephone Repairs & Equipment WESTERN ELECTRIC PAYPHONE PROBLEM??

i just purchased a id2 payhone from ebay that is supposed to work on a home line, i got my butt set and tested and made sure i put ring to R and tip to T, i get a dial tone but i can not dial, when i press a number it just cuts the sound to almost nothing and when i let go the dial tone comes back????? ANYONE PLEASE HELP????

did you try reversing the polarity ?

yes i did try that...

also, if i hold down a number for a few seconds, then let it go, i can hear these little tone sounds a little bit, but nothing happens, i still have dial tone...

also if someone tries to call the house with the payphone plugged, it rings for a second and then hangs up??? wierd... anyone know how to check if the board is bad?

since it was sold as working and its not I would return it

have you contacted the eBay seller ?

i have sent them an email, they have yet to respond. i just wish i could figure it out, it is a very nice phone. it is a 32B board.. im just not sure if it would be the board or the dial that would mess up the dial buttons....

Make sure that there isn't a ground connection to the chassis in any way. It sounds to me as if the ring side of the line is shorted to the chassis somehow, which would be causing your "ring trip" condition. To function as a true home phone, there is absolutely no need for a ground connection to the phone at all.

Pull the chassis out and make sure that nothing is touching the frame anywhere, especially on the back side. You may also want to disconnect the ringer wires since a failed coil can cause this. There are a lot of wired connections in these phones where something could be inadvertently touching. If all else fails, disconnect the coin relay by disconnecting the black and yellow wires attached to the terminals on the 32B board at the bottom.

I swear that this is a classic case of polarity reversal on the incoming line, since these phones are polarity-sensitive. Make sure that you have physically transposed the incoming "T and R" connections. Under a reversed-polarity condition, pressing the dial buttons will mute the dial tone, but won't generate a tone.

Lastly, look about dead-center of the board for two pins marked "F4 and F5" (between a capacitor to the left and a reed relay housing to the right). There needs to be a jumper plug across them in order for the phone to work. If it isn't there, come up with a safe way to bridge these pins together.

i looked for any and all shorts, i even did a continuity test and found no short to ring or tip, i disconnected the ringer and coin relay, F4 and F5 have the jumper, i pulled everything out of the phone and tried to get it to work outside the case, and i tried switching ring and tip numerous times..
i was so excited to get my payphone up and running...
the only thing i can think of trying next is trying it at a different location, make sure there is not a problem with the wiring in my home. other than that i have no idea...

well tried it at a different location to no avail. im guessin the 32B board is bad?? i am going to purchase a 32C board and a new 61C keypad and hopefully it should work.... unless anyone else has any other ideas? im at a loss...