atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems Antique Telephones another What is this ??

Found this in a box that had among other things some old TeleType tools and what not. It looks to be some type of driver or adjustment tool it has an unusual Delta style tip hmmmm !

Here are the pics.

https://s5.postimg.org/ikcksippj/DSCF4182.jpg

https://s5.postimg.org/66zqlm013/DSCF4185.jpg

could someone give me a hint how to show pictures in the post ?

It's a KS-19355 L8 Adjuster, used to tune the ferrite coils on a 25- or 35-type Touch Tone® dial. There's a coil for the high tones and a coil for the low tones. They are the round gray things on the back of the dial. See BSP 074-202-121.

You tune them by looking at a frequency meter, or, in the field, by using a known good dial and "beating" them.

"You tune them by looking at a frequency meter, or, in the field, by using a known good dial and "beating" them."

If you don't happen to have a "known good dial," You can also tune them by using a 2 pound sledge and a good anvil.

Rcaman

How bout that !

I would never have guessed that, would seem to be easier to just swap out dial. I am sure these do not get that much use anymore.
Until I find another off the wall item


Thank you all .

"You can also tune them by using a 2 pound sledge and a good anvil."

A very thoughtful, nuanced and elegant approach. Don't forget to wear your safety glasses.

Rcaman: personal message sent.

I have to wonder if the corresponding coils on DTMF receiver cards in intercoms used the same tool? More importantly, was that level of troubleshooting done in the field with say, 247A KTUs?

Ed, there were several adjustment tools that were used for various ferrite cores. The next answer is "yes" on CO DTMF receivers, but "seldom" on later-era subscriber equipment.

The 247A dial intercom adapter was notorious for not being tuned in properly from the factory (you probably recall the tedious BSP instructions on how to get it to work even moderately well) and for going out of tune in the field. It was the first generation and was a "work in progress" to be diplomatic. The 247B was always spot-on out of the box.

I only saw and suffered from a couple of the A versions, and saw many B versions. Then they all were made obsolete by the packaged units from Teltone and Melco which were finally stocked by Bell companies who threw in the towel until the 4xx series of 8" intercom cards were brought out. They were the 407, 424, etc. and they never needed adjustment, either.

Arthur, while I agree with Bell's decision to give up on intercoms, you have to admit that the 494A was a good last shot at it.

Yes, the ultimate plug-in intercom was the 494A. 8 inches high, 80-pin connector, built like a Mack truck. Don't drop it on your foot.

That tool was known as a "diddle stick" here. Those of us that worked on N-channel and later T-Span equipment had several of them. If you think the coils on the intercom cards were flaky, you would not believe what needed to be done to make that equipment work. Cold weather was not friendly to the equipment.

Rcaman

I don't believe that Bell gave up on intercom, I think the Carter Phone decision forced them out of that market.

Not necessarily, Jim. Their last 1A2 intercom systems were the 494A single-path card or the 6B intercom system. Both were highly-sophisticated for the time and lasted well into the 80s. Both were solid-state, as in no moving or adjustable parts whatsoever.

The main reason that the Bell System gave up on further development of these devices was because third party manufacturers were able to provide comparable equipment at a lower price. For example: Tone Commander's ML-8000 multiple path intercom system was much smaller (about a quarter the size of the 6B) and about a quarter of the cost. The Bell System saw the writing on the wall with regard to the impending divestiture and did the math.

Wow, what a side track of a thread. Still an informative one. I'm guilty as charged.

Now, back to those diddle sticks...

Well, Ed....back in the day, a telephone crafts person was actually expected to REPAIR the problem, not just replace. Some of the tools that appear on "What Is This" were standard issue and most of us actually used them. When we did bring something back to the garage, it was shipped out to W.E. and I think they tried to repair them. It wasn't long after 1968 that Mother decided it was going to be cheaper to purchase from other vendors and end the relationship with W.E. Of course, she had help from the federal judge to make that decision. Sad day for all of us.

Rcaman