Jeff, you can check the ringer coils for "open" using a standard ohm meter. For a two-coil ringer, I think one coil should have a resistance of about 2500 ohms, and the other should be about 1000 (or maybe 1500). I can't remember for sure - Ed? Sam? Arthur?
If either coil reads "infinite," then that puppy is bad alright. Sometimes, if a ringer has been handled a lot, there can be a break inside one of the leads right where the spade terminal is crimped on. This is rare, though, especially with the older ringers that had heavy cloth-insulated wire for the leads.
Jim
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Speaking from a secure undisclosed location.
