atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems 1A2 and Comkey Telephones & Systems 1A2 and some old WECO stuff

A NOS NIB Precision Components 4A speakerphone has arrived yesterday. First impression was negative, since it is not a 100% reproduction of Western Electric 4A as I expected from pictures.

The major differences are:

1) Front panel of PC-108A loudspeaker is made of painted grayish-tan metal, not a sand-blasted aluminum like WE 108A



2) "OFF" an "ON OR QUITE" designations on the PC-680A transmitter are engraved in plastic and filled with black paint, not a double molding item from WE.



3) The red LED cap is attached to the stationary transmitter cover, not to the LED board itself. And the LED is not typical WE rectangular LED with lens, but a simple cheap LED. LED goes off when the ON OR QUITE button is depressed, so there is no visual indication of speakerphone being active while on mute (with coin technique, or I actually use a paper clip from metal wire with PVC cover not to scratch the plastic). On the other hand there is a clear indication that the microphone is deactivated, so this is actually good. Stationary cap has a factory installed shielding from a copper foil strip to protect the volume control variable resistor from RFI when user touches the wheel.



4) Better not to look inside - what you see there will resemble that this thing was designed and made in a garage. 4 PCBs are screwed to a thick pieces of transparent Plexiglas on both sides and it looks like it was cut manually by a hand saw and drilled with a accu screwdrver. BUT there are no flexible PCB there connecting the 3 main boards, which is the most thin place in WE 108A design. So chances are it will survive aging better than WE 4A.

But once I have connected that to the system my opinion has changed:

The sound quality is very good on both sides, specifically:

1) there is absolutely no hum from 18 VAC, which was the issue with original WE 4A whta made me to change it from 18 VAC from transformer to a filtered DC power supply.

2) transmission from the microphone is also very good with no hum or distortion.

All in all, because of the sound quality this item from Precision Component receives an approval for use in my 1A2 system.