atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems 1A2 and Comkey Telephones & Systems Help IDing a Phone

This showed up on eBay and I'm curious if anyone knows what it is.

If nothing else, it's phone shaped box with lots of entertaining buttons and switches.

In case that picture doesn't show up, this a rotary dial phone with 7 toggle switches which look like they are pickup keys for up to 14 lines, 4 other switches which I have no notion of, 10 keys numbered 0-9, and a row of five keys labeled
sp, bk, hd, dr, kr.



This phone has similar buttons, so maybe the eBay listing is also an Automatic Electric PBX console?

That is an attendant console for an old mitel PBX, ( I think ) not sure what actual model.
A superswitch sx-20 comes to mind
Operated one in my fathers car dealership over lunch breaks.

the BLF on top showed the extensions that were off hook
the top row of keys were for trunks.
the only key I seem to remember was kr = key release ?
the number keys were to call an extension, the dial was to call out on a trunk.
top right is a night service selector switch.

It is basically a cordless console

this is all pretty fuzzy though.

maybe Sam or Ed will jump in they no doubt installed dozens..

Click this link, then click on "VIEW," then scroll to the lower right-hand corner, and expand to see the detailed description.

PABX console

Mitel was founded in 1973.

This console for the AE/Leich 40/80/100 series of PABX was offered in the early 1960's. The little triangles in the dial wheel holes is the first clue. That was an AE design feature, as was the ridge along the back of the handset.

Arthur,

I'm not sure what system this console was hooked up to at the dealership, late 60's or 1970, do to rapid growth, the system was changed about 4 times in the span of 10 years.

I know this console came to us when the old key system left, about 30 6 button phones, and were replaced with about 45 2500 sets.

-----

Ok did some digging, Arthur, sorry, I see now that we must of had a Leich PABX and this console was wired directly to it.

I found an interesting thread Leich 40 / 80 PABX Turret

The Mitel must have come after the Leich PBX which would have been in the early 70's

Arthur once again has come to rescue!

Sam

The pabx we had did not look like the clunky Leich 40 photo on the TCI library, it looked more like a Rolm 9200 box.

I know there was a whole 4x8 sheet of plywood the held a plethora of 66 blocks and cross-connect.

Wish I had some photos of it.

I saw that phone on eBay and I knew Arthur would know what it was. Never ceases to amaze me.

I don't know about clunky, and I don't remember the console looking that bad. A 40 cabinet was about the size of two freezers side by side. It had to because the crossbars fit in the top half of the cabinet (you put them in by hand and it was not much fun if you had to add a switch on the end) and the trunk cards and control unit fit on the bottom. Keep in mind the L-40/80/100 family is hard-wired crossbar and the Mitel was electronic.

Big difference.

Our next offering was the Stromberg CrossReed PBX. IIRC the console had both a rotary dial and a keypad. You could dial internally with the keypad, but the outside used the rotary dial.

Carl

"I don't know about clunky, and I don't remember the console looking that bad."


"As ugly as a plateful of mortal sins" as my Irish Grandmother used to say.

As I recall, a lot of PBXs back in the day had both a rotary dial and a keypad. NEC was big on that and I think there Crossbars all had the two dials - the NA 409 and NA 1000 come to mind, but it's been a long time. Later they would have a TT dial and a button keypad (for internal calls).

Sam