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Wiring an old French Telephone for the UK - Expertise wanted!


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I have bought an old french telephone from the 70s (with the 'mother in law' listener at the back).  I think it will make an unusual phone for my UK house.

Is it possible to re-wire the input line using UK cable?  The french cable is 4 core with blue, green, white and red wires.

I am assuming I can just use UK cable and connect it no problem?  Or am I mad?

Any help greatly appreciated

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Modern French (EC) phones work on the 2-wire system, using internal circuitry to derive the ring tone, so a French phone should work on the wires found on pins 2 and 5 of a BT socket. Components in a UK master socket achieve the same effect and then apply the ringing voltage to pin 3 which is usually the green wire, which is where a UK phone expects to find the AC ring voltage. Which explains why older English phones often won't work (or at any rate, ring) when installed here in France.

As to whether this hold true for a 1970's phone, I'm not sure. You need to do a bit of experimenting with the phone and your combination of wires.  You could try using a 9v battery and see if any combination makes the handset sound 'live', that might be a good indicator as to which pair to try.

Having installed it, do make sure your existing phones both ring and dial out though!

p

edit : Oh I suppose I should point out that - strictly speaking - you are not allowed to connect a phone to the UK telecom system unless it carries a green 'approved' sticker on the base. This is a rule which, naturally, everyone in the UK adheres to!

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Now lets see if I can remember what I was taught in the 60's when serving my GPO apprenticeship.The phones in those days also came with a 4-way cord in the same colours Red , White , Green and Blue.

The Red was connected to one "leg" of the line and the Green and White connected together to the other leg.The blue was usually not used unless it was a Shared Service line or PBX extension when an earth connection was required.

The Green and White cords would be split if an extension was fitted to the main phone.

This meant a 3rd wire was used between the Main and the extension and was known as the bell shunt wire.It stopped the bells tinkling when someone was dialling out on another phone.This is pin 3 that Paul is refering to.

Most modern phones don't need this arrangement , indeed I have disconnected all my Terminal 3's to improve my Broadband speed.

I would try Red on one and Green and White together on the other and see how you go.

Don't worry its only 50v dc and you can't blow any fuses , but watch out for anyone trying to ring you , that can make you jump.

 

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50v ?? if you're standing in the doorway of the exchange, possibly. Best average I ever managed was about half that, and the exchange was just round the block. God knows what circuitous route the cables took!

You're right about the ring volts though.. can't half make you hop about if you just happen to have hold of both the line wires when Aunt Gwladys decides to ring for a chat!

[quote user="Northender"]

Now lets see if I can remember what I was taught in the 60's when serving my GPO apprenticeship.The phones in those days also came with a 4-way cord in the same colours Red , White , Green and Blue.

The Red was connected to one "leg" of the line and the Green and White connected together to the other leg.The blue was usually not used unless it was a Shared Service line or PBX extension when an earth connection was required.

The Green and White cords would be split if an extension was fitted to the main phone.

This meant a 3rd wire was used between the Main and the extension and was known as the bell shunt wire.It stopped the bells tinkling when someone was dialling out on another phone.This is pin 3 that Paul is refering to.

Most modern phones don't need this arrangement , indeed I have disconnected all my Terminal 3's to improve my Broadband speed.

I would try Red on one and Green and White together on the other and see how you go.

Don't worry its only 50v dc and you can't blow any fuses , but watch out for anyone trying to ring you , that can make you jump.

 

[/quote]
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Paul wrote

"You're right about the ring volts though.. can't half make you hop about if you just happen to have hold of both the line wires when Aunt Gwladys decides to ring for a chat!"

Reminds me of the first time I climbed a pole , back in the 60's when uninsulated  drop wires were still to be found.

I'd got my feet onto the top steps and being tall thought I could stick my head above the wires to get into a more comfortable position , Ringing current across both ears!! Good job I had secured my safety belt.

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