atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Telephone Repairs & Equipment Western Electric 500 Ringer Hookup

They can be adjusted you know. And if it's still really too loud, you can always remove one of the gongs.

Sam

You can lessen the sound of a C4A ringer by putting various lengths and thicknesses of Scotch tape (the opaque type in the green dispenser) on the gongs.

A little piece will dull the resonations a little, and a lot will make the gong sound like a dull thud.

I had it on low volume.

I might scotch tape it. It's just so loud.. Woke up others early in the house this morning when a girl called, haha.. No secrecy there.

You might try moving the bias spring.

Oh, how do I do that?

'scuse me while I go in a corner and break my knee kicking myself in the posterior.

OK, now then, take the cover off the phone and look between the 2 gongs. One end of a piece of stiff wire should be visible in a funny little cut-out, move it to the other position in the cut-out. Use needle nose pliers or a very strong pair of tweezers. Don't man-handle it, although it is strong, it is small!

Bias spring moved, and it got louder. It was already in the high setting.

I rotated the bells slightly since they weren't "even", and this was the result.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/phoneelect.jpg

Now it's softer. Odd, but it worked..

Is that a twist tie used as a jumper?

Yes, haha, temporarily. I'm getting real jumper wires, new line cord, and new handset cord, all cloth reproductions from a company here in the US that makes them.. Want to retrofit it with the cloth type.

But yea, that twist tie is completely temporary, and I made sure nothing was shorting for the time being..

The gongs were offset so when your turned either the right or the left gong (don't remember which) the gongs got closer together (softer) or further apart (louder)