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By Bill Reeve (billreeve@yahoo.com)
Adapted for instructables by Mouse (mouse.reeve@gmail.com)
Disclaimer: The procedure described here may not work for you - that's a risk you have to take. If it doesn't work, or if you break something, it's not my fault - it's part of the adventure's risk. I assume you know how to solder. If you don't, please learn before attempting this procedure.
Introduction: Hooking up an old telephone handset to work with a cell phone is simply a matter of connecting together the correct wires. The goal is to substitute the microphone and speaker in the old telephone's handset for the microphone and speaker in the cell phone's handsfree headset. We will do this by attaching the handsfree headset plug (the metal end that plugs into the cell phone) to the end of the coiled cord attached the old handset. The trick is to identify, and connect together, the correct wires.
Adapted for instructables by Mouse (mouse.reeve@gmail.com)
Disclaimer: The procedure described here may not work for you - that's a risk you have to take. If it doesn't work, or if you break something, it's not my fault - it's part of the adventure's risk. I assume you know how to solder. If you don't, please learn before attempting this procedure.
Introduction: Hooking up an old telephone handset to work with a cell phone is simply a matter of connecting together the correct wires. The goal is to substitute the microphone and speaker in the old telephone's handset for the microphone and speaker in the cell phone's handsfree headset. We will do this by attaching the handsfree headset plug (the metal end that plugs into the cell phone) to the end of the coiled cord attached the old handset. The trick is to identify, and connect together, the correct wires.
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Signing UpStep 1Materials
You will need:
1. the handset from an old, broken and late-model telephone (please don't destroy an antique rotary phone),
2. the coiled telephone cord that connected the handset to the body of the old phone, and
3. a wired handsfree headset that works with your cell phone.
You will also need a soldering iron and some shrink sleeving.
If your handsfree headset is significantly different from the one used in this example, you might need a method of measuring electrical continuity, like a digital volt meter (DVM) that can measure electrical resistance. If you don't own, or can't borrow and DVM, you can still make this work with a different headset, but you will need to identify the matching wires by inspection or trial-and error.
1. the handset from an old, broken and late-model telephone (please don't destroy an antique rotary phone),
2. the coiled telephone cord that connected the handset to the body of the old phone, and
3. a wired handsfree headset that works with your cell phone.
You will also need a soldering iron and some shrink sleeving.
If your handsfree headset is significantly different from the one used in this example, you might need a method of measuring electrical continuity, like a digital volt meter (DVM) that can measure electrical resistance. If you don't own, or can't borrow and DVM, you can still make this work with a different headset, but you will need to identify the matching wires by inspection or trial-and error.
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This is annoying in restaurants, and in my living room. The quality of the conversation is definately enhanced by this feedback, and also by the better audio quality of the analog technology of older phones. I thought I might be remembering better than it was, so I bought an old ATT princess phone to see if it sounded as good as I remembered it.
It does!
I was very excited to find there are a few "retro" handsets on the market for cell phones. I bought one, but the sound quality is digital, and there is no feedback to the earpiece.
I was excited again to see that the connecting cord to the handset had the old fashioned modular connector on it, and that it would fit into the ATT handset! So I tried, but no luck. No audio feedback.
Here's my question: How does the Western Electric 500 series, for example, provide the audio feedback from the mouthpiece to the earpiece? Is the circuitry in the cradle portion of the phone? Can the circuitry or components be isolated so that one could create an adapter that would allow you to plug a cell phone into a 500 series handset, or even the base, and get the audio feedback to the earpiece?
Thanks,
Hope you can read this OK.
Jack
Samsung CDMA Explore SCH5259
Also I made a mistake. The name of that feature is not Private talk, It's whisper talk.
Hope this helps.
1) it was analog, and apparently, like LP records, had a more true reproduction of our voice, and
2) the audio feedback prevented the speaker from yelling, because you would be yelling into your ear.
Every time I am annoyed by a loud cell user in a restaurant, I wish I had a different phone to hand them. Or a handset you could plug into the cell port to get the annoyer to pipe down.
Do you understand the circuitry and could you build such a handset?
Jack
It would require a bit more soldering, and probably a giant sized magnifying glass, a case of Rum or Burbon, and 6 months, but it would be cool!
www.showmecables.com/viewItem.asp
I'm right in thinking this is Captain Mouse of the HMS Chronabelle fame aren't I?
+agree with shadowfoxxxx :)
Also, you're cute.
really well broken down, and easy to follow.......a true credit to instructables