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As cell phone use continues to increase and phone companies take payphones out of service, more and more used payphones are available for sale. Some will purchase payphones intending to install these conversation pieces in their family rooms. Some will not care if their payphones are operable or not - some will want to preserve the historic or collectible nature of their older style payphone - and others will want to convert their payphone to coin-free use on their home telephone line. Many will purchase payphones and have NO idea at all how to work with them or where to turn for help. This Instructable will help readers open their payphone, and if desired, convert their payphone for use on their home telephone line.
(This instructable was also published by the same author as an eBay guide by the same title at http://reviews.ebay.com/Converting-a-payphone-for-home-use_W0QQugidZ10000000006247533 )
(This instructable was also published by the same author as an eBay guide by the same title at http://reviews.ebay.com/Converting-a-payphone-for-home-use_W0QQugidZ10000000006247533 )
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Signing UpStep 1Opening your payphone.
If you did not get keys and a T-bar for your payphone when you purchased it, then you will not be able to get it open without damaging the payphone housing and other parts. Most locksmiths do not have and cannot make keys for payphones. T-bars are often available from payphone suppliers, although there are different styles of T-bars, depending on the manufacturer of your payphone. Payphone housings are designed to be very strong and able to withstand thieves and vandals, and cannot be opened without the keys without damaging the payphone housing.
Modern payphones ordinarily use separate keys to open the front housing (behind the dial or keypad and where the phone electronics are located) and to open the vault, where the cashbox is located. Depending on the make and model of your payphone, you may or may not need the T-bar to open the front housing, but all modern payphones require use of the T-bar to open the vault door in front of the removable cashbox.
The payphone vault door and cashbox are designed to be opened with a separate key in order to allow a payphone route person with only a key to the vault and a T-bar to be able to open the payphone vaults along the route, remove the cashboxes behind the vault door that were usually locked with small padlocks and replace the filled cashboxes with empty cashboxes and return the full cashboxes to the payphone company.
WARNING: When working with payphones, remember that the housing components (front housing, rear housing and vault door) are all designed to be theft and vandal proof and are made of thick steel, and consequently are rather heavy. As a result, BE VERY CAREFUL when removing payphone parts - the front and rear housings and vault door are heavier than you might think and can be damaged or injure you if dropped.
To open the front housing: Insert the appropriate key either on the top or the side of the front housing and rotate (ordinarily clockwise and about half a turn). If the T-bar is required to open the front housing, now insert the T-bar and rotate (ordinarily counterclockwise and less than a quarter turn). Disconnect the cable that connects the front and rear housing of the payphone and then set the front housing somewhere where its chrome armor plating will not be damaged but that can support its weight.
To open the cashbox vault: Insert the appropriate key on the side of the rear housing and rotate (ordinarily clockwise and about half a turn). While holding the face of the vault door with one hand to keep it from falling out, insert the T-bar into the keyhole in the middle of the vault door and rotate the T-bar (depending on the manufacturer, the T-bar may rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise, and generally less than 45 degrees). Hold onto the vault door - its heavier than you will think and since it holds the payphone cashbox in place, the cashbox behind the vault door will tend to push the vault door forward away from the phone. Carefully remove the vault door, leaving the T-bar in place, and set it down in a safe place. Now remove the cashbox by pulling the wire loop on the front of cashbox to slide it out of phone. Open the lid on the cashbox by lifting up the latch of the lid to release the lid.
To replace the cashbox back into the payphone, you must arm the mechanism you tripped when you removed the cashbox from the pay phone. Until you rearm the mechanism, you will not be able to push the cashbox back into the payphone. You can arm the mechanism once it has been tripped with a flat-blade screwdriver. Open the cashbox lid and rotate the slotted mechanism inside the cashbox lid about 90 degrees clockwise to arm the cashbox so it can be put back into the phone. Slide the cashbox all the way into the phone and, holding the cashbox in place with one hand, slide the vault door back into place with your other hand. If you allow the cashbox to spring forward out of its position before you replace the vault door, it will again disarm the trip mechanism and you will again have to arm your cashbox. Turn the T-bar the opposite of the way that you turned it to remove the vault door in order to reengage the vault door locking mechanism and reinstall the vault door.
Modern payphones ordinarily use separate keys to open the front housing (behind the dial or keypad and where the phone electronics are located) and to open the vault, where the cashbox is located. Depending on the make and model of your payphone, you may or may not need the T-bar to open the front housing, but all modern payphones require use of the T-bar to open the vault door in front of the removable cashbox.
The payphone vault door and cashbox are designed to be opened with a separate key in order to allow a payphone route person with only a key to the vault and a T-bar to be able to open the payphone vaults along the route, remove the cashboxes behind the vault door that were usually locked with small padlocks and replace the filled cashboxes with empty cashboxes and return the full cashboxes to the payphone company.
WARNING: When working with payphones, remember that the housing components (front housing, rear housing and vault door) are all designed to be theft and vandal proof and are made of thick steel, and consequently are rather heavy. As a result, BE VERY CAREFUL when removing payphone parts - the front and rear housings and vault door are heavier than you might think and can be damaged or injure you if dropped.
To open the front housing: Insert the appropriate key either on the top or the side of the front housing and rotate (ordinarily clockwise and about half a turn). If the T-bar is required to open the front housing, now insert the T-bar and rotate (ordinarily counterclockwise and less than a quarter turn). Disconnect the cable that connects the front and rear housing of the payphone and then set the front housing somewhere where its chrome armor plating will not be damaged but that can support its weight.
To open the cashbox vault: Insert the appropriate key on the side of the rear housing and rotate (ordinarily clockwise and about half a turn). While holding the face of the vault door with one hand to keep it from falling out, insert the T-bar into the keyhole in the middle of the vault door and rotate the T-bar (depending on the manufacturer, the T-bar may rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise, and generally less than 45 degrees). Hold onto the vault door - its heavier than you will think and since it holds the payphone cashbox in place, the cashbox behind the vault door will tend to push the vault door forward away from the phone. Carefully remove the vault door, leaving the T-bar in place, and set it down in a safe place. Now remove the cashbox by pulling the wire loop on the front of cashbox to slide it out of phone. Open the lid on the cashbox by lifting up the latch of the lid to release the lid.
To replace the cashbox back into the payphone, you must arm the mechanism you tripped when you removed the cashbox from the pay phone. Until you rearm the mechanism, you will not be able to push the cashbox back into the payphone. You can arm the mechanism once it has been tripped with a flat-blade screwdriver. Open the cashbox lid and rotate the slotted mechanism inside the cashbox lid about 90 degrees clockwise to arm the cashbox so it can be put back into the phone. Slide the cashbox all the way into the phone and, holding the cashbox in place with one hand, slide the vault door back into place with your other hand. If you allow the cashbox to spring forward out of its position before you replace the vault door, it will again disarm the trip mechanism and you will again have to arm your cashbox. Turn the T-bar the opposite of the way that you turned it to remove the vault door in order to reengage the vault door locking mechanism and reinstall the vault door.
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48
Jun 27, 2009. 1:02 PM
lemonie
says:
lemonie
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6
Jun 28, 2009. 12:46 PMweblar (author)
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(removed by author or community request)
48
Jun 28, 2009. 1:14 PMlemonie
says:
lemonie
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(removed by author or community request)
1
Jun 26, 2009. 1:25 PMatombomb1945
says:
Nice to see that people still know / have interest in Pay Phones. Now I am going to go back are look at all the back covers of my old 2600's. Nice write up.
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6
Jun 28, 2009. 12:55 PMweblar (author)
says:
Payphones are fun - sometimes people want tacky ecclectic things from their past hanging in their homes. Sometimes they even want to be able to make daily use of them. If any of what I posted helps someone accomplish that, I'm happy.
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