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View Full Version : How to wire rotary wall phone


554Wallphone
Jul 10, 2013, 01:41 PM
Can someone tell me where to attach the black, green, red and white wires to the 3 screws in a 554 rotary wall phone to connect the curly handset cord?

I think I have it wired correctly to attach it to the wall: from left to right as you look at the 3 screws just below and to the rotary dial: red, yellow, green.

Thanks for your help!

Susan

joypulv
Jul 10, 2013, 02:48 PM
Let's see if I remember..
Seems to me you only need the red and green and if you can't see the back of the jack you pick the top two and have a 50/50 chance - red, green or green, red.

ma0641
Jul 10, 2013, 08:14 PM
Typically you would just match colors but you can't be sure how the wall wire is matched to the phone feed. First I would just match colors and test the phone. If it doesn't work, do as joy says and keep switching and matching until you do. Does your phone company support pulse dialing.

joypulv
Jul 11, 2013, 05:32 AM
Pulse dialing! I think by law they have to? They used to.
I have my parents' rotary phone that was wired this way and it worked right up until we sold the house 18 months ago.

554Wallphone
Jul 11, 2013, 06:50 AM
Thanks! I connected the red wire on the left and the green wire on the right and left the middle screw empty and I was able to dial out and clearly hear the party I called. However, they could not hear me. So now I am thinking the next problem is with the mouthpiece on the handset. Do you think so? I will try cleaning the contacts and if that doesn't work I see that they are for sale on eBay. I am a 66 year old woman with memories of a rotary wall phone in my mother's kitchen and I am bound and determined that I am going to have one as well!
Susan

joypulv
Jul 11, 2013, 08:26 AM
Calling out but not calling in means, I think, switching red and green.
I'm a 66 year old woman too.

ma0641
Jul 11, 2013, 02:20 PM
They make new tone dial push button phones that look just like Mom's rotary dial.

joypulv
Jul 11, 2013, 05:55 PM
What fun is that? My old rotary phone is so heavy it doubles as a weapon. My pink princess phone is so light it falls off the table at the hint of a breeze or animal playing with the cord.