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THE BEIGE BOX
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A beige box is an easy way of tapping into phone lines. It is basically
an adaptor for connecting a normal phone with a BT plug onto a pair of
phone wires.
You will need: one cheap phone, two crocodile clips, some wire and a
telephone socket and wallbox. If you use a master (primary) socket your
phone will be able to ring; if you just use a secondary (slave) socket,
it will never ring. {but see below.}
HOW TO MAKE IT
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Solder the crocodile clips onto each end of half a metre of wire. Cut
the wire and pass it through a convenient knockout in the socket
wallbox, so that the clips are on the outside. Connect one wire to pin
2 of the phone socket, and one to pin 5 of the phone socket. {it is
easier if your socket has screw terminals rather than IDC terminals,
especially if your wire is stranded.} Screw the socket onto the wallbox
and plug in the phone. That's it.
HOW TO USE IT
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Clip the clips onto the two wires of a phone line, and dial away.
That's all you have to do.
IDEAS FOR IMPROVEMENTS
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1. If you used a secondary socket but later decide you would rather
have a primary socket, simply add a 1.8uF 100V capacitor in the
position marked C1 on the PCB inside the socket. {1.5uF or 2.2uF will
do the job, if you can't get 1.8uF, but it must NOT be an electrolytic
capacitor, and it MUST be rated 100V or over.} If you are using a
slimline socket without a PCB, the capacitor should be wired between
pins 2 and 3.
2. If you want a line status indicator: get a two-colour LED {the type
with two leads, that glows red when the current is in one direction and
green in the other} and a 6.8k resistor. Wire these, in series, across
the position marked SP1 on the PCB. {don't connect the middle of the
series pair to anywhere.} For PCB-less sockets, this is the equivalent
of pins 2 and 5, ie the pair connected to the clips. It will indicate
the line polarity {red or green} which is not particularly important,
and the line status {dim = in use, bright = clear} which is.
Brought to you by ...... . .... . . ... .....
: :..: :.. :.' .:.......:.
: : : :... : `. `... .:...
Original idea by Jolly Roger, modified by THE KEZ for the UK.
disclaimer: this is for informational purposes only. no responsibility
is accepted for any consequences of use or misuse of any information
contained herein. any material whose source i have not acknowledged is
believed to be my own - if it sounds like something you invented, just
remember great minds think alike.
K