atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems 1A2 and Comkey Telephones & Systems My 1A2 project

I had a similar issue with mounting the ring generator. I used two small brackets meant for hanging pictures that have d-rings on them...2 screws in the back of the ring generator and 2 screws on the wall.
https://www.seattlefabrics.com/Mounted%20D-Ring.jpg
The single pair of wires connects to RG and RB on the block.
PS What exactly is a 'dumafloppie'...can you take a picture of what you used to mount the cable :p

Jeff,

This is a "dumafloppie", a made up word for something that I do not know what the correct term is. :-)



They are basically little metal clips that screw to the backboard, and the tabs on either side of the mounting screw folds over the cable.

They are hard to manipulate, so I used a small pair of ignition pliers and a light touch to bend the tabs over the cable.

They do seem to do the job nicely.

Best

Joe

I have never seen those...I normally use cable ties and a small plastic mount made by Panduit...
[img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/p...ZBT9qaCHSEnLsFGSyTZt4G4sapnBoOPT03IW=s90[/img]
I also have loads of metal one hole straps in various sizes, courtesy of our good friend Ed Vaughn.

Hi Jeff,

Yeah, they are hard to attach and hard to put into place around the cable, but once they are in place, they do a good job of holding the cables.

Keep an eye on this thread, I will be regularly posting updates on this project.

Best,

Joe

When I was with PT&T we just bent them with our fingers and finished with butt end of a screwdriver.

Joe -

As I recall, they were called "cable clasps". We used them extensively in the '60s and early '70s. We pretty much stopped using them when tyrap buttons came out.

Like Jim, we bent them with our fingers and finished them off with the butt end of the screw driver or with the small end of that brilliant phone company hammer we used to call a "dum-dum".

I don't think I've used a cable clasp in almost 40 years or seen one in 35 years.

Sam

Sam, that is neat! My KSU was made in 1960 (at least that is the date stamp on the box) and I have the clasps from possibly the same era. I know, I know, (my wife tells me that I am a natural antiquarian)but I simply find the technology of that era quite fascinating and a heck of a lot more robust that todays. (Except medical technology...I will take today's medical tech over anything) I would be quite willing to place a small wager that my old tube amateur radios, teletypes and this old KSU would survive any EMP or class X solar flare, whild my computers, the internet and my modern Icom radios would be toast.

Any way, thanks for the info Sam. I will continue to post updates for this project.

Joe

I found a roll of gray tape still in the bag. You can have it if you want it. It is 3/8inch by 15 yards. The bag reads: C Vinyl L.O. Gray Spec AT 7610. It was manufactured in the USA so there is a very good chance it is the correct Bell System Gray.

I'm glad you found a roll, because I struck out in the barn and the truck.

The tape you found is probably color suffix -61, and the one I was looking for was -49 (light olive gray) to match the cable.

In the real world, we seldom used tape at the ends of cables. It was too time-consuming. The preferred method is to create a sort of bushing at the end of the sheath. You use the stripping cord and cut it off at the proper point. Then grasp the loose conductors in one hand, and with the other hand, pull the split sheath back away from the conductors, until it turns inside out, like rolling up a sleeve. Then trim the folded part to a length of about an inch.

Outside plant cables, with sharp metal ternplate sheaths, were a different matter, of course.

What Arthur said.

I remember folding a "collar" on 25 pair cables back in the early '70s. Then we stopped doing it. I can't remember why. Maybe because we started putting on our own amphenols? Maybe we felt it didn't do anything? Maybe we just got lazy?

The only cables where we consistently taped the ends were shielded cables. Then we either taped or heat-shrunk the ends.

Sam