View Full Version : Doorbell help please.
I am resurrecting a doorbell that has not worked for about twenty years. It is the type with two hanging tube bells. It makes a ding- dong Avon calling sound, quite nice actually in a retro sort of way. Originally it worked from an ancient transformer with a ceramic back-plate and various fuses. I have replaced the transformer with a modern one from a phone charger. It is 12 volts. I am not sure if 12 volts is the correct original voltage. The doorbell works but I am not sure if the striker is hitting the bells hard enough. The runs of bell wire from the doorbell and transformer are quite long. This is my question. Is it possible it needs a larger voltage, say 16 volts? Could the 12 volts be dropping because of the long runs of wire? Would I damage the motor if I tried 16 volts? Are there any other problems of which I should be aware? Thanks.
I am resurrecting a doorbell that has not worked for about twenty years. It is the type with two hanging tube bells. It makes a ding- dong Avon calling sound, quite nice actually in a retro sort of way. Originally it worked from an ancient transformer with a ceramic back-plate and various fuses. I have replaced the transformer with a modern one from a phone charger. It is 12 volts. I am not sure if 12 volts is the correct original voltage. The doorbell works but I am not sure if the striker is hitting the bells hard enough. The runs of bell wire from the doorbell and transformer are quite long. This is my question. Is it possible it needs a larger voltage, say 16 volts? Could the 12 volts be dropping because of the long runs of wire? Would I damage the motor if I tried 16 volts? Are there any other problems of which I should be aware? Thanks.
If I remember correctly a lot of the old transformers were lower voltage than this on the secondary, 8 volts rings a bell :eyebrows:. Would be worthwhile measuring the voltage when the button is held in. My guess is there will be plenty of voltage at the phone charger until the button is pushed then the current inrush to the solenoid is causing a big volt drop in the power supply. If so, get a heavier power supply! I think it's more current you need rather than voltage. Try it off a good 6V to 12V battery.
Thanks JohnJo. That makes sense as the first push of the button moves the solenoid reasonably well but subsequent pushes moves it less so.
Check current output of the psu your using. It may be too low to run it, more than the volts. Would have thought 12v would be plenty. Even as said above try one of 6/8v with more current output. My mum had one of those for ever lol.. Yep, they are quite nice
Thanks Grant. It does sound good. It was in the house when we moved in. It worked originally about twenty years ago but was left out of the re-wire we had done at the time. No idea about how old it actually is. Anyway it's working OK now. I tightened up the connections at the doorbell push and it seems to be alright. The current is 500ma from the psu. Any ideas as to what would be a suitable current?
Think ours was early 70's..maybe late 60's. I would likely expect it to need a bit more for headroom, but hard to say.. Maybe as much as an amp.
Firebottle
10-08-2016, 14:03
As it is a charger you are using there may be a current limiting resistor built in.
As I recall these types of bells had 4 1.5V batteries in them when battery operated, so 6V.
:)
Could be Alan... Ours was mains, but it was maybe an option, so 6v sounds about right
For those of you following this with interest, ha ha. It would seem, after some research, that I have a Morphy Richards TU 100. From the fifties. There's one in the doorbell museum! It did have a battery operated variant which did indeed use four 1.5 volt U2 batteries. Well remembered Alan. So yes lower than the 12 volts I'm using. I may try to get a 6 volt psu with higher current, but it does appear to be working OK. Thanks for your help chaps.
There's a 0.5 amp version but even the 1 amp version is less than a tenner on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B0001NPZ60/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Probably 8v to allow for mains variation, volt drop in the bell wire and more likely across the bell push contacts that always oxidise as they're exposed to the elements.
Thanks John. No excuse for not getting one really is there!
Hello Macca. I noticed you've edited one of my posts. Not that I'm overly bothered, but was there a reason? Some doorbell aficionados might have been interested in some of the detail you've removed.
Hello Macca. I noticed you've edited one of my posts. Not that I'm overly bothered, but was there a reason? Some doorbell aficionados might have been interested in some of the detail you've removed.
I think he has accidentally edited it instead of quoting it...
once he realises this I am sure he will sort it..... cock up and nothing else I think ...
Hello Macca. I noticed you've edited one of my posts. Not that I'm overly bothered, but was there a reason? Some doorbell aficionados might have been interested in some of the detail you've removed.
Sorry Andrew, had no idea I had done it. Obviously I had no reason; as Grant says I must have hit edit instead of quote. I'll see if I can fix it, hopefully it is not beyond my limited powers.
Fixed. Sorry about that, need more practice with my moderating machine. As you were.
Ha ha no problem Macca. I thought I might have transgressed some obscure rule about about posts on doorbells!
I'm dying to get a Leslie Phillips "ding-dong!" into this thread but just can't think of a suitable opener :(
I'm dying to get a Leslie Phillips "ding-dong!" into this thread but just can't think of a suitable opener :(
Oh, oh, what about "I prefer knockers myself, Ding Dong!"
It's writing itself there man.
Well Leslie Phillips would like our house as it has knockers front and back, a pair of knockers. Different sizes though which I believe can be quite normal. Back to the bells, If you hang the tubes the other way round you get a dong-ding. Well I've ordered the 8 volt transformer off amazon and buoyed by my initial success I'm going to wire a doorbell from the back door as well. So we'll have bells and knockers front and back, even though we hardly ever get visitors!
Well Leslie Phillips would like our house as it has knockers front and back, a pair of knockers. Different sizes though which I believe can be quite normal. Back to the bells, If you hang the tubes the other way round you get a dong-ding. Well I've ordered the 8 volt transformer off amazon and buoyed by my initial success I'm going to wire a doorbell from the back door as well. So we'll have bells and knockers front and back, even though we hardly ever get visitors!
In Iran doors are often fitted with two different size knockers; one for male visitors and one for female visitors, so the 'appropriate' sex knows who is calling and can answer the door.
Well there's a fact I never knew I would learn at the beginning of this thread!
As long as you are well sorted for knockers you don't want visitors.
Ding Dong
In Iran doors are often fitted with two different size knockers; one for male visitors and one for female visitors, so the 'appropriate' sex knows who is calling and can answer the door.
They've really thought that through.
Will add an extra dimension to any game of 'knock on',
https://youtu.be/0awJf7OWMmo
carry on teacher
sorry the embed didnt work in last one
As long as you are well sorted for knockers you don't want visitors.
Ding Dong
Nice one Martin :D
Take it easy though, us amateurs are easily discouraged :)
Well Leslie Phillips would like our house as it has knockers front and back, a pair of knockers. Different sizes though which I believe can be quite normal. Back to the bells,buoyed by my initial success I'm going to wire a doorbell from the back door as well. So we'll have bells and knockers front and back, even though we hardly ever get visitors!
I like that, sort of like knockers with bells on.
https://youtu.be/0awJf7OWMmo
carry on teacher
Classic!
Sorry Andrew, making a mess of your thread here!
Well there's a fact I never knew I would learn at the beginning of this thread!
We like to think AoS adheres to the Reithian principles as followed by the BBC of "information, education and entertainment" :)
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