PING: Central Office Experts

Right, and if you could automate that into an ai program that analysed the incoming conversation, you could program replies that would keep them on the hook for hours. You only need a short dictionary of words to recognise, then voice synthesise appropriate sentences in reply.

Caller: You have won a cruise to Computer: That's very exciting, please tell me more

There's most likely open source voice recognition / speech stuff on sourceforge or similar. Would make an interesting project :-)...

Regards,

Chris

Getting hairier and hairier by the minute ;-) ...Jim Thompson

Well, it is Sunday and once are fed and you've read the paper, the mind starts looking for something to work on :-).

The internals from an old tape cassette answering machine might be a good start. Don't know about the US, but for Europe, anything connected to the phone line must be approved. The usual scenario is an optoisolator or clare reed relay for ring detect, a tiny isolation transformer for the audio and isolation barrier milled in the pc. Most of the work done for if you have one in the junk box. Just cut the required section out of the pcb with tin snips and bin the rest...

Regards,

Chris

I've been thinking opto-isolator for ring detect, but tell me about the "Clare relay" approach. ...Jim Thompson

The incoming ring voltage (~70v ac, 17Hz uk ?) is fed via an isolation cap into an encapsulated bridge, with a smoothing cap at the other side, then into the reed relay. The input cap isolates the relay from the 50v onhook voltage, thus filtering ring signal only. A second relay is used to drive the line offhook, once ring detect has been processed. Fwir, the transformer is a specially wound item so as not to saturate with a large dc content.

Others may have a better / more complete explanation. I last worked on this sort of thing (modem project) in 1993 and that used optoisolators and low power mosfets for all the switching...

Regards,

Chris

The old neon lamp and photocell was simpler. These days I would use a phototransistor, or photodarlington with the neon lamp.

I vaguely recall an LED/CdS combo... fast attack, slo-o-o-ow decay... might be perfect. ...Jim Thompson

I've done this many times... If male I'll ask for a female, if female I'll have a great time at her expense. Men don't get off if they don't have a woman to talk to me--I'll keep 'em on the line for as long as possible.

Great stories can be made up, how one intends to dominate the world, how men from Mars are taking over, and what tin foil makes the best hats.

Surveys? Easy, I always start out with "I take Master Card, Visa and DIscover, which card do you intend to use today?" They reply "Oh this survey is free, you don't have to pay" and I'll come back with "No, you have to pay for my time..."

I've had afew of these fools who stuck around for quite a while trying to convince me I should answer their questions.

I also will agree to answer questions if they will agree to answer the same number of questions from me.

Phone call to the corner druggist: "Do you have Prince Albert in the can?

And for the local bowling ally: Do you have 20 pound balls?

None of the young bucks around here will understand that one ;-) ...Jim Thompson

"Then you better let him out!"

"It's no wonder that you walk so funny!"

for

You know what you call Prince Albert in the can?

Project box ;-) ...Jim Thompson

This is the power company. There have been outages in your area, is your refrigerator running? ... ... ... Then you'd better go catch it!

"Is your refrigerator running?"

;-)

for

Constipated! ;-)

mall

phones for

Pipe tobacco ??

I don't think Prince Albert was ever a chew.

Ever smoke a Wheeling Twist ?:-) ...Jim Thompson

mall

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some

can?

I've never smoked. Never wanted to.