Info on Western Electric Telephone Line Carbon Block Arrestor?

Do a google search. Bob AZ

--
Joe Leikhim K4SAT
"The RFI-EMI-GUY"

The Lost Deep Thoughts                        By: Jack Handey
     Before a mad scientist goes mad, there's probably a time
when he's only partially mad.  And this is the time when he's
going to throw his best parties.

Hey, we're cuzzins. I was W7SAT in another lifetime.

He won't find the protectors in Part 68.

What he has is the device Telco cable pairs are permanently wired to, to protect people and equipment from high voltage in the event of a lightning strike or having a cable cross with AC power. I don't have any info left to see what type it is; they came in many configurations..

It is also used at large customer premises for the same purpose, still as telco equipment.

Don

Don, Yes this is exactly correct. It is a pre-wired carbon block assembly that came with either a 6 foot or 12 foot cable and was used at commercial customer premises for phone line lightning/surge protection. I know and understand the basic function, but am looking for information on the internal workings (what distance spark gap that breaks down under what voltage and how quickly will it clamp and to what voltage through the carbon block? What maximum current over what duration will it handle before it fails? How much resistance is allowed in the ground path to work properly? What gauge ground wire and maximum distance? ) An assembly drawing, schematic, technical specifications, and such.

I've learned that it was manufacturer discontinued, some alternative customer orderable end item (Comcode) numbers, the engineering control location (Bell Labs, Whippany, NJ), the place of manufacture (Western Electric, Baltimore Works - Long Gone), and the replacement (still active) Lucent arrestor part number, but so far these have not led to any of the desired info.

I've been given a lead on a microfilm number and have a friend looking into Engineering Records to see if this is reproducible.

If anyone has other info please let me know. Thanks.

Bob

to

Try this link below to a thread describing the wiring. Also CFR47 Part

68.306 may give an idea as to the voltage range. I think about 300 volts is lower limit of these devices. They are troublesome. Several occasions I have had phone lines with hum problems go unresolved until a knowledgeable "phone man" replaced the cartridges.

Bob Shuman wrote:

--
Joe Leikhim K4SAT
"The RFI-EMI-GUY"

The Lost Deep Thoughts                        By: Jack Handey
     Before a mad scientist goes mad, there's probably a time
when he's only partially mad.  And this is the time when he's
going to throw his best parties.

--
Joe Leikhim K4SAT
"The RFI-EMI-GUY"

The Lost Deep Thoughts                        By: Jack Handey
     Before a mad scientist goes mad, there's probably a time
when he's only partially mad.  And this is the time when he's
going to throw his best parties.

I have found info through internal sources, but there are a lot of people out there in this newsgroup who know some stuff you can't find in archives.

So you bought "low" huh (at least compared to me...) But, I am one of the few, the lucky, the proud ... who have managed to stay employed, so things could have been a lot worse.

Thanks again.

Bob