Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: rees@pisa.ifs.umich.edu (Jim Rees) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: How do You Hook up a Phone For a Play? Message-ID: Date: 19 Feb 91 23:26:22 GMT Sender: news@casbah.acns.nwu.edu Reply-To: rees@citi.umich.edu (Jim Rees) Organization: University of Michigan IFS Project Lines: 17 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 133, Message 10 of 11 Originator: telecom@delta.eecs.nwu.edu In article , John_Richard_Bruni@ cup.portal.com writes: > This may be hazardous to one`s health, but I have on several > occassions seen phones hooked up to AC to ring the bell for plays ... My recommendations are: 1. Don't do it. 2. If you must, at least put it in series with a 1/4 amp fuse and a 5K resistor. The resistor will limit the loop current so as to lessen, but not eliminate, the chance of killing yourself or the phone. You should also use an isolation transformer. 3. Better yet, don't even think about doing it.