Telephone line triggered beacon

[toon80]

Moderators, if this is not in the right section, please move accordingly.


Hello guys and girls,


Here's a project I've been working on for a little while.


I was sometime missing the phone because I couldn't hear the ringer, while playing music or using tools. I've browsed the Net and found a circuit that triggers a relay when the phone rings. I went to my local surplus electronic store and got all the components to create the circuit. I then hooked a beacon to it and there you go. It starts automatically when the phone rings and stops when you pick up the phone or when the ringing stops. I have inserted a 2 seconds timer in line to keep the beacon ON between 2 rings.


It is powered by a modified ATX computer power supply.


It was a fun little project to do. It is in the same line of visual indicators used in noisy shops.


Here are a few labeled pictures and a video of me calling myself on the house line showing how it works.


Let me know what you think!


-Antoine


Power supply





Project box





Video

 

[JazzDad]

We have 4 phone lines at the JazzDad production facility. We'd have to interface to a full lightbar.

 

[foxtrot5]

Very cool project, but to be honest I was thinking only one thing... "Why do you still have a land line if your cellphone (obviously) works in your house?"

 

[toon80]

Very cool project, but to be honest I was thinking only one thing... "Why do you still have a land line if your cellphone (obviously) works in your house?"

My work takes me around a lot, where a cell phone is not always practical and/or reachable. Land line is cheaper and more reliable sometimes.


Thanks for the comment!

 

[AKRLTW]

Neat project, although personally I would have looked into landline solutions for the deaf before going buckwild with a soldering gun.


But, that's not the eLightbars way! lol.


Cool use for a nice beacon!

 

[Zoe]

My work takes me around a lot, where a cell phone is not always practical and/or reachable. Land line is cheaper and more reliable sometimes.

Thanks for the comment!

First time I've ever heard someone stating that all the traveling they do is the reason they prefer a land-line over a cell phone!





Very nice job on the project! I know Radio Shack used to cell a flashing orange light that would interface with a telephone... not sure if it could be used to trigger other relays and such.

 

[toon80]

...

But, that's not the eLightbars way! lol.


Cool use for a nice beacon!


...

Exactly.


Having old lights around is nice, but putting them to good use is better.

 

[dmathieu]

That is fantastic!!!


Great idea!

 

[SirenWorld.com]

I worked at a radio station and there were all sorts of things rigged up to blink when the phones rang. Strobes, LED message boards, etc..... but this would take the cake as the coolest thing I've seen. Nice work. And yeah, you probably could've found something that would've done the relay work for you... but where's the fun in that!?

 

[JohnMarcson]

2004 cell phone activates 1996 landline to turn on 1970s beacon heh heh...


Neat idea, it was detailed enough I moved it to the tips/tricks section. I have seen commercial devices cause a phone ringer to trigger a 120 vac device, but the adaption to run a 12 vdc device is nice.

 

[fire1]

You could have found a strobe light that connects inline to your phone for around $25.00 & up.


Telephone Ring Signalers for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

 

[toon80]

Thanks for the positive comments, everyone.


This project was mainly a fun based one. I guess the next step would be to hook up the doorbell as well


I got this idea from engine room beacons on ships. So noisy you'd never hear the phone. There are a few different ones, color coded for different types of messages, like:


Blue: telephone


Green: Engine telegraph status change


Amber: Engine/machinery problem/alarm


Red: Fire/General alarm


White: fire dampening CO2 discharge coming, get out fast

 

[emtanderson51]

well done Toon....very clever....

 

[emtanderson51]

very clever Toon......well done!

 

[dakarm34]

That is freaking awesome. Besides all the material I now need a land line

 

[Captain4164]

I got a box from Radio Shack a few years back, plugs into the wall, and then you plug a lamp into that, and it lights when the phone rings. I have it hooked to a red light on top of the fire box that I have my phone in the garage in. Looks like a fire box is being tripped. 20 bucks

 

[TritonBoulder47]

In our original 911 Center (in the basement of a local hospital) we had a "911 Light" It looked like your regular Commercial Fire Alarn Strobe box on the wall, but it was only triggered when the 911 lines went into "overflow" It also had it's own dedicated phone number, so to mess with night shift (or even say shift a few times) we'd randomly call it in the middle of the night... lol

 

[chrismartin1701]

"Video not found" is what i keep getting from photobucket

 

[timmy]

i have a phone that was in the B2 Hangar at Edwards AFB which i just mounted on the wall and hooked up; it is an explosion proof phone because it was in a hangar and couldn't cause sparks because of the environment. i also have a little red beacon that i just got that i was thinking of mounting above the phone to do exactly what you did. is there any way i could get your design for the box so i don't have to re-invent the wheel...?


timmy

 

[toon80]

Thanks for the positive comment, everyone.


I know I could've used the Radio Shack trigger system for 20$, but there would be no fun in that, would it?


Timmy, in the 2 next weeks or so, I will try to post the complete wiring schematics for you

 

[towmedic]

Where did you get the project box, Antoine?


Brent

 

[toon80]

Where did you get the project box, Antoine?
Brent

Here you go:


http://addison-electronique.com/boitier/boitier-a-l-epreuve-des-intemperies.html

 

[NW Oklahoma]

You can connect your cell phone to one of those home cell phone links that use Bluetooth.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

You can connect your cell phone to one of those home cell phone links that use Bluetooth.

Welcome new member!! First post and already resurrecting from the dead!

 

[billforbush]

Great job on the project and thank you for sharing such detailed instructions.


I just wanted to note that landlines have some significant advantages:


1. E911 automatic location information is immediately available if needed. There is limited ability to locate cell phones but not nearly as quick or reliable as landline.


2. Hard wired landline phones work in power outages and disasters when cells quickly become overwhelmed.


3. If you leave your kids with a sitter, you know that they can call for help no matter what and the dispatcher will know where they are even if the caller doesn't


4. Landlines can interface with alarm systems for two-way monitored links (where broadband isn't an option).


5. No danger of dead batteries.


I believe AT&T is petitioning the FCC to eliminate landlines in favor of a broadband network that will likely be more costly and difficult to use for elderly people.


Just my 75 cents worth


Take care


Bill