Bell Payphone
History
This phone was donated by the Canadian Film Center, it was previously part of their Bell Payphone Labs installation, which was a series of payphones designed to subvert expectations of what a payphone should be. Ours specifically dispensed gumballs.
The phone is not a recent model, potentially in use from aprox 1985-2000, but more information would be greatly appreciated.
Machine
... Its a phone ...
It has:
- Receiver with speaker and microphone
- T9 keypad
- Backlit LCD display
Our Work
Entry
Since the machine was donated without keys, the first step was getting in. This was painful and took all the hammers in the shop, but was eventually successful. A T-Key has been made which is now the only required tool for opening up both the main body and the cash drawer. It's attached with a string.
More pictures of the teardown are available on request, to see the tech originally used.
Reverse "Engineering"
Everything inside the payphone is relatively straight forward
- LCD Display
- 2x20 Characters
- Driven by a HD44780
- 9 pin cable for sending data
- Separate black/red twisted pair for backlight
- Receiver/Handset
- Yellow/black pair for speaker
- Red/green pair for microphone
- Standard 4P4C configuration
- Receiver Sensor
- Triggered when handset is picked up.
- White/white twisted pair.
- T9 Keyboard (12 / 3x4 button)
- Standard matrix keyboard
- 10 pin cable
- Language/Speed Dial buttons (6 / 2x3 button)
- Half rebuilt with some tack switches
- Reenforced with a 3d printed bracket
- Not wired up to a cable yet.
Working Features/Plans
Lots of ideas have been floated, but no steps taken currently. This project is open for anyone to jump in currently
- Phreaking
- Simulate an original payphone as much as possible (recreate keypress noises, scrolling text) but then go weird.
- Play meme songs (rickroll, bananaphone etc.)
- Accept meme numbers being input.
- Choose your own adventure game.
- Lots of LEDS (originally for whole booth design)
- Just make it into a regular phone (accepts incoming, makes outgoing calls, RJ11, just plug it in)
- Hide a small camera and a thermal printer for a "Cameraphone Booth"
- Disinformation Booth (hook up a busted language model.