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pyraleyesterday at 4:42 PM1 replyview on HN

From what I understand, the crank was used to ring the exchange's bell, not to reload the phone battery.


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greenbityesterday at 10:47 PM

Yes, in the old systems, you'd get about 90 volts AC down the line to ring the mechanical bell ringer. Once saw a guy nearly fall off a ladder, splicing phone lines with bare hands. He thought the relatively low voltage was safe enough, but then someone rang him in the middle of the job.

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