Daves Leich 901 Notes

One of the first checks is also to see if the bell rings when the crank is turned. It should ring. In fact you should "ask a question" on ebay when you are narrowing in on a purchase. Ask the seller if the bell rings. Do not buy it if the bell does not ring as there could be a problem with the magneto generator..

The one weakness with the Leich 901 is getting into the insides. I have sent them back or (in an extreme case) broken the case open. This is the first thing you should check when one arrives:
-Remove the cover (if there is one) in the center of the magneto handle and expose a slotted screw.
-Then loosen the screw on the rear near where the cord hole is.
-Insert a small slotted screwdriver into the slotted screw in the middle of the magneto handle assy.
-Rotate the handle CCW while holding the screw, while keeping it from turning-this is the only way to open the phone.
-if it resists, spray a little WD40 on the screw and try again. Use as much force as you can without damaging the slot. The handle has to come off, or the phone is useless.
-When the handle moves CCW, continue to unscrew it backwards until it comes off.
-Set it aside and lift the bakelite case using the front as a hinge.
- It should lift right up and expose the interior of the phone. Remove it and set aside.

Check the condition of the handset and station cords, usually they are 'toasted' in some way .The rubber on the cord becomes brittle due to age and just needs to be thrown away. The handset cord is one that you will need to order and probably the main cord too, although that one is not as essential, most any wire can be used. But since these will most likely be displayed, you should order those too.

When you first open a phone (with cords, hopefully) draw a rough map of the screw terminals and note the handset wires and the main cord wires, usually red, white and green and where each color goes. Put the map in a safe place.

If your magneto feels funny when you turn the crank and the bell does not ring, you should pull the magneto out of the mounting bracket flip it over and take a look at the bottom of the magneto with all the wires still connected.

One thing I have found with the magnetos are:

-The gear train from the handle to the magneto is dirty and/or needs some lube WD40.

-The contact on the very bottom is corroded and/or dirty.

To remove the magneto: Locate the four machine screws (2 on each side) and remove them. Note that there are four insulating plastic bushings that insulate the magneto from the bracket. Make sure you capture and retain those for when you reassemble the magneto into the bracket.

To clean the bottom electrical contact: Take a piece of fine sandpaper and place it between the contact and the round surface and pull it back and forth gently. That cleans one side of the contact. Flip the sandpaper over and do the same for the other side of the contact. Reassemble and test

One thing about electrical troubleshooting, you have to be v e r y careful that you don't introduce anything into your testing that would lead you astray and cause you to go down another path. Do you have a soldering iron? the only good way I know of to make a Christmas bulb test light is to solder two 10" wires to the base of the bulb and then connect those to the magneto by loosening the screws on the magneto contacts and slipping the wire under the screw. That way you know the contact is positive and you don't have to worry about holding anything else when you crank the magneto. It should put out about 75 Volts AC when vigorously cranked. Digital voltmeters are hard to use when making measurements of this type.

The thin metal contact should not put so much pressure on the center that it impedes the cranking force. Its just picking up the electricity from one side of the winding. The contact with the slot is on the magneto side or the contact side? I do not recall seeing that on mine. The magneto side should be a little tit and the contact should be a shallow cup made of spring steel that fits right over it. If there's a screw head there, I'd sand it but it sounds odd if I am understanding you correctly. You could even spray WD40 on that thing because WD also works as a contact cleaner. Again for your light bulb test, you will connect to the contact (one side of bulb) and the body of the magneto (the other side of bulb).Note that there's another switch (on the bottom of the magneto next to the cup) that closes very nicely at the exact point where you begin to turn the magneto. Locate that and ensure it operates as I described. It should close and complete a circuit. Also inspect all the wires going to the magneto (like 2 or 3?) and make sure that they are in good shape and both ends terminate somewhere.

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You might consider reassembling that phone and preparing to resell it. Two things can happen, the next person knows more about these than you and I do or you sell it and you "don't know anything about these phones". Did you ever say if it came with cords? It is possible that the magneto is toasted or the whole phone is toasted. It is possible that it was connected to a line that was struck by lightning. It could then have an "open" in the little transformer or in the magneto winding and you'd just be tearing your hair out trying to figure out what was wrong with it...There's enough of these out there that they can still be had for under $20 if you are diligent. The fact that few people know how easy it is to hook them up and make a working intercom makes them a gem.

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