i need to make a phone ring on command. i know there is a mechanical/electrical device out there that allows it i just need the plans!!!!!

If you want to spend a little money and have some thing for a long time you might want to invest in a ring generator. I love mine. I've had it for years and used it every show that has a phone in it. It is a Loraine model RT3.(They probably have better upgraded models now). My husband connected a phone jack, push button momentary switch and a terminal strip and mounted everything on a portable board that connects into wall outlet. You can connect any number of phones to it. I just change which phone is going to ring by selecting the right connector to slip into phone jack. You can use any working telephone, run regular phone wire, connect it and the phone will ring. It will stop ringing when the receiver is picked up. No more worries about bad timing with the phone! I just used it in :1940's Radio Hour". I had the phone in the office & the pay phone in the hall connected to it. I was lucky enough to get original phones from the 1940s and the effect of the original phones ringing was wonderful. My husband just did a quick search on e-bay and said that if you type in ring generator there a bunch of them really cheap. I wish there was an e-bay when I bought mine. I think I paid about $125 about 15 years ago. It was worth every penny though.

Linda

Your best bet is probably the hardware suggestion- get a buzzer, get a battery and nail them to a board. 

If you want to make the phone on stage ring, there is a cheap way to do it if the phone itself works.  All it takes to make the ringer ina phone ring is about 45-50 volts DC. 

Get a modular phone cord long enoght to reach the phone on stage cut the jack off one end.  When you look at the jack you can see it has 4 little wires in it, each a differnet color.  The outer two do nothing, the inner two are the ones you want.  Get 4, 12V lantern batteries and wire them up in series (- to +) and put a puch button in the circuit.  Hook the ohone wires in the circuit and you should be good to go.

 

Some info on the phone system (this is all US relevent- other countries use different systems).  The phone company uses about 9-12 volts for the signal when you are talking.  To ake the phone ring it jumps up to somewhere between 45 and 150 volts.  A regular old fashioned desk phone only needs about 40-45V.  If you have a fancy new phone look on the bottom.  Somewhere it may give you a REN (Ring Equivalency Number)- this is how many standard phone ringers that particular phone is worth.  A regular cheap phone is REN 1.  Some fancy phone, or really load ringers may be REN 3 or more.  If the REN is higher it may take more voltage to make it ring, so this system is only good with REN1 phones.  The phones use high volts (48-150), but very very low amps (mA range).

 

Safety.  This is a very simple circuit.  But if you think it sounds complex get someone who knows what they are doing!  Don't suggest trying car batteries because they have a lot of amps and would be dangerous.  stick to lantern batteries or regular flashlight batteries.  May want to put a fuse in the circuit too.

Originally posted by bminter Go here for stage techs ringmaster....     http://www.ryebooks.com