
Taking Apart a Pay Phone - jonbaer
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a18328/things-come-apart-a-pay-phone/
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hwstar
Actually, pay phones didn't need batteries and microcontrollers when they were
operated exclusively by the telephone companies. In addition to 48V across tip
and ring, they used + and - 130V from ring to ground to control the operation
of the coin relay. One polarity caused the coin to be collected, and the other
polarity refunded the coin.

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otoburb
Around this time last year the city of New York approved a plan to replace
existing payphones across the city with WiFi enabled kiosks[1]. When I first
heard of this plan I originally hoped it would be a retrofit of sorts to take
advantage of the existing vandal-resistant and tough casings. Alas, based on
the designs and plans, it seems the entire payphone stand will be replaced[2].

I will miss these old weathered stalwarts of a bygone age dotting the
pavements.

[1] [http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2014/12/10/nyc-
approve...](http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2014/12/10/nyc-approves-
plans-replace-payphones-free-wi-fi-hotspots)

[2] [https://gigaom.com/2015/02/01/link-nyc-
explained/](https://gigaom.com/2015/02/01/link-nyc-explained/)

~~~
keithpeter
we have wifi kiosks in UK that look a bit like the standard payphone kiosks
that are current (alas no longer the red boxes). I don't see people using them
much - perhaps mainly for people using wifi on their phone.

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kalleboo
For a more animated and entertaining pay phone teardown, here's Dave Jones
with EEVBlog:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we5zxv5c00g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we5zxv5c00g)

