Welcome to the Connections Museum! Connections Museum 2026-09-22 | Welcome to the Connections Museum!
The most over-engineered pencil sharpener EVER? #shorts Connections Museum 2023-06-08 | We wanted to release this as a short, but we recorded it in the correct orientation for viewing, but the incorrect orientation for youtube.
Is this the worlds oldest Linux peripheral? Connections Museum 2023-05-14 | I wrote some code, and now the our panel switch from 1923 is officially a PC peripheral. Github for my test code: github.com/theautumn/senderGithub for the DAHDI code: github.com/connectionsmuseum/dahdi-linux/tree/revertivepulse00:00 Intro2:52 The Problem3:29 Revertive pulse signaling overview6:21 The D4 bank & the Computer9:31 Code overview15:42 First time it worked!16:50 Problems and Testing19:30 Demo!20:17 Outtro
2600? How Phreaking Really Worked Connections Museum 2023-03-26 | Secrets of the Little Blue box! Don Froula's Blue Box instructions: github.com/donfroula/Arduino-Multimode-Blue-Box-Exploding the Phone: http://explodingthephone.comBSTJ: The N2 Carrier Terminal: archive.org/details/bstj44-5-731/mode/2upBSTJ: Signaling Systems for the Control of Telephone Switching: archive.org/details/bstj39-6-13810:00: Intro1:40: What we need for blue boxing2:47: Trunk Supervision demo6:35: Carrier systems8:25: E-Signaling units9:05: Phreaking demo12:57: Cap'n Crunch Whistle13:31: Notch filters14:15: Attempts to thwart14:57: Closing
All calls are failing in the Panel office! Connections Museum 2023-03-08 | Hang out with Sarah as she fixes the Decoder Connector in the panel switch.
Explaining Call Tracing (Part 2): The No. 5 Crossbar Connections Museum 2023-02-26 | If you haven't watched Part 1, go do that for more context. :)youtu.be/4qG5-NntLwAA Bell Labs Record article on the trunking and switching network of the 5XB: archive.org/details/bellsystem-no-5-crossbar-blr/page/20/mode/2up
How does call tracing work? (Part 1) Connections Museum 2023-02-25 | Sorry for no content for a while. Life has been alternately busy and difficult. This is part 1 of a two-part video. The next part will be out tomorrow.
Emergency Repair in the No. 5 Crossbar Connections Museum 2023-01-02 | [This video should be manually captioned, but as of making this public, YouTube is still trying and failing to apply them. Sorry!]The goo has returned, and it must be banished! If you like longer, unscripted videos, then you'll love this! Like and Subscribe if you think we're cool enough :DThe orange plastic razors I use here are very awesome. You can get them from retailers such as: razorbladeco.com/orange-plastic-scraping-tools
What is a relay? Connections Museum 2022-12-16 | Let's talk about how relays work, and how we can use them in basic circuits :)I scanned The Design of Switching Circuits and uploaded to the Internet Archive: archive.org/details/TheDesignOfSwitchingCircuits
Fixing bent pins on the Trouble Recorder (Part 2) Connections Museum 2022-11-22 | Previous video: youtube.com/watch?v=OWL_eiu6g2Y
The 5XB Trouble Recorder Broke (again)! Connections Museum 2022-11-14 | First trouble recorder video: youtube.com/watch?v=OWL_eiu6g2Y
Test Frame Tuesday - Outgoing Trunk Test Connections Museum 2022-07-26 | Today on Test Frame Tuesday, we learn about the No. 1 Crossbar Outgoing Trunk Test Frame (OGTT).Like and Subscribe, and follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/museumofcomm
Test Frame Tuesday - Originating Sender Test Connections Museum 2022-07-05 | Today on Test Frame Tuesday, we learn about the No. 1 Crossbar Originating Sender Test frame (OST).Like and Subscribe, and follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/museumofcomm
Test Frame Tuesday - 5XB Master Test Frame Connections Museum 2022-06-28 | In the first edition of Test Frame Tuesday, we'll talk a little bit about the 5XB master test frame.
A walk through the 5XB [annotated] Connections Museum 2022-06-06 | Astrid and Sarah are on vacation for a while. To hold you over, here's an annotated walk through the No. 5 Crossbar while it's placing calls.I realize that this won't explain everything, but hopefully, y'all can enjoy it on an aesthetic level. Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/museumofcomm
The Machine that Makes Your Phone Ring Connections Museum 2022-04-01 | In this installment of "Dial Equipment Appreciation", we'll talk about the big ringing machine and how it works!Previous ringing video: youtu.be/dqKFS1p1ivoThanks to Evan Doorbell, atlantatelephonehistory.org, and Phil McCarterhttp://www.evan-doorbell.comhttp://atlantatelephonehistory.org/atlanta:startyoutube.com/user/sxsphil00:00 Intro00:30 P-Type ringing machine overview02:48 Motors03:55 Coin Voltage Generator04:57 Ringing Generator05:48 Tone Alternator15:13 Interrupters18:03 Ringing Machines in Storage
Booting up the 3ESS Connections Museum 2022-03-23 | After several years of work, volunteers Astrid and Colin have gotten the 3ESS to the point where it is semi-reliably bootable. This was no easy task. This system was designed to start up once, and then run for tens of years.The 3ESS is a telephone switch designed by Bell Labs in the mid-1970s. It consists of a pair of custom designed computers that control an analog switching fabric in real-time via several thousand scan and distribute points (think GPIO on modern hardware). Chapter List:00:00 Fuses & Converters01:55 Tape Drives, Teletype, System Status Panel02:41 Processors (CU 0, CU 1)06:02 CU 0 Bootup Complete06:40 Post-Boot Cleanup, Error Recovery11:25 Running Diagnostics on CU 1, Re-tensioning Tape15:15 Swap (Failover) from CU 0 to CU 1
How does telephone ringing work? Connections Museum 2022-02-18 | This is the first of several videos on ringing and tones. We'll talk about the ancient history of ringing, in order to get you ready for part 2, where we will show how a ringing machine rings.
First call through the 3ESS Connections Museum 2021-12-06 | Join us as we witness the first call trough this switch since 2012.
Why isnt the 1XB completing calls? Connections Museum 2021-11-15 | Shot this a while ago, and debated whether or not to upload it. If you like hanging out while I fix problems, this video is for you!Like, Subscribe, and follow us on Twitter, if that floats your boat:twitter.com/museumofcomm
Central Office Alarm Sounds Connections Museum 2021-11-03 | Short video of the different types of alarms you'd hear in a CO.Audio file can be downloaded here: https://files.connections.museum/s/pJp2HqGRF6HDtHKDifferent alarms were used to mean different things in different offices. Much of it was up to local practice. The one thing that was always the same was the Major Alarm gong (MJ). That's the first one you hear.It's worth noting that the panel office does not use these alarms, as it predates all of them. It has its own.
Self Winding Master Clocks in Central Offices Connections Museum 2021-11-01 | This video discusses the use of synchronized self winding clock systems in telephone central offices.Like and/or Subscribe :DFor more info on Self Winding Clocks check out:youtube.com/channel/UC5EnJ669V6jQ-umHDIChFAA/videoskensclockclinic.com/library
Troubleshooting in the No. 1 Crossbar Connections Museum 2021-06-17 | Just a shorter video where we do some basic troubleshooting in the 1XB. You can follow us on Twitter, if ya want to! twitter.com/museumofcomm
How many different ways can we cause trouble in the 5XB? Connections Museum 2021-05-07 | Note: we are all out of cards and mailing supplies, so we can’t fill any more orders. Thanks to those who donated! Now I have a lot of work to do ;)Many viewers suggested different ways to drop trouble cards, so we tried some of them!00:27 - Hookswitch flashing "11"02:32 - Hookswitch flashing inconsistently06:16 - Holding MRL down in the originating register11:48 - High impedance at 20hz on a subscriber line16:16 - Dialing ABCD or the AUTOVON priority digits16:39 - Dialing a code for which there is no translation/route21:19 - Messed up MF tones
The 5XB Trouble Recorder Connections Museum 2021-02-24 | Bell Labs Record Article on the Trouble Recorder: telephonecollectors.info/index.php/browse/bc-switching-library/western-electric/weco-switching-documents/weco-crossbar/no-5-crossbar-book/1053-24-troublerecording/fileConnections Museum on Twitter: twitter.com/museumofcommDisclaimer: Mask usage is required by museum volunteers. During and after filming, we observed all possible safety precautions, including opening doors and windows, turning on blowers, and blocking off time where nobody else was in the building. The camera person was Astrid, and she and I live together. Every effort was made to film safely, and in a way that won't harm other people.0:00 Intro1:08 Trouble cards2:53 History of trouble recording6:55 Office Test Frame8:03 How do markers know when they have trouble?13:30 How trouble cards are punched20:00 How we fixed the recorder
A walk through the panel office Connections Museum 2020-11-10 | No talking, no explanations. Just enjoy the sights and sounds of this lovely machine from 1923.
Crossbars Hidden Superpower: Alternate Routing! Connections Museum 2020-10-23 | Let's talk about what happens when a call can't be routed via the first choice route, and how electromechanical switches handle error conditions.This video is part 4 of the "Dial Equipment Appreciation" series. Please appreciate this dial equipment :)youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm8mbrpAteNnRhYBkqq3eNhspJevieFVx
How does MF signaling work? - Dial Equipment Appreciation, Part 3 Connections Museum 2020-08-21 | In this video, we explore MF signaling! This is part 3 of an ongoing series called "Dial Equipment Appreciation"0:00 - Intro & History03:55 - Tones and what they mean06:55 - MF phone call07:40 - MF phone call NOW WITH TONES!08:58 - MF receiver09:55 - Digits and what they mean11:30 - Blue Box
How does a No. 1 Crossbar work? - Dial Equipment Appreciation, Part 2 Connections Museum 2020-08-03 | All about the sounds and workings of the telephone network. There will be two back-to-back videos on the 1XB. This is the first.Our No. 1 Crossbar originally served Seattle out of the Kenwood/Lakeview central office in the northeast part of the city. It was brought to the museum in 1986. In 2018, it began a process of upgrades, adding 2 additional terminating senders, and 3 additional originating senders. The upgrade process is still underway.The marker video I mentioned: youtu.be/bQDXI7i0SGY00:00 Introduction03:50 Block Diagram05:11 How a Crossbar Switch Works09:33 Calls through a No. 1 Crossbar11:05 Connection & Dialing13:26 Originating Marker18:03 Signaling & Terminating Sender23:50 Party Test25:39 Terminating Marker30:00 Review
Full Mechanical: The Panel Telephone Switch Connections Museum 2020-06-30 | All about the sounds and workings of the telephone network. Let's start this off with the panel switch and how a basic intra-office call works. (That is, a call from a subscriber on a panel switch, to another subscriber on the same switch).We'll show you how revertive pulse works, and what exactly is making all the noises you hear on the Phone Trips tapes. Make sure to leave a comment if you have any questions, and let me know if we should make more of these!00:00 Intro & Explanation2:35 Call through the Panel Switch3:25 Battery & Dial Tone6:20 Dialing8:02 Decoder9:40 How Selections Work12:23 District Selections17:20 Incoming Selections20:32 Final Selections23:10 Incoming Advance & Ringing27:31 Review
How does a No. 1 Crossbar Marker work? Connections Museum 2020-05-18 | Finally getting around to publishing some stuff I have hanging around. Enjoy!
[3ESS] Introduction and Tour Connections Museum 2020-03-19 | Astrid gives us a history and tour of the 3ESS
Powering Up the Museum Connections Museum 2019-12-23 | Good morning! Rise and shine, lovely machines!
[Panel] How does the line finder work? Connections Museum 2019-11-20 | Okay, I started this video to talk about bringing up a new line finder/district selector, but then it turned into a long description of how the line finder is actually set up. Timestamps below:0:00 Start3:00 Where do the wires go?5:00 Bank cleaning tool10:30 Lets get into the details and theory of the frame
[Panel] What do sequence switches do? Connections Museum 2019-11-18 | Sarah talks about a fundamental component of the panel switch, and how they work. Hope you're into finite state machines!Selector state diagrams: imgur.com/a/p7CtB6J
5ESS - 340 MB Hard Drive Replacement Connections Museum 2019-11-04 | Hard drive replacement procedures for a 5ESS. Retro as heck!From the Connections Museum archives.
5ESS Switch - Circuit Pack Replacement Procedure Connections Museum 2019-11-04 | An AT&T video detailing the procedure for replacing a circuit pack in a 5ESS digital switch.From the Connections Museum archives.
5ESS Switch - Ready For Tomorrow Connections Museum 2019-11-04 | An AT&T video detailing the benefits of adopting a 5ESS switch for your central office. Probably late 1980s.From the Connections Museum archives.
US West Local Number Portability Connections Museum 2019-11-04 | A dry, and educational film from US West regarding LNP (Local Number Portability) from sometime in the 1990s.From the Connections Museum archives.
What’s that tool? #253 Connections Museum 2019-09-29 | Description of tool below...............The #253 tool is used as a brake to stop the motion of sequence switches during troubleshooting. The sequence switches are power-driven state machines that control the action of the vertical selectors in the panel system. During normal operation, they rotate through 18 positions, and in each position, the arrangement of the cams on the switch directs the circuit to behave in a certain way. When troubleshooting a faulty circuit, it is helpful to be able to lock the sequence switch in a particular state so that the operation of the rest of the circuit can be observed.
[Panel] Loading in our new frames Connections Museum 2019-07-24 | Sarah accidentally purchased two frames of (non-working) panel equipment from the Capehart Collection in Corsicana, TX. Oops, here they are!
[No. 1 Crossbar] Subscriber Senders, Part 3 Connections Museum 2019-07-24 | Just an update on tonight’s escapades. EDIT: I realize that the first few seconds of the video repeats. iMovie for mobile is weird. Computers are hard.
[No. 1 Crossbar] Senders Part 2: The Evil (L) Relay Connections Museum 2019-06-12 | Second in a series about the subscriber senders in the No. 1 Crossbar
[Tutorial] Cable Lacing Connections Museum 2019-06-10 | You know you wanna make all of your projects look cool, so learn some super basic cable dressing techniques!
[No. 1 Crossbar] Subscriber Sender, Part I Connections Museum 2019-05-18 | We got this sender from a friend in Connecticut a couple of years ago. Lets see if we can get it working!
[1XB] Subscriber Sender Rebuild: Resistances! Connections Museum 2019-05-05 | When this was removed from service, they ripped out all of the resistors and threw them away. Time to find new ones.
Museum Call Simulator Part 2! Connections Museum 2019-04-08 | In this video, I share some of the recent updates to the traffic generator software I wrote, but then I get distracted and start talking about the No. 5 Crossbar as well. Enjoy the ride!First video: youtu.be/Oav0gR2ULBwGithub: http://www.github.com/theautumn/panel_gen
Whats this fancy tool do? Connections Museum 2019-04-06 | This just came in the mail, so lets clean it up, and get it ready for display!
[Panel] Removing and replacing gearbox and friction roll drives (Part 2) Connections Museum 2019-02-04 | This video continues where part 1 left off. Removing the gearbox, and the bearing box, and *finally*, one roller. It's just not the roller we need :pPart 1 is here: youtube.com/watch?v=tQRHFP38KVE
