Introduction: Vintage Rotary Phone That Plays Your Custom Audio Messages

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About: I like to make fun and function stuff! šŸ“¼ Movie Props | šŸ›‹ Vintage Furniture Restoration | šŸ’¾ Retro Tech Mods

The idea for this actually came to me because I lost my Mom but had a ton of great messages and voicemails from her that I wanted to listen to. So I figured putting them into an awesome retro rotary phone in one of her favorite colors would be the perfect way to display and listen to them whenever I wanted!


I came up with this project that allows you to utilize an old, unused rotary phone to have it play custom messages whenever you pick up the handset off of the receiver. It plays up to 10 audio files in random order but you have the ability to customize it however you'd like.


It took me a little while to figure out how to do this but in the end, I think I came up with a pretty simple solution that almost anybody could replicate, even if you don't have much soldering or experience with electronics.

Plus, you can do this in a non-destructive way so you can always return the phone back to its original state whenever you'd like.

Supplies

For this project you'll need:

  • A Rotary Phone
  • I've reversed engineered the Western Electric 500 & 554 (wall version). These are the most widely produced rotary phones so it's likely what you have. The interior guts of the 500 & 554 (wall version) are identical and I also think that the ITT and Stromberg Carlson brands are identical to the Western Electric as well.
  • These are all over ebay and flea markets or you may even have an unused one laying around!
  • Adafruit Audio FX Mini Sound Board
  • These come in 2MB & 16MB versions. I always opt for the 16MB because that storage goes pretty fast for 10 audio files
  • USB to MicroUSB cable
  • Jumper wires
  • U-Shaped Spade connectors
  • Basic soldering supplies
  • If you haven't soldered before, I would encourage you to watch some YouTube videos & give this project a try! It's a great, simple project to start with.
  • Momentary Push Button
  • This is semi-optional. To be honest, I've made a few of these phones and some have had issues where the Adafruit boards seemingly go to sleep after a few days. But some of my phones haven't had this issue. I'm not sure if it's something wrong with the Adafruit boards or my wiring. So for some of my phones, I've had to install a button to reset the Adafruit board when necessary. However, unplugging and plugging the phone back in works too. If anybody has any insight into why this may be happening, it'd be greatly appreciated!

Step 1: Disassemble the Phone

There are 2 screws on the back or bottom of the phone which allow you to remove the plastic top covering

Step 2: Prep the Adafruit Audio Board

Solder header pins onto the Adafruit audio board to "L" "Gnd" & "7"

*You can use any number (0-7) but I'll assume you did "7" for this project.

You can also solder header pins to "Rst" and another "Gnd" if you plan to utilize a reset button

Step 3: Prep the Wires

Take 3 of your Jumper wires and prep them so one side is a female connect and the other side is a U-Shaped Spade connector.

Step 4: Connect the Phone & Audio Board

Use the photos to help but you'll notice label markings on the connectors inside the phone. Connect those to the appropriate pins on the Adafruit board like this:

K ---> 7 (blue wire in photos)

GN ---> L (yellow wire in photos)

R ---> Gnd (green wire in photos)


You can also connect your reset button at this time if you plan to to the "Rst" and "Gnd" pins.

I try and mount the reset button in an inconspicuous place because you to have to drill a hole through the phone unfortunately.

Step 5: Upload Audio Files & Test

Upload your audio files to the Adafruit board using the USB to MicroUSB cable.

Naming the audio files is important along with the file type. Adafruit has a good tutorial on how to do this here: https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-audio-fx-sound-board/triggering-audio

But I use the random trigger and OGG file type so your audio files would be named T07RAND0.OGG up to T07RAND9.OGG


To test your phone, make sure you plug the USB cable into a convertor for the wall or a USB power pack, a computer won't work. Hold down the receiver when you plug it in, then when you lift up the receiver, you should hear your audio out of the headset!


I also like to cover the LEDs on the Adafruit board with black nail polish because they can shine through the rotary phone, especially at night.

Step 6: Reassemble and Enjoy!

Put the plastic cover back on and enjoy! And with the USB cord powering it, you can always plug it into a computer and change the audio files whenever you'd like.


Hope you enjoyed this project and please let me know if you decide to make this or have any ideas for improvements!


I also have completed phones available for purchase on my Etsy shop if you decide you'd rather not make one yourself: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1467032286/vintage-rotary-phone-that-plays-your


Find me @travisderose on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok for more retro and prop related projects like this!


-Travis