Part 20

First, you must plan what you are going to do. On a large sheet of paper, draw to scale (roughly) a plan of your house and grounds, including those places where phones are located. It will help if you rule off your paper in 1/8" or 1/4" squares and let each square equal one foot. Show the location of poles supporting your wiring.

Next, pick out those areas where you or others would likely be when someone else would answer the phone and want to call you to it.

After you have thought about this, and talked it over with members of your family, show locations on your plan where you think you would like to have buzzers or bells, and show a button beside each telephone. (Generally, you should have a bell or buzzer near each phone, also.)

Figure 3 shows diagrams of various types of systems, and will help you determine the number of wires you will have to install to connect the buttons and bells that you have planned.

Inside, you will connect your transformer and the various buttons and bells with ordinary indoor bell wire. Outdoors, however, you should use weatherproof 2-wire or 3-wire telephone twist.

Show on your plan the distances that must be traversed by each type of wire, and show the number of conductors in each. Don't overlook the vertical distances (one floor to another).

Materials You'll Need

Because no two situations are just alike, it will be necessary for you to make your own list of materials.

As a guide, however, here is a list of typical materials, with the quantities left blank, for you to fill in as your own requirements and measurements dictate.

10-volt transformer --- Door buzzers --- Doorbells --- Weatherproof outdoor type bells --- ft. indoor bell wire --- ft. 2-wire weatherproof telephone twist --- ft. 3-wire weatherproof telephone twist --- lbs. staples (insulated) --- entrance insulators (for attaching weatherproof to buildings and poles)

Because your transformer must be wired into your regular house current, you should have some help on this from an electrician or other qualified person. Also, you should get that person to review your plans and materials list before you place an order.

Install According to Your Plan

With the aid of an electrician or other qualified person, install your transformer, and test it.

You may then go ahead and complete your signal system, checking carefully with your plan, and making sure that your installations are both electrically and mechanically secure.

Test your system in all possible ways that it might be used.

Demonstrations You Can Give

Build a demonstration board incorporating a farm or home layout, with pushbuttons or other controls and bells and buzzers appropriately located. Show and tell how the system would save time and energy.

Show and tell how some of these work, and their value: power-off alarm, freezer alarm, fire alarm, driveway alarm.

For More Information

Ask your power supplier or your nearest electrical supply house for catalogs or literature on various types of signal systems, or ask a dealer to show you equipment he has in stock.

LESSON NO. B-11

Credit Points 2

FIRST AID FOR ELECTRICAL INJURIES

What would you do if you saw someone who had been hurt by electricity?

Did you know that you could save his life, if you had taken the time to learn and practice a few simple rules of electrical first aid?

First aid training equips you to know what to do and what not to do for the injured until medical help can be obtained. While the main benefits are for you and your family, no one can call himself a good citizen if he fails to help a stranger who has been hurt.

The information given here is only for electrical injuries. Perhaps what you learn will inspire you to take a complete course in first aid.

What to Do