I bought a butler call box. Help me make it weird

[sackblabbath]

Made a weird 2 AM eBay purchase. Couldn’t be more excited. It was originally used as an apartment building transformer, then used as a butler call box, and now thanks to eBay I’m the proud owner of this weird bell contraption.

Official listing description: AN UNUSUAL VINTAGE APARTMENT BUILDING TRANSFORMER FEATURING TEN (10) BRASS BELLS WORKING OFF OF A FIVE (5) PIECE CONFIGURATION.
MAY ALSO HAVE BEEN USED AS A BUTLER CALL BOX.


Getting tired of just looking at it and want to see what I can do with this thing. No idea how to power it up. Almost no information online. There’s a red and white positive and negative wire not hooked up to anything. No idea if it’s 9v, 12v, 120, 220??

I have a strong feeling it’s D.C., but I just don’t know where to start with this thing. Never restored a piece of gear quite like this.

I’m a noise musician, so ideally in the end I’d like to rig it up to have them all chiming are the same time for maximum terror. Also maybe add a variable speed control for the “ringers.”

I’ll attach photos. Maybe you can help direct me on how to begin restoring it and get it working again.

Also, feel free to chime in with whatever goofy ideas pop into your head. Lots of possibility with this thing.

 

[Cadillac Kid]

Are the bells all the same resonate frequency?

 

[Music2Myear]

Now your going to need to hire a valet,butler,maid,servant,footmen,laundry maid....

 

[sackblabbath]

Are the bells all the same resonate frequency?

They’re all supposed to be the same I think. Some are a little flat so I bet it’d sound extra terrifying and dissonant if they were all ringing together. Which makes me that much more excited to get it working. Any ideas on how to tell what voltage it uses? Here’s a closer look at some of the electronics. It says “Automatic Electric Co, 500v DC.”

5 of those little boxes, each of them the same.

Using 22 AWG wire all the way through, if that means anything.

 

[Cadillac Kid]

I would guess under 30 volts DC. The 500 v number is the rating for the capacitor. Should be a fun project.

 

[Cadillac Kid]

Now your going to need to hire a valet,butler,maid,servant,footmen,laundry maid....

and they will all be called at the same time. I would think a butler call box would have a bank on switches at one end and indicator lights at the other. Looks like fairly recent phone company gear.

 

[LHorn]

YOOOOOOOOUU RAAAAAANNGG!!