Published October 13, 2022

Antique Phone Resurrection Using Raspberry-Pi

Converting an antique phone (made in 1895) into a mobile (cell) phone using a Raspberry-Pi

IntermediateFull instructions provided1,369

Antique Phone Resurrection Using Raspberry-Pi

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

USB Speaker

UPS (by Waveshare)

GSM Hat (by Waveshare)

Story

Last year I bought an old telephone (made in about 1895) from an auction.

It was of course completely incompatible with modern phone systems so I removed the insides, threw in a Raspberry-Pi and converted it into a mobile phone. The original handset works for the sound and microphone too.

I squeezed in a GSM hat (which holds a SIM card), a USB speaker and a UPS card.

I managed to connect it to the rotary dial with the existing wires directly onto the Pi GPIO and write code to convert the pulses into digits that I could send to the SIM card to dial with.

The speaker is there to play an mp3 sound of an old telephone ringing.

I also got a bit carried away and added speed-dial (dial 2 and then the digit of the person you want)

If the code recognises the number it will speak the person's name whilst ringing.

I then got even more carried away (possibly after a beer or two !) and added dialing combinations to play different internet radio stations through the USB speaker (so I can look even more bizarre whilst out and about with it).

I also added a website that you can connect to which shows you a log of incoming and outgoing calls.

I added a port at the back so it can be connected to a USB battery for calls longer than the UPS will allow (20 mins).

I used mpg321 to play the mp3 files, it is installed by doing this:-

sudo apt-get -y install mpg321

I used http://www.fromtexttospeech.com/ to create the mp3 files.

Here's a basic map of how it connects together:-

I have attached the code that controls it all, hopefully it'll help anyone who is wanting to do something similar or wanting to know how to play internet radio or make mobile calls from a Raspberry-Pi etc.

It is of course very heavy, totally impractical and quite embarrassing to use in public…. but I had a laugh building it and have a laugh using it too :-)

phone.py

import serial
import time
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
import subprocess
import datetime
import smbus
import math
import vlc

#Set up GPIO
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
GPIO.setup(16, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_UP) #Handset
GPIO.setup(18, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_UP) #Rotary Dial

#Set up Radio
instance = vlc.Instance('--input-repeat=-1', '--fullscreen')
player=instance.media_player_new()

ser = serial.Serial('/dev/ttyUSB0', 115200) # When GSM board is USB, otherwise for HAT use this: ser = serial.Serial('/dev/ttyS0', 115200)
ser.flushInput()

# Set up variables
currMode = "WAITING"
pulseCount=0
pulseTime = 0
numberToDial = ""
blackButtonPressed = False
greenLightOn = False
SIMResponse=""
people = ["Mark,0123456789,21", "Melanie,0123456789,22"]
callLog=","

def readBattery(address):
    data = bus.read_i2c_block_data(0x43, address, 2)
    return ((data[0] * 256 ) + data[1])

def writeBattery(address,data):
    temp = [0,0]
    temp[1] = data & 0xFF
    temp[0] =(data & 0xFF00) >> 8
    bus.write_i2c_block_data(0x43,address,temp)
    
def getBatteryVoltage():
    writeBattery(0x05,4096)
    readBattery(0x02)
    return (readBattery(0x02) >> 3) * 0.004

#Initiate Battery Checker
bus = smbus.SMBus(1);
writeBattery(0x05,4096)
config = 0x01 << 13 | 0x03 << 11 | 0x0D << 7 | 0x0D << 3 | 0x07
writeBattery(0x00,config)

#Read battery percentage
def readBatteryPercentage():
    bus_voltage = getBatteryVoltage()
    p = (bus_voltage - 3)/1.2*100
    if(p > 100):p = 100
    if(p < 0):p = 0
    return (p)

def playRadioStation(url):
    global numberToDial
    if url != "":
        media=instance.media_new(url)
        player.set_media(media)
        player.play()
    else:
        player.stop()
    numberToDial = ""
def updateWebSite():
    websiteFile = open("/var/www/html/index.html", "w")
    websiteFile.write("<HTML><HEAD><meta name='format-detection' content='telephone=no'></HEAD><BODY style='background-color:#000000'>")
    websiteFile.write("<style>.status {color:black;font-family:arial;font-size:300%;background-color: #00ff00;}.calls {color:blue;font-family:arial;font-size:300%}</style>")
    websiteFile.write("<br><center><p class='status'>" + currMode + "</p></center>")
    calls = callLog.split(",")
    for call in calls:
        websiteFile.write("<p class='calls'>" + call + "</p>")
    websiteFile.write("</BODY></HTML>")
    websiteFile.close()
    
updateWebSite()
subprocess.call(['amixer', 'sset', 'Master', '80%'], shell=False)
                
def isSIMReady():
    data=""
    ser.write("AT+CPIN?\r\n".encode())
    startCheckTime = time.perf_counter() 
    while time.perf_counter() < startCheckTime + 5 and data == "":
        while ser.inWaiting() > 0:
            data = data + str(ser.read(ser.inWaiting()))
            time.sleep(0.05)
    if "READY" in data:
        return True
    else:
        return False

# PowerOn/Reset GSM board
def resetSIM():
    GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
    GPIO.setup(4, GPIO.OUT)
    GPIO.output(4, GPIO.LOW)
    time.sleep(4)
    GPIO.output(4, GPIO.HIGH)
    time.sleep(20)

# Connect the call
def connectCall(phoneNumber):
    global currMode
    global numberToDial
    global callLog
    if isSIMReady() == False:
        speak("pleaseWait")
        resetSIM()
    currMode="CALL"
    command="ATD" + phoneNumber + ";\n"
    ser.write(command.encode('iso-8859-1'))
    callLog = str(datetime.datetime.now())[0:19] + " " + numberToDial + " Out," + callLog
    updateWebSite()
    numberToDial = ""

def speak(speechFile):
    subprocess.call("mpg321 /home/pi/mark/phone/sounds/" + speechFile + ".mp3", shell=True)

def greenLight(onOff):
    global greenLightOn
    if greenLightOn == True and onOff == "OFF":
        greenLightOn = False
        #TO DO: switch it off
    if greenLightOn == False and onOff == "ON":
        greenLightOn = True
        #TO DO: switch it on

if isSIMReady() == False:
    resetSIM()

speak("readyToDial")

greenLight("ON")
ser.write("AT+CPIN?\r\n".encode())  
while True:
    rotaryDial = GPIO.input(18)
    handsetDown = GPIO.input(16)

    if numberToDial != "":
        greenLight("OFF")

    # Check handset placed down
    if handsetDown == 1 and currMode == "CALL":
        print("1")
        ser.write("ATH;\n".encode('iso-8859-1'))      # Hang-Up
        currMode = "WAITING"
        greenLight("ON")
    if handsetDown == 0 and currMode == "RINGING":
        print("2")
        ser.write("ATA\n".encode('iso-8859-1'))       # Answer a call
        currMode = "CALL"
        greenLight("OFF")
    if handsetDown == 1 and numberToDial != "" and (numberToDial[0:1] == "0" or numberToDial[0:1] == "1"):       # Reset number
        print("3")
        numberToDial = ""
        currMode = "WAITING"
        greenLight("ON")

    # Check rotary dialling
    if rotaryDial == False:
        if currMode == "WAITING":
            currMode = "CLOCKWISE"
        if currMode == "ANTICLOCKWISE":
            pulseCount = pulseCount + 1
            pulseTime = time.perf_counter()
            currMode = "CLOCKWISE"
    else:
        if currMode == "CLOCKWISE":
            currMode = "ANTICLOCKWISE"
        if currMode == "ANTICLOCKWISE" and pulseTime > 0 and time.perf_counter() > pulseTime + 0.3:
            currMode = "WAITING"
            if pulseCount == 10:
                pulseCount = 0
            numberToDial = numberToDial + str(pulseCount)
            print(numberToDial)
            if numberToDial[0:1] == "0" and numberToDial[1:2] != "0" and len(numberToDial) == 11:  # UK landline
                connectCall(numberToDial)
            if numberToDial[0:2] == "00" and len(numberToDial) == 13:                              # International
                connectCall(numberToDial)
            if numberToDial[0:2] == "20":
                speak("speedDialMenu")
                numberToDial = ""
                for person in people:
                    speak("speedDial" + person.split(",")[2])
                    speak("name" + person.split(",")[0])
            if numberToDial[0:1] == "2" and len(numberToDial) > 1 and numberToDial[1:2] != "0":    # Speed Dial
                connectCall(people[int(numberToDial[1:2])-1].split(",")[1])
            if numberToDial[0:2] == "30":                                                          # Radio Off
                playRadioStation("")
            if numberToDial[0:2] == "31":                                                          # Radio Cheesy FM
                playRadioStation("http://listen-cheesyfm.sharp-stream.com/cheesyfm.mp3?ref=RF")
            if numberToDial[0:2] == "32":                                                          # Radio Absolute 80s
                playRadioStation("http://edge-bauerabsolute-05-gos2.sharp-stream.com/absolute80s.mp3")
            if numberToDial[0:2] == "33":                                                          # Radio Greatest Hits
                playRadioStation("http://tx.planetradio.co.uk/icecast.php?i=net2york.mp3")
            if numberToDial[0:1] == "4" and len(numberToDial) > 1:                                 # Volume
                if numberToDial[1:2] == "0":
                    volume = 100
                else:
                    volume = str(int(numberToDial[1:2]) * 10)
                subprocess.call(['amixer', 'sset', 'Master', volume + '%'], shell=False)
                numberToDial = ""
            if numberToDial[0:1] == "5":                                                           # Battery Percentage
                speak("battery" + str((round(math.floor(readBatteryPercentage() / 10)))*10))
                numberToDial = ""
            if numberToDial == "150":                                                              # Account Balance
                connectCall(numberToDial)
            pulseCount = 0
            pulseTime = 0
            
    # Check SIM messages
    if ser.inWaiting() > 0:
        SIMResponse = SIMResponse + str(ser.read(ser.inWaiting()))
    else:
        if SIMResponse != "":
            if "NO DIALTONE" in SIMResponse:
                ser.write("ATH;\n".encode('iso-8859-1'))  # Hang-Up
                currMode = "WAITING"
                updateWebSite()
                greenLight("ON")
                speak("noMobileSignal")
            if "RING" in SIMResponse:                     # Phone is ringing
                if currMode != "RINGING":
                    currMode = "RINGING"
                speak("ring")
                callingNumber = str(SIMResponse).split("\"")[1]
                callLog = str(datetime.datetime.now())[0:19] + " " + numberToDial + " In," + callLog
                updateWebSite()
                for person in people:
                    if person.split(",")[1] == callingNumber:
                        speak("name" + person.split(",")[0])
                        if "And" in person.split(",")[0]:
                            speak("areCalling")    
                        else:
                            speak("isCalling")
                    
            if currMode == "RINGING" and "RING" not in SIMResponse:
                currMode = "WAITING"
            print(SIMResponse)
            SIMResponse = ""

    time.sleep(0.005)

Credits

Mark Lister

1 project • 2 followers

Started coding in 1980, only recently got into the Raspberry-Pi which allows my imagination to run wild :-)

Antique Phone Resurrection Using Raspberry-Pi

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Story

Code

phone.py

Credits

Mark Lister

Comments

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Antique Phone Resurrection Using Raspberry-Pi

Antique Phone Resurrection Using Raspberry-Pi

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Story

Code

phone.py

Credits

Mark Lister

Comments

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