BLACK BOX PLANS --------------- WHEN YOUR PHONE IS JUST SITTING THERE DOING NOTHING, THE VOLTAGE THROUGH THE PHONE LINE IS ABOUT 20 VOLTS AC. WHEN SOMEONE CALLS AND THE FONE STARTS RINGING, THE VOLTAGE JUMPS ENOUGH FOR THE BELL TO WORK (ABOUT 48 VOLTS) WHICH TELLS MA BELL TO STAND BY IF YOU SHOULD PICK UP SO SHE CAN BILL YOU. WHEN YOU ADVENTUALLY PICK UP THE PHONE THE VOLTAGE DROPS TO 10 VOLTS AND THE BILLING STARTS. WHAT A BLACK BOX DOES IS IT KEEPS THE VOLTAGE AT 36 VOLTS THEREFORE THE INCOMMING CALLER NEVER GETS BILLED (INGENIOUS!). THE ORIGINAL BLACK BOX WAS CREATED BY AN EX-BELL EMPLOYEE WHO WENT BY THE NAME "CAPTAIN CRUNCH". HE GOT HIS NAME FROM THOSE LITTLE WHISLES YOU GOT IN BOXES OF CAPTAIN CRUNCH BECAUSE THEY EMITED A TONE THAT SOUNDED LIKE A PAY FONE.CAPT CRUNCH JUST ANNOUNCED HIS OFFICIAL RETIREMENT FROM PHREAKING AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM A CALFORNIA JAIL ON TWO COUNTS OF USING BLUE BOXES (THE ONES OPERATORS USE). MATERIALS: 1] A 36 VOLT ZENER DIODE. 2] A CERAMIC OR MYLAR CAPACITOR OF 0.1 MICRO- FARAD. 3] A ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITOR OF 1.0 MICROFARAD. YOU CAN GET ALL THESE PARTS AT YOUR LOCAL RADIO SHACK. INSTRUCTIONS: FIRST YOU HAVE TO OPEN YOUR PHONE UP. YOU DO THIS BY GENTLY REMOVING THE TWO SCREWS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE PHONE AND LIFTING THE COVER UP SLOWLY. YOU SHOULD NOTICE THREE WIRES COMING IN FROM THE BACK OF THE PHONE, A GREEN, RED, ANDYELLOW MOST OF THE TIME THOUGH THEY CAN DIFFER. DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE YELLOW WIRE, WE WILL NOT NEED IT TO DO THIS. YOU WILL NEED TO FIND THE MORE POSITIVE OF THE REMAINING TWO WIRES (ALMOST ALWAYS THE GREEN). NOW CONNECT THE BANDED END OF THE ZENER DIODE TO THE MORE POSITIVE OF THESE TWO WIRES. NOW CONNECT THE OTHER END OF THE DIODE TO THE RED WIRE "IN-SERIES". YOU HAVE JUST COMPLETED THE FIRST STEP. FOR THE SECOND STEP YOU NEED A CERAMIC OR MYLAR CAPACITOR OF 0.1 MICRO- FARAD. YOU CONNECT THIS "IN PARALLEL" ACROSS THE DIODE. THIS IS NEEDED TO ALLOW THE DIODE TO PASS VOICE SIGNALS. NOW FOR THE FINAL STEP. TAKE YOUR ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITOR OF UP TO 1 MICRO-FARAD WITH IT'S + END CONNECTED TO THE BANDED END OF THE DIODE AND THE OTHER END SHOULD BE CONNECTED TO THE ANODE END OF THE DIODE. MA BELL IS NOT TOTALLY OBLIVIOUS TO THIS. IF THE PHONE RINGS FOR ABOUT A HALF-HOUR THEY WILL THINK SOMETHING IS WRONG AND BILL YOU ANYWAY. WHEN USING A BLACK BOX YOUR PHONE WILL CONTINUE TO RING EVEN THOUGH YOU PICKED UP. YOU HAVE TO MAKE A SWITCH TO CONNECT TO ONE OF THE RINGER WIRES THAT WILL SHUT IT OFF -Hit a key to continue!-