The woman shown above is fixing her doorbell, courtesy of instructions 75 years ago in the wartime February 1945 issue of Popular Science. The magazine explained the exasperation that would result from a non-functional or intermittent doorbell, but pointed out that even a novice, with almost no equipment, could tackle the job of getting the dead doorbell back on its feet. The troubleshooting process was broken down into four categories: testing the source of current, testing the button, testing the bell, and testing the wiring for shorts.

It then laid out the procedures for each of these, for different styles of bells and buzzers. In some cases, the power supply was a transformer, and the article explained ways to see if it was putting out juice. If the current source was a dry cell, it could be tested with a flashlight bulb or simply shorting it and watching for a spark. But as any kid who has ever had a 9 volt battery knows, the sure way to test a battery is with the tongue. A good battery was described as giving a “strong sour taste.”

The button was tested by shorting it out with a wire, and the magazine gave various tips for checking the wiring without many instruments. Various bells, buzzers, and chimes were described. The woman shown at the top of the page is cleaning out a sticky solenoid on a chime. That type of sounder has no spark and is very reliable. A solenoid pulls a striker into a chime. Even though the unit is sealed, kitchen grease might get inside, and this woman is cleaning the solenoid with some cleaning fluid.