Wow, why didn't I ever think of that! I've never even heard about that. The sad part is the fact that I'm reading this on here means that it will soon be cracked down on and go away. SO DON'T TALK ABOUT IT!
In the U.S. line signal would run between 14V DC and 56V DC depending on what kind of carrier system the provider is running.
Ring is higher voltage but I cant remember what it is, over 100V. I was stripping a phone wire with my teeth once when it rang, it was not enjoyable.
So then, knowing what we now know one would first use a fluke meter to test the available current. I just tested mine for the sake of this post and it is 44.5V DC. I did not test the amperage as I hate frying volt meters when amperage is exceeded.
So then we now know what kind of voltage we are limiting. One would need to build a limiting circuit to cut that voltage to lets say 15-18VDC. We can assume the amperage is fairly low considering the small diameter of phone wire and the fact I didnt die when the phone rang in the earlier scenario.
so then, all one need to do is connect a deep cycle 12V battery to the limiting circuit to charge the battery. the battery would then be connected to a power inverter to produce 120v AC usable power.
That's some crazy shit. I wish I had thought of it years ago.
My step father was a line technician for Quest, I will run this concept by him when he returns from vacation. If this post hasn't been removed I'll update it then.
Things to consider if you don't want to ruin this for everybody. you would need to limit down your draw to avoid frying the carrier circuits. They are very expensive and the phone company would be pissed if they realized some dolt was frying they're circuits by nicking
power off the phone lines. If you pull too much amperage or voltage it will overheat and fry the main board. They are like a modem kinda.
If you back-feed the system you are going to cause interference and you will fry the main board. Placing fuses and diodes inline would be necessary. The concept really get's my gears clicking.
Study basic electronics and circuitry it's really very simple stuff. A caveman, er uh (a Hillbilly) could do it.
I do not support or endorse any of the concept contained within this post. I am relating this information strictly on a conceptual basis.
I would research FCC laws as well as the fine print of your phone service providers contract before considering the implementation of such a device.
