| Name | Daruma Redphone Tamura |
| Date | 1972 |
| Manufacturer | Marketed by Daruma Telecommunications, manufactured by Tamura Electric Works in Japan. The 670-A2 Telephone Set was a popular unit in Japan. |
| Usage | Private. Similar devices were produced on the international market not only for NTT Japan, but also for ToT Thailand, PTT Argentina, ITT USA, CANTV Venezuela and PTT Portugal. Used also by Kellogg’s in the USA as the KELLOGG K-581 payphone |
Above- RED PHONE
Development of the Brazilian RedPhone
| The Redphone was made in Japan by Tamura in the mid 60s and 70s. It was used extensively in Japan and also exported to Australia, Portugal, the USA (cream coloured) and Brazil. Daruma was founded in 1971 as a subsidiary of Japan’s Tamura Electric Works, commencing industrial operations in Taubaté, São Paulo, in 1972. Production of public telephones began in 1976. This corporate connection helps explain the close relationship between Brazilian Daruma instruments and Tamura’s internationally distributed payphone designs. The illustrated red example carries a TELEMUSA instruction plate and accepts telephone tokens, known in Portuguese as fichas. Its instructions tell users to lift the handset, insert a token, wait for the dial tone, and dial. If the line is busy or unanswered, replacing the handset returns the token. The plate specifies local calls only. The accompanying workshop photographs show technicians working on similar instruments, revealing their internal mechanisms and wiring. Together, these images document both the finished telephone and the practical servicing of this robust generation of Brazilian payphones. |
Design and Build: The phone is very heavy, typically around 22 lbs (10 kg), reflecting a solid construction. It is a table-top unit, measuring approximately 11 inches tall, 7 inches wide, and 9 1/2 inches deep.
| Stats Manufacturer: Tamura Electric Works Ltd. Japan Model: 52AU, 52AUX (Commercial Model) Model: 674AU (Domestic Model) Housing 52AU/52AUX: Steel Housing 674AU: Plastic Introduced into Brazil: 1972 Weight 52AU/52AUX: 12kg Weight 674AU: 5kg No. of Keys 52AU/52AUX: 3 No. of Keys 674AU: 1 + Padlock Denominations: token Internal Bells: YES (all models) |
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