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> ...not from human input point of view but to mechanically generate the different number of pulses...

It was even possible to generate the pulses by hand, by flashing the hangup pogos.

Very useful to make outgoing calls from phones which had their dials locked/removed ... if a bit painful when the number one wished to call had an '9' or a '0' in it.

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when i was a kid trying to dial bbs numbers by tapping them out with the hook switch was like its own form of entertainment.

there were other variables to contend with on those old at&t phones everyone had, as the pegs you release to off-hook the phone moved faster than the switch under them. this means you had to tap fast enough for the CO to see them as dial pulses, but also slow enough that the peg and switch mechanism doesn't separate and cause inconsistently timed or missed pulses.

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