OK - so you expect it should initialize w/out a battery at all? and with all boards out of the slots, I should have 4 co ports and 8 digital ports, pair 1 (blue/blue white) on the station champ would/should be 100? OK - heading back over there at about 2:30c. IF this does not work, we may just get a new box - seems a shame to not use 8 desk phones, and the system will do all we need and then some. At this point even buying a new box, we'd be ahead of buying some other brand and desk phones to go with it.