atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Panasonic Telephones & Systems KX-TA624 Questions

First thanks for allowing me to access the help of others that do phone work. I've been doing POTS work for years and just getting into KSU/PBX work after years of electronics maint in the USAF and since 1995 with working for corporates and my own business with many years of coaxial and twisted pair experience with networks - now working on my own system as a combination training session and also since the business is growing and becoming less out of a basement shop and in a dedicated building now.

Anyway I picked up 2 different used TA624 units and the basics I have down to some degree - wiring is straightforward, programming a little detailed but I can handle it and have even found a software program called Programmator that seems to be pretty nice (surprisingly it hooks to the PC/printer port for logging and communicates well). I can handle most of that until I get stuck and have to ask the pros.

First the issue of "version" I hear about on these units. One search says it's the number in the circle next to the model on the label of the case, others refer to the ROM version.

Well I have one unit that has ROM version Y591A 010122 (Jan 22 2002 I suppose?) and has a 5 in the circle. The other has a 3 in the circle and a ROM of Y591P 021122 (Nov 22, 2002 ??) and both talk to the null modem cable with Programmator and Hyperterminal and I read the ROM has to be at least Y581 something to do so - so I'm set but what "dash number" are these units and what dictates a dash 1, 2 4 etc.

I'm good with the doorphone card, looking for one now as neither unit has one but my older 308 had the adapter and it worked well. Question here is does the doorlock contacts of the 624 doorphone/lock card put out 24V and if so how is it polarized. Is it instead a contact closure that 24V DC or AC goes through from an electric latch? If that's the case I can adapt it to trigger an overhead door opener - well I can with a 24V signal too but I have to know first and not having the card I have to go by the pittance available in PDF docs.

One, the one I'm putting into service with the Y591P ROM and 3 on the case label, has the Caller ID option card for CO1, 2 and 3 (this unit has the 3x8 option as well so it has 6x16 but I'm only using 3 COs for now). I enabled the CID on CO1, CO2 and CO3 and it works but only shows the name string on my KX-T7030 display phone, and nothing on analog phones with CID display. My guess is the card sends the CID info on the data hi and lo wires not the ring and tip which is why the analogs dont show, but is there something to activate or modify to get the number and name (or choose just number rather than name since the 7030 is a single line display) on the 624? Csn only proprietary phones even display CID with the card installed?

I'll leave it with these 3 questions for now or I'll be here all day despite having a decent understanding of how this all works. The only local telecomm person in the area shut down last year and went to a W2 job locally and people are now calling me since I do network cabling and simple telecomm wiring installation so I might as well start training in the hardware and programming aspects of the units and phones (52 yrs old and still in school it seems)for the occasional call for help but only handling calls I know I can deal with sucessfully instead of using someone else's equipment for training (like Geek Squad tends to do then they break it and want to sell you parts or a new PC).

I appreciate the help in advance.

Russ Blakeman
RB Custom Services
Clarkson, KY USA

First, be careful with 3rd party programming SW.
They have been known to corrupt the firmware in Panasonic systems. They are not supportted.
Program with phone as designed by Panasonic. On the 624.

Door phone contacts are just that, contacts to open or close and you supply power..

No CID to analog phones. If both Name and Number are received, the initial display cen be selected via system programming. (900 - 907)
Call Waiting CID is available.
Can Email Panasonic's CID setup tech bulletin.
But you post no Email.

I fixed the setting that allows the email address to show so I would appreciate it if you could send that Panasonic document to me. I thought about the 3rd party programming software myself and personally I prefer to use the display phone but it is nice to know that the port is capable of 2 way communication. Knowing now that the doorlock contacts of the doorphone card are contacts to switch external powered devices makes it a pretty valuable option to use for other low voltage devices, not just door latches.

Any idea how the "dash number" is determined from the circled numbers on the labels and ROM versions of the two I have?

Appreciate your answer very much, very helpful.

Got the PDF, thanks.

Well I'm back - I have 2 questions on the partly setup TA624 (6 CO, 16 EXT with CID and doorphone card and TVS50 as answering machine).

First - on a jack with 4 wires attached to a port on the TA624 if I use a standard POTS type 2 wire phone I pickup and get the intercom tone but hitting the buttons to dial other intercoms, outbound using 9, etc there is no response although I can hear the DTMF tone from the phone in the receiver. A T7030 works fine on the jack with exception of the next problem below...

Second on the TVS50 setup per the AbleComm online instructions to use a TVS50 as an answering machine all is well except that I don't get the message waiting lamp on the phone.

Is there something related to both issues such as polarity of wiring to the jack from the TA624? Is there something I need to enable (I did a system reset to start from scratch when I got the TVS50 and TA624) to allow the message waiting lamp and to be able to use a standard POTS type phone on the system? Reason I need to use a POTS device is outbound modem and fax - modem if DSL goes down and fax in and out bound of course.

Any help greatly appreciated as always.

slt may not dial if Proprietary phone is in BGM mode. Might check this.
On message lights, check bulletin to ensure all steps have been taken for message lamp exten 100 to work.
Check page 3-83 of manual. try to set mW 100 manually. If it won't work, then group is not set properly.

Checked background music - it's off. Toggled on then off just to be sure, still no dial on slt. I am going to try the jack at the TA624 directly and if it dials there I might have a wiring problem. As far as the TVS50 I'll try the mW setting or I may clear the TVS50 and reprogram to be sure. I have both the Panasonic bulletin and the AbleComm page referencing the answering machine setup so I may have missed something or one of my settings may not have saved. If anyone has other thoughts please let me know. Thanks Brokeda.

Some old Touch Tone phones would give dialtone but not send out DTMF (allow you to dial) if the polarity is reversed. Most of these phones are gone but every now and then you will run into one.

Don't you need to enable parallel connect for the station port?

Dalavar - that might be since this is an OLD desk style brass belled Western Electric touch tone - might be reversed tip and ring which I will try later BUT a brand new Zoom modem in a PC did the same, which also might be reversed polarity. I need to check the jack with my butt set and see or even reverse them at the jack temp and see - later as I have PC service calls all day. I also need to try a newer analog KX-T (3000 series I think) single line phone I have stashed and see if it also makes tones but isnt recognized by the KSU.

EV607797 - not sure, I have to skim the manual that I have printed and see what it says if the TA624 has some parallel enable. Might be quicker to search the PDF then go to the printed manual.

All good responses and all greatly appreciated. Now to head out and see about fixing some sick computers and printers before I can look at these options.