sundance-communications.com/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Avaya - Lucent Telephones & Systems Using a buttset on a definity

This might be a simple question, but I don't know the answer. Can you use a buttset on a definity port? If not... then what can you use for testing or communication besides an actual handset? Maybe I'm confused...

if its a analog port, it shouldnt be a problem...

if its a digital port, just wire up a jack at the mainframe to the port...

NOT ROCKET SCIENCE

Listen up pal, I didn't ask for your opinion on its difficulty, otherwise I wouldn't have asked a question, so pipe down.

I'm talking about when you're out in the field and you want to check a digital jack with your buttset, let's say to make an intercom call -- how do you do that, as it's a digital port.

Specialized Products or one of the other Telecom catalogs carries an in-line adapter for your test set so you access digital ports. Not sure which systems in works on, or if you have to buy a special adapter for each one. It might even be for digital circuits, I just can't remember and I don't have a catalog handy.

I believe it is an adaptor for Nortel Meridian phones. It goes inline with your butt set cord and has a switch to change between analog and digital. I dont know whether it works for Definity systems, though.

I don't know of a way to pull dialtone, but I often use the polarity lights on my butt-set or toner to test for the -48vdc from the digital ports. Quick test to see if a jack is cross connected back to the switch.

For me---I have to carry along a phone and a line cord to test digital jacks---or I have an adapter that fits on the pins and then I plug in the digital phone. But that's me.
Tom--my top technician---can find out all sorts of stuff with a butt-set. He mainly "just knows" what the sounds mean. After 20 years of doing this I guess he must have learned something.
I sit here in the office on the computer and can see how the switch is programmed....but he can be there and tell me if a digital port is bad---or if the pins are a bit goofy, or whatever. I'm always amazed at how good ---good techs are. And the good ones always do things with a butt-set that really set them apart from the so-so ones.
That's why I like this board. Some real good techs are trying to help some of the new guys---handing down some of the "tricks" so that life becomes a bit easier.

Thanks for the replies. Looks like there's no real way to pull an intercom dialtone then... that sucks. Jeffmoss is on the money with the P adapter being a nortel product/pbx. No good for definity switches. Are the AT&T ISDN phones that work on the definity actually ISDN? If so, would an ISDN buttset work?

I'm just looking for a way to be able to pull an intercom dialtone from any jack in case I wanted to dial some extensions, or do whatever at a jack with no phone present.

Any good Definity websites to check out for tips/tricks?

the isdn phones are true isdn, but you would also need isdn circuit packs in the definity.

To my knowledge, there is not a digital buttinski that will work with the digital ports, as a "talkset", and then you can be dealing with either two wire or 4 wire depending on the type of circuit pack.

I'm going to try and gut a smaller digital phone for a definity and see what I can do. If nothing else, I'll try and make a buttset out of it.

Nick