Hello.

I'm helping my local non-profit community theatre repair their intercom system. I'm not a phone repair person but more a general handy-man so I don't know anything about telephone systems and just have done some general troubleshooting to narrow down where the problem is.

It appears that they have a Melco KC-19 board that is overheating and malfunctioning. The card is plugged into a M-19 backpane. (Thank you google for help figuring out what this system is!)




► Does anyone know where I can get a replacement KC-19 board? I've found a few online, but I'm not getting much of a response when I inquire about them or there is no guarantee/no return if they are DOA.

► Will the KT-19 card (Tone only) work as an alternative to the KC-19 (tone and rotary)? Haven't found any of these either, but at least it would be another option if I stumble across them.

Unfortunately, the theatre doesn't have any budget for the repair, so I'm donating my time and own money for any parts that are needed.

Appreciate any help. As you can imagine, the intercom is a vital part of the theatre being able to run smoothly and it's been down for over 6 months now.

Whenever a "non-profit" needs something, why is it that they expect to get it for free +/or done for free? Do they think EVERYONE is a non-profit?

Basically, IMHO, if/when they want it bad enough they'll find the $$$.

What you have there is a 19 station rotary/tone intercom unit. I guess the basic questions are:

1. Are telephone sets connected to this unit?
2. Are they all either rotary or tone or a mix?
3. What is the intercom used for? (Stage hands, director, cast?)
4. There are other units that work exactly as the Melco, however they would require some rewiring. Are you capable of installing a different unit?

I have worked non-profit for years and as Dave wrote, if they want/need it badly enough, they can find money somewhere. Professionally speaking, a wireless solution would be much more versatile and available.

Rcaman

The power supply that is shown in the photo is a general purpose one and is usable with a bunch of different intercom units that all pretty much do the same thing.

I see that you only have A talk (filtered DC) connected (it appears) to the TALK input, the SIGNAL (relay) input and the BUZZER input. That in itself is not a disaster, but you would be better off following the rules and connect A battery for the TALK input, B battery for the SIGNAL supply, and 10Vac for the buzzers, (this assumes that there are phones with buzzers).

Can you confirm for us what type of telephones are in use, whether they have internal buzzers, and whether they have tone dials or pulse (rotary) dials?

These systems are very easy to install even for a person without formal telephone training.

The alternative is to acquire a unit that is a little less obscure than the one you have.

You could get a Teltone T-10, T-19, or C-19 -=OR=- you could get a Melco unit that is equivalent to the Teltone ones, They appear all the time on Ebay. You would also need to get a 66M-50 terminal block, with an 89D bracket, and a length of 25-pair cable with an Amphenol plug.

As the person in charge of a non-profit, www.Fire Academy Foundation.org I can understand your goal to spend as little as possible. Sometimes people who have never tried to run an operation on a shoestring forget how to do things as cheaply as possible.

Where are you located? I have a network of fellow retired telephone guys who might be able to help.

You can contact me privately by email:

info (at) SIBTA (dot) com

Would a used EnGenius system make a good/doable substitution

How many stations are in use could you get by with something smaller?

Here's a thought https://public.carl.airpost.net/misc/intercoms.JPG

$30 gets you a pair of KC-19's.

Carl

Not an answer to the question, but I do like the no-blow 3A fuse on the +-10 AC

That was all the budget would allow

Thank you for all your help. I've learned a lot in one post!

The theatre tries to raise money for many things so it is a matter of priorities. They have no idea if it's repairable or have to replace the whole thing for $1000s of dollars so I think it helps that I've found that we're looking at just a card to replacement or repair. I think everyone has been assuming it would be really expensive to repair or replace.

To answer some questions:

► We could definitely get away with 9 lines or less.
► All tone lines.
► Depending on the phone location, there is a light or buzzer with each handset for a 'ringer'.
► Lightbooth, stage, lobby, dressing rooms are the phone locations and cast, director, stagehand uses the phones. Used for communication before and during show to keep things running smoothly. During the show, communication can be critical to fix problems on stage.
► Would be interested in upgrading to a newer system if people have suggestions to something that would be more reliable in long run.
► I think the handsets attached to the walls are still necessary, whether they are wired to the base station or wirelessly connected is another issue. We just don't want the handsets to wander off from key locations.
► I can do simple wiring (and follow instructions) so I could install another system if it was on par with the current Melco. I think I would need a couple more tools to do the wiring to the backplane or make any special connections.

I didn't realize that there was supposed to be a fuse at the 10VAC 3A terminals. (That would explain why there is a gap there!) And that must be what is connecting the terminals between the 24DVC 2A terminals. I'm not familiar with that fuse type, but I assume the person who set this up, couldn't find the right terminal-to-terminal fuse type. Do they still make these? What are they called?

Apologies that not shown in the original picture is that I had disconnected the 10V 3A wires on the power unit that were connected the Aud Grd/Aud Sup terminals on the backplane. (You can actually see the other end of the wires on the right of the original picture.) I've drawn in the disconnected wires:



@Arthur - Are the units wired correctly, knowing that the 10V 3A is separately connected to the Aud Grd/Sup terminals?

Thank you again for everyone's help!

volunteers are the coolest people. I spend most of my non working time ( and even time when I should be working ) volunteering for a local non profit

if you can get by with 9 stations I have a NOS MC9 combination intercom you can have . I just dug it out and the box is pretty rough but the intercom looks good



just send me a pm with your ship to address and I'll get it out to you .

I think its a perfect solution for your application

it should b a easy conversion if not , Arthur , Ed , Sam and some of the other guys here can help out with the installation