I believe I need to replace an SLI card in cabinet 3. The customer reports a clicking sound continues after replacing a speakerphone. To replace that card should I power down the entire system?

I would only per down cabinet 3.
Given the age of dcs systems, there's a chance the psu's wrong turn back on.
Also a chance it will drop it's programming.
I'd take a backup if you have a sim module and cable handy whilst you are there.
Take a spare psu with you as well

A clicking sound where at the actaul sli phone or in the cabinet?

I always thought the main cabinet needed to be rebooted as well to "see" the expansion cabinets. If you only power down cabinet 3 then if it doesn't come back up properly I would do a rest of the system after you power it back up.

Based on reading these this morning before heading to the site I decided not to replace the 8SLI. Next time I'll need to - now there's no good spares. I used the last good one. Clicking wasn't really a good description - but it was what I thought they were referring to. The sound I believe is coming from the ring generator, it's defective on that card. More like a 'motorboat' kind of sound on the line itself.

While I was there I documented some basic configuration, like where trunks ring (Day 500 (operator group) Night 501 (Voicemail menu), typical forwarding, key layout, etc. There is a book on site, but wanted more documentation that I could save as a file. A few years ago I made some copies in the book of pages with the port and ext. numbers.

I didn't see any serial connection on the system for a PC backup, so I guess that SIM module is an option. One thing I'm not really clear on is paging. I have Samsung documentation for MMCs and an installation manual, but I wonder how the key on the digital phones 'PAGE*' accesses the port on the PBX, or does it do that by default? I see the rd/gn pair of the first Trk A card is connected to the paging amp input. But when looking at external zones, MMC 605, there were no members in anything.

Thanks for the tips. Last time I was there the customer had no plans to replace the system 'Until we need to'. Not to make them worry but explained what could happen if I powered down the system. I would be tough for some IP phones in their environment though being a factory - probably phones out of offices in the factory area just have Cat 3 and no network cables.

Page* key pages all internal page zones and the first external page zone from memory. Or it's the other way around (all external and first internal zone)

Usually you have 361, 362, etc in the external page zones. Must work without it.
Been a long time since I looked at a dcs system.

There are no built in serial ports on a DCS. A Rom 1 card will allow 1 sim and a Rom 2 card will allow 2 sims. Definitelt a good ide to get a sim if you can find one. The memory in the main cabinet is held by a super cap but they can go bad.

I think the first method you mentioned is correct, Yea there's probably not many DCSs left out there. We have 3 that I know of. Last year one purchased a new replacement analog based voicemail system for it.


Yes the super cap in our shop DCS I think loses memory if turned off overnight. If I install a sim - and I could look this up in the reference that I have, I assume the system would have to be powered down to install it. I made some general notes how the system is set up if I have to reprogram the whole thing.

The SIM connects to a dli port.
It provides a serial db25 connector which you then connect to your pc/laptop sio port and connect with the version of pcmmc which matches your rom version.

Can't remember if you can use a daughterboard port or not.
We used to hook dialup modems to a spare sli port, and assign a spare did number to it for remote programming.

Oh ok, a DLI port. So if I had a spare port I assume It could be connected there, and no need to remove any card. I do need to look up details about that.

Years ago when it was all the same telco we had DIDs or COs dedicated to modems for remote access. Ironically now I must sometimes drive an hour or more for a change that takes a couple minutes. With T1s, different Cable TV providers, etc. - the dialup option frequently just doesn't work. Sure we have many VoIP customers now, and a few legacy PBXs with a public IP address or accessible via LogMein, many now require a site visit that previously could be accessed via modems.