atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems Executone-Isoetec Telephones & Systems Newbie with AutoAttendant Problem

Hi folks... We got hit by lightning this weekend. The phone system locked up. I did a power down/up and most of it came up with a few extensions/cards being zapped. In the meantime, our calls come through a VMS and the message plays ok, but when the caller hits an extension to transfer to, or waits for the operator, the system says please wait, then drops the call. Where do I start to look? Card problem? Or programming in VX2?

Thanks,
-Jon

Could it be that forwarding to the individual stations' mailboxes got taken off as part of the outage? Does it actually drop the call, or does it just go to silence while the call is being transferred which sounds like the call dropped?

No, it drops the call. The VX2 shows it "dialing" the operator extension, or whatever extension the caller has typed, but the call just goes away. I guess the system uses an SLI card to transfer and answer calls with? We can go to the voicemail and listen to messages ok... Should be the same ports. I'm stumped....

It almost sounds as if your DTMF receivers aren't accepting digits. Can you clip onto one of the voice mail ports with a butt set and dial internally? If you aren't able to receive or break dial tone that way, then your DTMF receivers aren't there. It may be that one of the failed cards contains the receivers necessary to support the SLI card, but they don't necessarily have to be installed on that card. Look on the bad cards and see if there are any daughter boards are present that may contain the receivers. You may be able to move them to working cards. I am not strong on Executone, but I am on Vodavi and they are very similar in architecture.

I did trade in a "good" DTMF receiver card, but to no avail... I haven't tried connecting to the VM port directly, but guess it can't hurt!

I wonder if the dial generators in the VM itself may have gone south.... The computer screen for the VM showed signs of Gaussing from the lightning hit....

What Ed says - clip butt set (or unplug modular plug from back of VX2 and plug into regular phone (NOT IDS phone)) and try manually. ALSO - VX2 may be set up to use RS-232 integration at which point all of the transfer sequence info is sent between VX2 and IDS via the RS232 port. DTMF reciever not required in this circumstance - but working RS232 IS required... You'd see a cable from serial port of VX2 to I/O panel of IDS if RS232 were configured. The Run Dialog boxes (boxes on main screen that represent each port) also usually say "SMDI1 001". If you're configured for RS232 and it doesn't work, check features on IDS main menu - you should see (amongst others) VMS (basic voicemail integration) & VMI (RS232 integration) listed. You may have others there. If these are not listed, it won't work. You'll need to get your local Executone dealer to re-load.
Mike

Sounds like you lost the RS232 port that is connected to voicemail. You can check bry changing port configuration and hooking up a laptop th that port.

Check to see if VXII is running SMDI?


If it is that is your problem.


Good Luck!!

I do have a serial port connection... I suspect that the system uses RS-232 integration. But if it was bad, wouldn't ALL of it be bad? The system DOES seize the line, answer the calls, and act like it is transfering... But then, nothing. Could it be the main CPU not switching out? Can I change the way the system handles the calls? Make it respond to DTMF instead of RS-232? (Sorry I'm such a newbie) Also, I have several station cards out. 15700s I have some old spare cards 15750 and I think 15540<<-- not sure of this number... Are they interchangeable?
Thanks...

-Jon

15700 and 15750 are both for digital stations. 15540 is for analog stations - and VX2 voicemail uses analog. If there's no serial cable, then system is not configured for RS-232. So, we're back to unplugging cable from back of VX2 and plugging it into a standard telephone. Go off hook, and if you get intercom dialtone (higher pitch than outside dialtone) - at least one DTMF receiver is good. Go off hook several times in a row - if you get dead air, that represents the bad receiver. If you have a DTMF combo card and watch the IDS F screen, you'll see each receiver go off hook. If you get dialtone, make an OUTSIDE call then try and transfer it (hookflash + # key + extension under most circumstances - although there is an option in the M screen that negates the use of # key). See what happens.
Mike

Ok... I can plug in to the analog ports. I get calls that are transferred to the ports... I can pick up and get intercom dial tone. When I try to dial out, it's like the phone system doesn't "hear" the tones and nothing happens. The system DOES have an RS-232 connection. Does that mean the transfer dialing is done by RS-232? Or are the calls just routed and answered by the VMS according to RS-232 data. Like it sends a particular message depending on whether it's a VMS or an outside call. The question is, does the VX2 send tones to dial when it's in RS-232 config? If not, I wonder if maybe part of the main brain is goofy. Should the ports assigned to the VX2 be able to be dialed on if the system is in RS-232 mode.... Geez, aren't we newbies FULL of questions!??
Thanks guys for bearing with me...