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Vintage Telephony and Telecomms Vintage Telephones, Telephony and Telecomms Equipment |
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7th Apr 2011, 10:48 pm | #21 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,118
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Re: BT Herald PABX
Thank you for finding that. At least my telephone system now knows the correct time and date - or at least I assume that it does, as I have not yet found a way of getting it to tell me what it has stored. I also find myself wondering what functions use that information.
I wonder what other gems there are hidden within Bob Freshwater's site.
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Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
7th Apr 2011, 10:56 pm | #22 |
Octode
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saltburn-East, Cleveland, UK.
Posts: 1,786
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Re: BT Herald PABX
Hi,
The time on most fully featured PBXs of this type is used for things such as reminder calls and differing incoming ringing options during day (office hours for example) and night. Andrew |
20th Jun 2011, 1:30 pm | #23 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Edinburgh, UK.
Posts: 805
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Re: BT Herald PABX
I've just found this site, which I've not seen before. Apologies if it'a already been mentioned.
https://sites.google.com/site/heraldpentara/home |
21st Jun 2011, 2:51 pm | #24 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,118
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Re: BT Herald PABX
Many thanks for that link. I wasn't aware of it, and it appears to have some of the documents I have been seeking for some time.
That's my bedtime reading for tonight sorted!
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Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
21st Jun 2011, 6:24 pm | #25 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
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Re: BT Herald PABX
Incidentally, I notice in the Document Library section of the site the statement: "If you have some documents, stories or Pictures that I don't please get in touch !"
Unfortunately, I cannot find any contact details for me to do that. As mentioned earlier in the thread, I have a copy of the Pentara Documentation System manual - which doesn't appear on the site.
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Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
22nd Jun 2011, 9:15 am | #26 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Edinburgh, UK.
Posts: 805
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Re: BT Herald PABX
I'm PM'd you with a suggestion
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23rd Jun 2011, 3:49 pm | #27 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,118
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Re: BT Herald PABX
Thanks to the programming guide from Hywel Clatworthy's site I have identified that a gap in the list of extension numbers and a powered but otherwise dead circuit were the result of extension 130 being "busied out" - so I now have one more usable extension.
I have now established contact with Hywel.
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Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
28th Oct 2011, 10:26 pm | #28 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,118
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Re: BT Herald PABX
Good news, everybody...
With thanks to a forum member for pointing me in the right direction, I have now purchased a set of course notes for GPO telephone engineers installing Herald PBX systems. Although the details are for an earlier version of the Herald, it was straightforward to work out the differences for the Pentara Plus. Amongst other things, I have now finally managed to identify the connections for the two exchange lines, including how to connect power-fail arrangements - as well as explaining why the connections I had identified are where they are. The really useful section of the notes explains how the connections on the cables map to the Auxiliary Slide-in Units (ASUs) containing the various function cards. Relating this to the unit I have gives the following: Code:
ASU slots 1-4 – power supply and processor Z1-Z4 TEst Access Modem (TEAM) Z5-Z8 spare Z9-Z16 ASU 5 – 4-wire extension x4 (2 pairs per extension) Z17-Z24 ASU 6 – 2-wire entensions x8 (1 pair per extension) Z25 unused A1-A8 ASU 7 – 2-wire entensions x8 (1 pair per extension) A9-A16 ASU 8 – inter-PBX x1 (4 pairs + 4 spare?) A17-A24 ASU 9 – MF dialling option (no external connections) A25 unused B1-B8 ASU 10 – exchange line x2 (4 pairs per line*) B9-B16 ASU 11 – spare B17-B24 ASU 12 – spare B25 unused *pair 1 – line pair 2 – signal earth x2 pair 3 – extension circuit (for power-fail arrangements) pair 4 – telephone extension (for power-fail) The one minor problem I have is that I have to bring the (otherwise unused) third cable into use for access to the exchange lines. As I cannot see myself making use of the inter-PBX function, I am considering swapping the final three ASUs round so that the inter-PBX card comes last. I wonder, however, whether that will cause problems with the stored database - which I have no means of updating. Probably a case of "suck it and see" so to speak.
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Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
31st Oct 2011, 11:23 am | #29 |
Dekatron
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Re: BT Herald PABX
I sucked it, but didn't like the taste. Unfortunately, it would appear that the database is aware which slots the ASUs are in and objects to them being elsewhere. It seems I am therefore stuck with bringing cable "B" into use for the exchange lines.
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Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
29th Nov 2012, 5:22 pm | #30 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Edinburgh, UK.
Posts: 805
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Re: BT Herald PABX
I don't have a Pentara, but I've got a couple of Pentara terminals cleaned up and on display with a couple of Ambassador phones.
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1st Jul 2016, 6:45 pm | #31 |
Hexode
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Walsall, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 327
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Re: BT Herald PABX
I was a subscribers apparatus and line engineer and worked on the Herald along with a few other key switch systems; Optera, klinsman and Monarch.
I cant even remember how I would take the cover off now though lol |
2nd Jul 2016, 12:24 am | #32 |
Pentode
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Hove, East Sussex.
Posts: 147
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Re: BT Herald PABX
Wow, what a trip down memory lane!
We couldnt fit these things quickly enough, back in the day. I lived and breathed most of the Merlin stuff; 6022 (Tie) (yuk!), 2616 (yuk!), Senator, Ambassador, EKLU, but more usually the bigger stuff; (they changed the branding from 'Merlin' to 'large switch' for some bizarre reason) Herald, Herald B8 (A Herald upgraded to a Pentara, by changing the proc Board) plus Pentara, Octara, Viceroy, Kinsman, TSX50. I liked the Mitel stuff best, esp the TSX50, and Kinsman. On the original Herald, the operator terminal was X23. This changed to X123 on the Pentara, or Herald B8 upgrade. Power fail arrangements were freely selectable, by jumpering, in the Box Conn 331A(?) later BC334(?) IIRC, the cards were inserted, starting from the RHS (obviuosly after the PSU, and Proc, etc) with the Exchange lines first, then PWs (if any), then the extensions; this would then tally up with the 50w cables, connected to the backplane. Oh wow, take me back to the days of the 9-day fortnight, 14-day three week, SDO days, NTA allowances, Bedford HAs, unlimited o/t, licence-to-print IMAP codes, and no dress code....... Its all go, on the GPO........! Last edited by Thyristor; 2nd Jul 2016 at 12:30 am. |
2nd Jul 2016, 2:57 pm | #33 |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 2,181
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Re: BT Herald PABX
Thyristor- or the Heady days of the "THREE DAY WEEK", where one of our transmission mobile blokes was head to say "I'm quite happy with my one day week".
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11th Aug 2016, 9:42 pm | #34 |
Hexode
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Walsall, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 327
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Re: BT Herald PABX
I visited Monument TE for a meeting today and look what I found in the corner of the room...
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12th Aug 2016, 7:20 am | #35 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,118
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Re: BT Herald PABX
I see it appears to have a small number of its connecting cables (a three-shelf unit has eleven RJ21 cables!) plugged into a distribution box on the wall behind it. Do they have it up and running?
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Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
13th Aug 2016, 1:57 pm | #36 |
Hexode
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Walsall, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 327
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Re: BT Herald PABX
The DP is installed on the wall behind it but it isn't plugged in.
The shelves look well populated too. |