L3 module on Partner works on and off

[louga]

I am assisting a Greek Church in Washington Heights, NY as they can afford a technician to troubleshoot their tel system- so, I need help. L3 module keeps failing. I contacted Avaya and somehow I got them to give me troubleshhoting tips for free- which they told me to do the following. Power-down the system and turn-it back up. If this doesn't clear the problem try power it down again and reseat the L3 module, then power it back on. That didn't help either so, they told me to order a new module which they sold it to me for $300 bucks (out of my pocket). After leaving that day, the L3 module started working fine again and did it for a while but the new module arrived and could not return it.
I then rewired one office for LAN services as well as for 1 phone line that wires were visible and ugly. After cutting and splicing cable for 1 phone, the phone did not work but get dial tone when install a butt-set to the jack- why?
I then replaced the L3 module Avaya sent (they sent a 206E module instead of a "206" - any difference?) with the new one they sent and still didn't work- only a couple of port from the 6 the module carries. How do I trouble shoot the problem?
The church will be very thankful is I can get their system to work with the help from this panel.
Thank you
Louis

 

[Telecomboy]

Each Partner phone requires two pairs. You are getting dial-tone, so your primary pair is correct (probably the blue/white white/blue wire). You need to figure out the secondary pair which depending upon how it was wired would either be the orange/white white/orange or the green/white white/green. It might be easiest to take apart a working jack and see how it is wired.

As far as the module, it would be helpful to know what other modules you have and what processor type you have.

 

[skip555]

first thing I would do is plug a phone directly into the 206 module to eliminate wiring issues

i the phone doesn't work plugged directly into the module then you have a defective module

206e has been out of production for quite some time whatever your getting is used /refurb

 

[louga]

when I spliced the line with another type cat5 cable extending it around a room. I connected same color wires from old cable to new cable (blue pair to blue pair, orange to orange, etc)and when I plugged my butt-set to the new jack or naked wires, I only get dial tone on the wht/blue, blue/wht pair not on the other pair. This set was configured for 2 lines using the blue and orange pairs. I also connected the phone set directly to the port on the module and I get dial tone. However, all the ports on the module are not working properly leaving other offices without dial-tone.
When I replaced the defective module with the new or refurbished 206E, I get the same results- not all ports work but now, the reverend lines don't work. 1) would the reason I don't get dial-tone on the spliced line is because the module is defective? 2) why would the replacement card won't correct the problem? 3) how do I troubleshoot the problem- can I use a laptop to check configuration or I have to use a telephone set and where do i plug in to? 4)What other telephone system would you recommend as a replacement of this old one- Cisco?
Thank you guys

 

[TouchToneTommy]

Cycle the power, or #728 from system programming. Earlier 206 modules would shut off the port if you shorted the data pair.

 

[Dexman]

System telephones, as noted by Telecomboy, need 2 pairs of wires to operate properly.

1) The Blue/White pair is your dial tone/voice.
2) The Orange/White pair provides power to the system telephones and allows the processor cards to signal the system telephones. You won't find any dial tone on the Orange/White pair.

As has been suggested, I would walk one of the system telephones to the control unit; plug it directly into each extension port and check to make sure they all work properly.

Based on your description of the condition of the telephone wiring inside the church building, I get the impression that it's a mess.

If it turns out that the wiring is bad....unless you're knowledgeable in telecom wiring techniques....the Church should really consider securing the services of a telecom contractor who will be able to get the wiring up to snuff.

You don't say what type of Partner system the Church has. It could be a Partner Plus, Partner II or some version of the Partner ACS.

The Partner ACS R8 is the latest version of the system and it is suited for small businesses.

The key is getting someone who has been trained on the system to install and program it. Any system, no matter how good, won't work properly if the wiring is bad and/or the programming is wrong. Splicing wires is bad news. I wouldn't recommend doing that for permanent wiring.

I saw that the Church doesn't have much money. My church is somewhat in the same position, and I donated & installed an Avaya telephone system for them.

If it ain't broke, I haven't fixed it yet.

 

[louga]

Dexman, I believe they have a Partner II system. It has 5 modules- the main and 4 extension with 6 lines each- modules type are 206 R4.1. In regards to the orange pair, I didn't know it was used for power to the set. And, yes, the wiring is a rat's nest which will take me a while to trace each line.
In regards to why I don't get dial-tone at each port on the module- 2 dial tones and 4 pitchy noise and when I replaced the module with a 206E (Avaya said was same) as suggested by Avaya as it could be the culprit, I get same results. Any suggestions?

 

[allisland]

Pitchy noise??
Are you by chance getting CO dial tone on 2 ports and itercom dial tone on the other 4?

 

[Dexman]

When you tested the 206 module and got the 2 good and 4 bad ports, were they tested by bringing a good Avaya 6D, 18D or 34D phone directly to the system and plugging the phone directly into each port....thus bypassing all of the questionable wiring?

If the answer is no, I would suggest re-testing the ports that way. If the answer is yes, it is possible that the processor itself might be the cause.

If it ain't broke, I haven't fixed it yet.

 

[Dexman]

Ah! I never thought of CO vs inside dial tone. Good call allisland!

If it ain't broke, I haven't fixed it yet.

 

[louga]

Dexman, thanks for the tip on orange wire used for power to the set. I disconnected the orange pair from the jack setup for 2nd line and connected on the next clip and... like magic, it powered the phone set and all is good.
Now, on the 206 module- allisland & dexman - I used a butt-set to test the port on the module which, as I said, I got dialtome on 2 ports and a different tone on the other 4 (not dial-tone). allisland, are you saying that is the sound of intercom dialtone? However, so far, all lines are working (until I hear a complain on the other 4 ports if that is to be like that).
One more question- I tried replacing the 206 module with refurbished 206E- it didn't work and found the power lead on back of module been different on 206 from 206E; so, I reinserted old 206 module and got 2 lines up and the other 4 with "intercom dial tone?"
Thank you guys.. Church is happy (for now). Have a great day