Manually switching a digital phone between two TN's

[nessman]

Have a customer who wants the ability for a number of 2616 digital phones to switch between a 'production' PBX and a backup or emergency PBX as a failover in case the main site goes down. They also want the ability to have all calls on each phone recorded in either production or backup mode as well without requiring double the number of recorder ports either. So this kind rules out a small A/B switch at each desk or manually plugging the phone in one jack or the other.

They're moving to a new location soon. At the old location they have a bank of 9002 relays that do this with the throw of a single switch which for the most part works well so long as the relays aren't sticking. They want to abandon this 25 year old relay bank and go with something newer.

So... we tried a Dee's 154 powerfail switch and looks like the ground-start to loop-start conversion is messing things up. We get it to work initially, but fails every time afterwards. Not what the device was designed for so we abandoned that.

There's always an A/B switchbox for serial/parallel port stuff that we could conceivably make use of - but I'm concerned about long-term reliability. Just not what it was designed for and I haven't even began testing with it.

Any other solutions out there that will achieve what this customer wants to do? Thinking of something like a TKM-6 transfer switch from Mike Sandman's website, but something that'll throw multiple phones from one system to another at a flip of a switch - even better if the switch can be remotely mounted.

Thanks.

 

[KCFLHRC]

So they are moving the PBX's they have and want a better backup solution but still keeping the phones and PBX's they currently have. Seems a redundant PBX would be more suited to their needs. And they are keeping the 2616's they have?

 

[nessman]

Yes - two PBX's... one set of phones. Both PBX's will be programmed the same for each TN. If one PBX goes down, they switch phones over to the other. No LD 30 in the midnights and/or CLS FXLA to keep phones from being disabled.

They want to be able to switch over a group of phones from the active PBX to the standby PBX with the throw of a single switch.

 

[KCFLHRC]

Not gonna happen, there will need to be some manual intervention to accomplish this and it wont happen with a single switch. Unless you fabricate something which is a reliability issue in itself.

 

[KCFLHRC]

I have a large hospital account with an Option 81 and an Option 11 for back up. When the 81 has an issue, which is very rare, they manually move phones to different jacks in the ER and other critical areas, the staff is trained to do this, and they move the PRI's in the switchroom. Works very well and they have never had any issues doing this. They don't record calls so that is not a factor for them.

 

[nessman]

The current solution at this customer's old location is a bank of Tellabs 9002 relays. Works well - and is definitely a custom job. Sounds like I'm going to have to tell them to replicate and continue to go with what works, or rely on a more manual / decentralized process.

 

[bad69cat]

you might look at something as simple as pigtailing some puch blocks with amphenol connectors ont he side and have everything laid down such that all they have to do is swing them from one puch block to another......that way it's inexpensive and very reliable in the event the relay power is lost or something. Just a thought.

 

[nessman]

That's also an alternative I've discussed with the customer and end up being the solution. The convenience of a flip of a switch for the non-technical folks will go away - which is the customer's issue.

At the old location, a powerfail scenario will throw them over to the backup PBX as it'll cause the relays to close and throw the phones over to the backup PBX. But this place has two backup generators and a huge UPS to power everything til generator power kicks in - in addition to the DC plant for the PBX and it's battery bank.

 

[bad69cat]

Yeah - I actually put relays in place to swing phones from our option 81 to and opt 11 that is for our trianing center. Got the idea from the guys on here. In my case the only place to make the cross connects work was in another building - so I had to have an electronic way to trigger it. I went with a Gordon Kapes unit we bought on ebay. Works really well - all they have to do is hit a toggle switch to flip it. To bad Kapes no longer makes those units though.....they are well made

 

[nessman]

Are you referring to the Gordon Kapes UT-8, UT-16 or UT-24R?

 

[nessman]

Another option for those interested:

http://www.dataprobe.com/rss-series.html

 

[bad69cat]

That's pretty interesting and flexible. I used the Kapes UT-24 just because Ineeded the 24 pairs to switch. But I also like the ability to just hit a toggle switch to flip from normal to backup

 

[nessman]

Black Box also makes an A/B switch for 50-pin Amphenol connectors too... for some reason the customer seems to like that choice (probably because of price). But hey if it works...