OLD Merlin 410's and 820's

The 820D2 seems to go forever, but both of the "breadbox" Merlins (the classic 410, 820 and 820D) tend to experience power supply failures.

I don't think I've seen a unit fail due to anything BUT a bad power supply. They were made OK, it's just that the power supplies seem to be long past their expected lifespan.

Tim Alberstein

I agreed with dagwood, 410 and 820 are almost 24 years old. but 820d2 are great and also merlin two and 1030 and legends last forever for replacement ksu. but the legend has to be program with a console or spm software for changes

I think the list of Merlin breadbox units included the following:

206
410
820

These systems were very well built (Western Electric), and remain a fixture in doctors & dentist's offices and other very small applications where an on-board voicemail isn't required.

But they are getting long in the tooth and Avaya stopped supporting them years ago.

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

Thanks for the update people..... But does any one know how easy it is to swap out defective power supplies on these old Merlin KSU's? 410 bread box and 820 vertical boxes circa 1975

alwayslearning

There are so many of the Classic Merlin systems (206, 410 & 820) on the market that it would be easier to just replace the main unit, transfer any/all Feature Packs and reprogram.
Off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone who sells refurbished power supplies.

Better still, rater than purchasing another unit, a full upgrade to the Avaya Partner ACS might be the best way to go. You can re-use the existing in-house wiring & jacks. The control unit and telephones will need to be replaced, but you will gain the ability to add an auto attendant & voicemail.

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

I disagree Dexman...with Legend cabinets, processors and
cards cheap...it makes more sense to get rid of the Classic
and stepup to the Legend....the customer can keep the sets.
It going to cost 3 to 4 times more the go with a Partner
ACS.
It makes no sense to attempt to repair or replace anything
in the Merlin Classic...but if you want to stay in the older
Merlin mode...the 820d2 is the way to go.
You'll find Legend parts alot quicker than Merlin Classic
or the 820 series.

I disagree Dexman...with Legend cabinets, processors and
cards cheap...it makes more sense to get rid of the Classic
and stepup to the Legend....the customer can keep the sets.
It going to cost 3 to 4 times more the go with a Partner
ACS.

By upgrading to the Merlin Legend, you are going from one discontinued system to another. The Partner ACS is still in production, new hardware exists (as opposed to 100% refurbished for the Legend) and Partner telephones support Caller ID (the Merlin Classic sets do not). While there is no mention of Caller ID in the original topic, imagine the poster ordering it from the LEC later on only to find out that the telephone system cannot support it without undergoing module and telephone set changes.

Traditionally, the upgrade path from the Classic Merlin systems is the Partner ACS, not the Merlin Legend. With a current maximum configuration of 8 lines + 20 extensions, this would be a very good fit for the Partner

Avaya Merlin Messaging voicemails and license cards are more expensive than a Partner Voice Messaging and the learning curve for the Partner ACS is much easier than the Merlin Legend.

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

Having said all of that, I do understand HiDesert's point about being able to hold onto the existing set by dropping in a Merlin Legend.

The small-ish configuration of the 820 is why I'm pointing towards the Partner. Ultimately, the final decision of which path to take will come from the poster.

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

If you are really intent on repairing the old 206/410/820 KSUs, you need to be able to perform service at the component level, or find someone who does. The component that probably fails the most is the electrolytic capacitor, both in the power supply and other modules.

If the power supply is of a "modular" design you might find a replacement. I have not seen the internals of a 206 or 410 KSU so I don't know what it looks like. But there are companies out there that do sell various replacement items for some of these systems: refurbsupplies.com is just one. You would need to do some research to find sources for this stuff. For capacitors, places like Mouser or Digi-Key have the raw components available.

Hope this helps!

....JIM....

How much longer do you think Avaya will continue the Partner
series?..with VOIP the current rage.. we'll have another
discontinued product before too long!!!!

There have been rumblings about the end of the Partner. So far, there have been no concrete announcements about it issued by Avaya. So, for now, its full steam ahead.

The Partner ACS still sells well for small outfits that do not need the complexities, costs or networking abilities associated with the IP Office platform. Yes, the IP Office can be configured as a stand-alone digital PBX, but the cost of hardware (for the IP-500) is still above that of the Partner ACS.

Still, even when the Partner goes, there will be new stock in the pipeline for quite a while and there should be support similar to what Avaya did for the Magix after it was retired back in 2006.

Discussing/speculating about the end of life for the Partner ACS is going off topic, so I'm ending my comments with this post.


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

the last say, I would repair or replace a power supply for a bread box merlin than go to a partner that is known for cards and power supply not lasting after a year not counting the port go bad with cross talk or dead. new acs are better but partner sets are cheaply made and customers really abuse them. I have gotten 20 plus years out of the old classic merlins and less than 2 years out of a parnter with many repair trip. not a fan of partner.....
telco 71