# Panasonic KX-TD816 PABX/PBX I've bought this small PBX for my office. While not exactly _needed_, it can still be useful for a thing or two. This page compiles knowledge and information on this unit that I've been collecting around. ## Alert: Rant incoming As a strictly proprietary project, generally sold by Panasonic representatives, any very technical insights are pretty hard to come by. For some reason, folks that worked with this unit tend to withhold anything they have. People will either try to sell you this data or boast they have it in Sundance Communications. At best, you'll find a thread that ends in «sent you via PM.» I, however, don't think even Panasonic would bother with anyone sharing schematics and software on a unit so old that the configuration software is written for MS-DOS. So, for the sake of open knowledge, I'll share what I find here, albeit it's not much. As I grow frustrated, I also got salty. Sorry, I can't avoid it. This article may be a little too rich on salt. # Nomenclatures Panasonic has terms for some stuff. Some are pretty standard, some are their own thing. | *Term* | *Acronym meaning* | *Meaning* | | IRNA | Intercept Routing — No Answer | | | PT/APT/DPT | [Analogue\Digital] Proprietary Telephone | A telephone set made specifically for those PABX's | | SLT | Single Line Telephone | Any standard landline telephone | | XDP | eXtra Device Port | On certain models (all of them Digital), allows for a SLT to be connected to the analogue wiring, acting as a completely independent station | ## My unit My PBX is particularly of the KX-TD816BX model. It sports a KX-TD170 expansion for eight more extensions. Since I have no use for it, it's disconnected. It's also **impossible** to find it's service manual. You'll see it mentioned in a maze of old websites trying to sell it. But I wouldn't bet any money on even being able to contact those people. There's a service manual for the UK offering, KX-TD816E. But it's quite different from mine. While it obviously shares some design premises, it's quite different. The motherboard is completely different, the CPU board is in a different location and there's even stuff it got that mine doesn't, like dual pager and dual music source, as well as built-in door-phone card. I'm compiling some information on the hardware [[td816bx_hardware|here]], but it is still a work in progress. | {{:telephony:dsc_3619.jpg?200 |teste}} | | My unit with a KX-T7230X DPT and a Intelbras SLT | ## Model suffixes Both TD816 and it's bigger brother TD1232 got **a lot** of versions. Some are newer revisions, some are built for international markets. A friend of mine thinks it got to do with the wildly diverse world of telephonic systems, and it's probably true, but I live in Brazil, and, thus far, I've seen this `BX` unit, that, [according to the «British Telephones» website](https://www.britishtelephones.com/pana/kxtdecode.htm), is focused for the Asian market, and also a KX-TD1232 unit being [sold on OLX](https://sp.olx.com.br/sao-paulo-e-regiao/eletronicos-e-celulares/telefonia-fixa-e-sem-fio/panasonic-kx-td1232x-com-16slc-e-4co-1329602726?lis=listing_no_category) (as well in [another site](https://www.davicomtelecom.com.br/produto/kx-td-1232x-pabx-digital-panasonic-equipado-p-08-tr-a-e-16-r-h-acompanha-ap-propriet-rio-kxt-7533x-semi-novos/47446])), of the «X» variant. {{:telephony:t1232x_olx1.webp?200 |}} {{:telephony:t1232x_olx2.webp?200 |}} `X`, by the way, means international market. I'd not lose my sleep over those suffixes, but the fact is that some systems can be quite different from others with the same name, depending on the local market they were built for, and frequently, service manuals made for one won't be adequate for another. As for Brazil, Googles returns **nothing** for TD816 with the `BR` suffix, and there's a [single result](https://fveletronica.webnode.com.br/products/kx-td1232br/) mentioning the `BR` variant for TD1232 model. If this model really exists, I don't envy the luck of someone who'll have to maintain it. The sellers of one of the add-ons I bought said he worked with a lot of «BR» models, specially the TD1232BR, since the price difference between the two units were, at the time, minimal. ## Resources ### Software There are several software pieces written for TD816, including that Russian one, the «KX-TD Programmator», but there are those who says it [«will mess up your system.»](https://sundance-communications.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/583468/re-some-kx-td816-questions#Post583468) I didn't try it, so I won't link it here because I don't know if it's any good. #### «Digital Super Hybrid System - Operating & Maintenance Tool» It's the [in]famous dealer software. Nearly impossible to find, it's deemed as not needed to may folks around those telecom. forums. But it's a thousand miles more practical than configuring via the proprietary telephone (PT), and some people might not have one. It's old and runs on MS-DOS, FreeDOS or DOSBox, but at least it's official. The only way I was able to find it was by searching through Usenet and ending up at [this thread](https://www.usenetarchives.com/view.php?id=comp.dcom.telecom.tech&mid=PDExNDI2NTkyNzMuMTEyOTc2LjMwNDk4MEBpNDBnMjAwMGN3Yy5nb29nbGVncm91cHMuY29tPg) in which the guy asked for donations and got trolled to the ground. But one guy linked the URL to the dealer software, that was, thankfully [archived by Web Archive](https://web.archive.org/web/20040814204044/http://download.panasonic.co.uk/bts/) (I love this tool.). I've also managed to track two more versions (3.41X and 4.02B2, respectively from circa 1998 and 2000, judging by the copyright notice.) to [a Russian abandonware website called «Old DOS»](http://old-dos.ru/index.php?page=files&mode=files&do=show&id=102232#download). For convenience, I'm also providing those here. | *Version* | *OS* | *Executable* | *Target Market* | *Download* | Compatibility | | 2.02BE, 2.10BE, 2.37BE, 2.41BE | DOS | E1232B.EXE | United Kingdom | {{ :telephony:e1232b.tgz |}} | British «E» models | | 3.41X | DOS | E1232X.EXE | International | {{ :telephony:dshsomt.ver.3.41x.english.zip |}} | See screenshot below | | 4.02B2 | DOS | E1232X.EXE | _Unknown suffix_ | {{ :telephony:dshsomt.ver.4.02b2.english.zip |}} | _Unable to ascertain_ | 3.41 seems to tend to international market, and it even asks the region of the equipment upon start: {{ :telephony:dshs_omt_3dot41bx.png |}} Again, my equipment has the P401A60905A ROM version. 3.41X had it's issues at the first moment, but it was the version that best worked for me. Not only it can display and change every configuration as it was also able to back up the configuration. Your mileage may vary, depending on region and ROM version. ### Manuals FIXME I tracked down **a lot** of manuals. I'm yet to organize and upload them. ## Other stuff ### Paralleled Telephone connection As per [this reference](https://www.phone-master.nl/Support/panasonichelp/parallel%20telephone.htm): > XDP feature must be turned off in Program 600. > > > The most common example is to plug a cordless phone into the XDP port of your digital phone (7200 or 7400 series). When your extension is called, both phones ring and can be answered. In order for your single-line phone to ring you must do the following: > > > INTERCOM 391 To turn on parallel ring (INTERCOM 390 to cancel) and the AUTO ANSWER light must be off. BGM must be turned off. > > > Another example is to plug your laptop or computer modem into the XDP port and use OUTLOOK or another contact software program to make calls. If you have problems making the connection, look for the dialing properties in your program and set it to "Don't look for dial tone, just dial." Set parallel ring to off (INTERCOM 390). The manuals doesn't seem to be very clear about this. It mentions the ring activation on the PT's configuration, but you have to dial `391` to actually enable the SLT paralleled connection. This arrangement may be useful in situations in which you want everything in a room, for example, to answer to the same extension number. Otherwise you would have to configure a extension group, and each extension can only be assigned to one. ## References - https://www.britishtelephones.com/pana/kxtd.htm - http://old-dos.ru/index.php?page=files&mode=files&do=show&id=102232 - http://www.csportal.panasonic-la.com/%5CDESCARGASPLA%5CPLA%5CCENTRALES%5CCORREO%5C6%20PUERTOS%5CKX-TVM50BX%5CMANUAL%20DE%20USUARIO%5CInstallation_Manual.pdf (tangential information on the programming software) - https://www.phone-master.nl/Support/panasonichelp/parallel%20telephone.htm