[VoIP] Just bought a Western Electric 202

[John R. Covert]

>does the IAXy unit simply pass all supervision through to asterisk,
>in order to let zaptel perform the dial pulse recognition?

The IAXy carries on a dialogue with Asterisk as each digit is
dialed but does the dial pulse recognition locally.

I've done more experimentation.  I now know that even though
I've adjusted the dial so that the IAXy will recognize it,
the dial is still a bit wonky.  I think that the ratchet wheel
is a bit off-center.  Here's why I think that: Now that I've
completed the installation, there are two things on the IAXy:
the 202 (on a 425E network) and a Bell Chime.  Since the IAXy
(and most VoIP stuff) normally only provides 70v ringing (you
can ask the TDMxxP to give you 90v), which is plenty for
modern electronic ringers, to make good old mechanical ringers
work, you've gotta set the tension spring to the low settting.

[For our UK friends, in the U.S., tinkle suppression is done
by spring adjustment, not by an extra circuit to the bells.]

If I dial 1-5, there is no bell tinkle.  Usually 6 is also ok
and sometimes 7 isn't a problem.  But there's always tinkle on
8-9, and it's on the first pulses, not the later ones.  This
is consistent with the problem I was seeing with the IAXy; those
pulses are longer.  And about the only things that would make
the pulses longer would be (a) inconsistent dial speed, which
is what I thought it was at first, but no longer think is the
case, or (b) the ratchet being off-center, which would increase
the travel of the pawl and the amount of time the contacts are
open.

It's working, so I'm not inclined to do much more adjusting, but
I will probably try to get an accurate electronic measurement of
exactly where the pulses fall.  But it turns out that Mark tells
me that the dial was already adjusted by someone in Arizona who
charges $6, and that sure sounds like Steve Hiltz.

/john