[VoIP] [off VoIP] Ernest Telecomm 7D-3 Payphone

[Donald Froula]

Jayson, I definitely want to go ahead and get a real
WE payphone. This one came along cheap and it was fun
to get going. It's a cute stand-alone solution that
works nicely with Asterisk and my VOIP provider.

I would surely love to find the software that
generates that rate table. One thing the software does
not allow is overriding the international rates,
unfortunately (a flat 5.00/1 minute).

Don

--- Jayson Smith <ratguy at insightbb.com> wrote:

> The whole rate file concept is the one major problem
> I have with COCOTs from
> a collector/recreational perspective. I want a real,
> honest to goodness,
> working payphone with working coin collect and coin
> return, which prompts
> for deposit, etc. However, I don't want to buy a
> COCOT from a COCOT company,
> because they are geared to people using them to
> generate revenue, rather
> than for recreational/amusement purposes. That's why
> I've always thought an
> implementation of ACTS in Asterisk would be so cool.
> Then, I could get a
> non-COCOT single-slot phone, and make up my own rate
> file! Five dollars for
> ten seconds to CNET! Ten cents for ten hours long
> distance! You get the
> idea.
> Jayson
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Donald Froula" <dfroula at sbcglobal.net>
> To: <voip at ckts.info>
> Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2007 9:30 AM
> Subject: Re: [VoIP] [off VoIP] Ernest Telecomm 7D-3
> Payphone
> 
> 
> > Well, some kind collector sent me a .pdf manual
> for a
> > similar (ETX) payphone. He also sent along the
> > software needed to program the phone using a 1200
> baud
> > modem.
> >
> > Another individual sent me a guide to wiring up a
> > standard 14-pin LCD module to the "LCD" connector
> on
> > the circuit board to allow keypad programming.
> >
> > I decided to go the modem programming route. I had
> a
> > NIB "old" MultiTech modem that I decided to try to
> > use. The software (written in Visual Basic) wants
> to
> > see a real Hayes modem and has the original Hayes
> > command set hard-coded into some parts of it. The
> > software did allow settting up custom
> initialization
> > strings. I found the commands to lock the modem to
> > only try 1200 baud connects and to disable
> hardware
> > handshaking. After reprogramming the phone ID
> number
> > with the keypad (blind, without the LCD) I was
> able to
> > connect and read back the stored settings over
> > Asterisk and two ports on a Linksys PAP2 ATA.
> >
> > The phone uses a pre-loaded rate table that is
> > customized to the area code and exchange where the
> > phone is installed. The rate table classifies any
> > dialed number into local, inter-lata, intra-lata,
> > inter-state, and international. The classification
> is
> > all relative to the area code and exchange where
> the
> > phone was installed. This is problematic when
> using
> > the phone in another location.
> >
> > This rate table file can be uploaded and
> downloaded,
> > but not edited by the software. Apparently, one
> had to
> > buy a customized table from Ernest Telecom, now
> out of
> > business. I looked at the uploaded rate table with
> a
> > hex editor, but there is no readable text that
> could
> > be edited inside.
> >
> > There are rate override settings to allow one
> single
> > rate for all 7 digit and another set for all 10
> digit
> > phone numbers. However, the predefined local area
> > codes and exchanges override the overrides!
> >
> > The answer was another function in the phone
> called a
> > CSN (Customized Special Number) table. This allows
> > redifining the rate band for any area code,
> exchanges,
> > specific phone number, etc. Wildcard characters
> are
> > allowed, so it is quite flexible. I used this to
> > redefine the band all of the area codes/exchanges
> > predefined as local, then defining a new set of
> local
> > exchanges. This worked, although it would have
> been
> > great to have the software that actually generates
> a
> > new rate table.
> >
> > An interesting feature of the phone is the ability
> to
> > define a "211" refund number. The phone will make
> a
> > free call to the defined "211" number. The person
> > answering the phone can query the phone via DTMF
> to
> > check the last call dialed, the amount collected,
> and
> > the duration of the call. The "operator" can then
> > remotely actuate the coin return and/or issue a
> refund
> > amount that the phone will apply to the next call
> from
> > the phone.
> >
> > The owner can also check the coin box balance and
> > reset it remotely or from the keypad.
> >
> > I have this all working on Asterisk with a custom
> > context.
> >
> > The phone is completely line-powered. It seems
> quite
> > happy when connected to a Linksys PAP2 ATA, even
> > though the voltage is not 48VDC.
> >
> > The phone uses a coin detector switch that has
> three
> > slots, matching the three slots output of the coin
> > sorter. As the sorted coins drop through one of
> three
> > slots, it closes a contact that tells the circuit
> > board what has been deposited. The switch
> occasionally
> > jams when a coin slips between the wall of the
> slot
> > and the little actuator lever. Apparently a new
> unit
> > is available that has wider actualtors to avoid
> this.
> > It is a real pain to fix these jams, so I will
> order a
> > new switch from payphones.com. All these coin path
> > parts appear to be standard across brands of
> COCOT.
> >
> > There are pins on the board for a ringer, although
> > none was installed. The ringer capacitor is on the
> > board. I hooked an old mechanical ringer to the
> pins
> > and it rang fine.
> >
> > Now to put it in the family room and try to
> collect
> > some cash from the family for a "second line"!
> >
> > Don
> >
> > --- Steph Kerman <stfkerman at jps.net> wrote:
> >
> > > Don,
> > >
> > > I checked.  He does not have any info on this.
> > >
> > > Steph
> > >
> > > On 8/25/07 Steph wrote:
> > >
> > > I'm copying this to a friend who had a COCOT
> > > business some years ago.  I
> > > don't know whether he can help but I'm sure if
> he
> > > can he will.
> > >
> > > Steph
> > >
> > > Donald Froula wrote:
> > > > I picked up an Ernest Telecomm 7D-3
> single-slot
> > > COCOT
> > > > payphone today. There is a programming switch
> on
> > > the
> > > > board in the phone that seems to put the
> keypad in
> > > > programming mode, but I get no voice prompts
> or
> > > any
> > > > other indication, other than DTMF when I press
> the
> > > > keys.
> > > >
> 
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