Panasonic's manuals are inconsistent from product to product. There are bad translations from Japanese to English. Important instructions can be easily missed, or hard to find.  Some features have names that don't indicate what the features do. The table of contents is less than logical (information on Holding a call is in the "C" section, information on Locking a phone is in the "E" section.).

People using the manuals have very different backgrounds, and different priorities and expectations. There are hundreds of things to cover, and some information that is very important to one person, is totally useless to others... but might be vital next week.

I don't know how big this project will be or how long it will take or even what it will ultimately cover, but I've started. Check back from time to time. Your comments and suggestions are welcome. 
                       MNM

(2) If you want full system functions during a power failure, you will need an external battery back-up system -- the same kind of "UPS" (Un-interruptible Power Supply) that would be used with a personal computer. Generally, the more you pay for the UPS, the longer your system will work without normal power.

(3) The digital control units can be programmed with an IBM-compatible PC. You'll need our ProCable or a serial cable and null-modem adapter from Radio Shack. We recommend Programmator software. This software also allows you to back-up your programming onto a floppy disk or hard drive, for restoration after a chipset change or a disaster.

The digital 816 and 1232 can be programmed remotely via a modem. You can connect a standard modem to the serial port, or use a special Panasonic modem in the 1232.

The analog 308, 616 and 624 can't be programmed by PC, either locally or remotely. The digital 308 can be programmed by a PC, but not remotely.

(4) The traditional 4-conductor "quad" wire with green, red, black and yellow should not be used in new phone installations. Use 4-pair (8 conductor) Category 3 or 5 wire.

Panasonic phones don't need four pairs, but it's nice to have extra wire in the walls, and the cost of extra wire is insignificant compared to the cost of opening up walls to add more wire later.

The KX-T7130 and KX-T7135 phones requires three pairs of wire for off-hook call announcing when connected to an analog or digital 1232 control unit. Other current analog phones and control units use two pairs of wire. Digital phones can work on one pair of wires, but need a second pair for the eXtra Device Port on the back of the phone.

It's nice to have spare wire for additional devices later on, or to compensate for wire damaged by plumbers or squirrels. If you are running new wire, we recommend 4-, or 6-pair 24 gauge to each phone location. Wire is cheap to buy. Installing more wire later on is not cheap, and can be very messy. You can buy wire locally or from us.

If you need to install a phone in an adjacent building, such as a garage, we recommend that you use cable designed for burial in the ground. It's armored to protect it from sharp-toothed critters, and filled with anti-moisture gel.

(5) Analog phones CAN be used with digital control units, but digital phones CAN'T be used with the analog control units.

  We will give you one FREE JACK for each "system" phone you order with a new phone system control unit. Let us know if you want a wall jack, or either a surface-mount or flush-mount jack for a table phone.

(6) In case of a power failure, you can plug single-line phones into several jacks. The jack for the lowest intercom number will work on your first line, the next jack on your second line, etc. (The KX-TD308 provides power failure operation only at the first jack.) Panasonic control units have internal batteries to maintain programming when power is off.

(7) Any of the phones made for our Panasonic phone systems, except the KX-T7880 and 7885 cordlesses, may be used on a vertical or horizontal surface. The 7880 and 7885 can't be wall-mounted.

WELL, FOLKS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DIAL 9 (unless you have "Centrex" service from your phone company, and if you do have it, there's a good chance that you shouldn't have it.)

The best way to make a call with a Panasonic proprietary multi-line phone, is to simply tap an unused "CO" line button, and immediately start dialing the number. You don't even have to wait for dial tone. In a digital system, you can tap a button programmed for one-touch automatic dialing, and it will choose a line, turn on the speaker and microphone, and dial the call. In an analog system, you first tap a line button or the SP-PHONE button, and then tap the programmed button.

The default programming in Panasonic systems is to connect you to the intercom when you pick up the handset. This setup encourages you to dial with the speakerphone instead of the handset -- a very sensible timesaver, since there is a good chance that your call won't be answered or you'll be put on hold for a while before you get to talk.

However, there are some people who insist on making calls the old-fashioned way, and the thoughtful folks at Panasonic have provided a way for you to grab an outside line when you pick-up the handset. The procedure is called Auto CO Hunting in analog systems and Preferred Line Assignment - Outgoing in digital systems. Look in the small manuals that are packed with each phone.

(2) Unnecessarily waiting for dial tone
Most people don't know it, but Panasonic systems have a really cool time-saving feature: a buffer memory in the dialing circuit. If you've just made a call, and want to call someone else, just tap the FLASH button, and immediately dial the second number. The digits you dial will be absorbed into the buffer, while the system waits until it hears dialtone from the phone company, and then it will spit out the digits and your call will go through.

(3) Using the handset to shut off the speaker
This silly time-waster really drives me nuts, and I've slapped people's hands when I've caught them doing this .

It's good to dial your calls hands-free, and then switch to a handset when a human being finally picks up. But if you don't reach a person, or if you used the speakerphone for the entire call, you can end the call by simply tapping the SP-PHONE button. Lots of people, including my beloved wife, will quickly pick up the handset and immediately put it down, to hang-up a handsfree call. This wastes time, causes unnecessary wear on the phone, and really pisses me off!

If I see you doing it, I'll slap your hand, too. Don't do it! I'm serious. My wife has a sore hand to prove it.

We have listed the digital system programming steps that are most important for most people. NOTE: Many of the features have the same numbers in the analog KX-TA624 and KX-TA1232. Some features discussed in the manuals are not available on older digital control units, but can be added with an upgrade chipset available from AbleComm. Call 1 888 ABLE 999, toll-free.

	SUPER IMPORTANT. YOU GOTTA READ THIS STUFF:
	"System Programming" is normally done from the lowest-numbered phone in the system, or another phone that has been designated as a "manager's phone." To get into system programming in a digital system or the KX-TA1232, press PROGRAM, *, #, 1234. If your phone does not have a PROGRAM button, press the PAUSE button. To get into Station Programming (for one phone), press PROGRAM (or PAUSE), 99

The following features are useful, but may be less important. Items with asterisk* are important for Panasonic Voice Processing Systems.

** DIL 1:1 is used if you want all calls to be immediately answered by the Voice Processing System, and will override DIL 1:N settings.

1. If you're trying to program your phone system from a digital phone, and the display shows "another use," it means that someone else is already programming from a phone, or that a PC is connected for programming. Programming can only be done from one phone at a time, or a PC, but not a phone and a PC simultaneously.
   
2. The digital system installation manuals say that the maximum cable length for connecting a printer to the control unit is 2m (6.5 feet). If you are connecting a PC for programming or call detail recording, you should be able to go 50 feet or more.
3. When using a KX-T7335 to program a KX-TA1232, the left and right arrow keys on the template cover the Intercom and Message buttons and DO NOT WORK as arrow keys during programming. In the front of the TA1232 Programming Guide (page 9) it mentions that the left and right arrow keys should be the FWD/DND and CONF buttons. The 7335 does not have those buttons pre-assigned, so in order to use the arrow keys
   during programming, you have to set two of the CO buttons to FWD/DND and CONF. For the left arrow, use Code 70 (CONF) and for the right arrow, use
   Code 4 (FWD/DND). Ignore the left/right arrow keys on the template. Thanks to Dick Snow for this valuable tip.
   
4. We get calls from people who have trouble programming their phone system control units ("KSUs") and voice processing systems from a PC,  but we've never found the trouble to be caused by a bad Panasonic product, and it's almost never the fault of bad software.

Many people don't realize they need a null modem adapter or AbleComm's special ProCable  for programming a voice processor. You need it (unless you want to make up your own null modem cable -- an activity best reserved for extreme geeks and masochists).

Most trouble turns out to be a bad or weird cable, or a bad or weird null modem adapter. Sometimes people will try two PCs, half a dozen cables and three or four null modems -- things that they'll SWEAR are perfect, but just don't work

Some cables that work fine with laptops don't work with desktops, and vice-versa.

Some cables that work fine with Voice Processing Systems, don't work with phone systems, but I've never seen the opposite problem.

I can tell you this much: AbleComm's special ProCable has never failed; and Radio Shack's own serial cable and their null modem adapter will work most of the time. 

You may have trouble if you use a 25-pin to 9-pin adapter, but a factory-made cable with 9 pins on one end and 25 on the other should be OK. The KX-TD308 control unit and the KX-TVS50 and 80 have 9-pin connectors.

The single-line device can be plugged into the XDP jack on the back of a phone, or directly into any jack that has a working voice pair. It is not necessary to have a digital phone in a jack, to use an analog phone or device. If you don't need an XDP in a particular location, you can "send" that voice pair to another location, by separating the voice and data pairs where they come out of the control unit, probably with a punch-down block.

• A Panasonic ANALOG MULTI-LINE phone, such as the KX-T7030, requires all four wires when used in either an analog or a digital system -- it uses more system resources than a digital phone.
• You can't plug a multi-line phone into an XDP.
• Panasonic "system" cordless phones -- such as the KX-T7880, KX-T7885 and KX-TD7895 -- are considered to be analog phones, and require a four-wire jack, with XDP disabled.

1. DON'T DON'T DON'T try to save a few bucks by skipping surge protection. Your phone system can get fried by high voltage coming in from the power line or from a phone line, or even from an outdoor phone jack, or wire connecting a phone or paging speaker in another building. Surge protectors vary greatly. Don't think that a lump of plastic you scooped up from a bin at the 99-cent store will do the job. You're investing a lot of money in your phone system; and if it dies, the disruption will be annoying and expensive. Your Panasonic warranty will not provide a free repair on fried equipment. Good power line protectors cost $30 and up, and usually come with insurance to pay for any damage that isn't protected against. We sell power line protectors and protectors for phone lines (up to 25 lines in one module). 
   
2. Panasonic makes back-up power supplies to keep your system running during a black-out; but they are designed to use automotive batteries or "gel cells," which can be a PITA to install. We generally use computer-type UPSes (Un-interruptible Power Supplies) which are easier to install, come in a wide range of sizes, and can provide power for both a phone system and a voice processing system. We can help you figure out the proper model to keep your system going for the desired length of time. NOTE: In a business, if you don't have back-up power for your computers and lights, there's probably no point in having back-up power for the phone system, because probably no one will stay in a dark office to answer the phone. However, if you have a voicemail system that normally takes messages when the office is closed, back-up power is important.
   
   During a power failure, with no back-up power supply, each Panasonic control unit can allow one or more standard phones to operate, but with no intercom, lights or system features. The KX-TD308 allows only one power failure phone, so put it in the most important place, probably the master bedroom or kitchen in a residential installation. An internal lithium battery will maintain your programming for several days.

1. If you have added an expansion module to a digital control unit or the KX-TA1232, and it does not work, check program #109 to make sure you have told your control unit which kind of modules are in which positions on the front door, and TURN OFF and then TURN ON the control unit. The off/on sequence is vital, and easy to miss. It's the last step printed in the manual for program #109.
   
2. If you are using a punch-down block, be aware of the sequence of the wires that are attached to the 25-pair connectors in the KX-TD308 and KX-TD1232 control units, and the KX-TD170 and KX-TD171 expansion modules. Three pairs are assigned to each extension (or "station port") and the sequence is {1} voice (analog) pair, {2} data (digital) pair, {3} skip this pair. The sequence appears eight times in each connector.
   
3. If you remove the inner panel on a KX-TD816 to change a chip or add Caller ID, be very careful putting it back on. There's a good chance that the little white plastic connector for a back-up battery will not easily pop through the opening in the panel. You might have to grip it with a long-nose pliers or guide it with a small screwdriver. Be careful not to bend it so much away from the printed circuit board that it comes off or breaks apart.
   
4. Be careful installing the KX-TD193 Caller ID module. It's easy to mis-align the pins, and a PITA to remove and re-install. Remember, that in the KX-TD1232, a KX-TD193 in the lower position will work on the first four lines. Also remember to order Caller ID from the phone company, and to use program #406 to make Caller ID work on specific lines.
   
5. While it is possible to change a chipset through the convenient little door in the center of a KX-TD816 or KX-TD1232, it can be very difficult, and there's a good chance that you will damage a pin on an expensive chip. It is actually faster to unplug everything, put the control unit down flat, remove the main door and the inner panel, and then replace the chips. Mark or tag the cords and cables that you unplug, so they go back in the right places.
   
6. If you want to use two KX-TD1232 units in tandem, make sure that they have the same firmware ("chipset" version) and that one unit is designated as the master, and one as the slave, using the small switch inside the central door. Turn the two D1232s on at the same time, with the outside lines ("CO lines") disconnected for a couple of minutes, and don't let anyone use a phone for a while. The initial interconnecting period is important for "bonding," like a new baby and its mother; and the procedure will work better if there is nothing else going on that can affect either unit. NOTE: a "dash-two" can be a master for a "dash-one" slave, but other combinations will not work.)
7. Here are some valid numbers for Phantom Extensions: 100, 189, 190, 195, 200, 265-290. Other numbers may conflict with extension numbers and features and will be a major PITA!
   
8. Program 804 is called "External Pager BGM." It allows music being fed into the system for music-on-hold and background music through the phones, to be also sent to a an external public address system. The manuals should say "paging system," not "pager."
   
9. A 2-line cordless phone can work very nicely in a Panasonic phone system. Connect each line to a different extension port from the control unit.
10. Unless you really want visitors at your front door to be answered by a robot, make sure that any jack you're using for an answering machine or voice mail, is programmed NOT to ring on calls from the door intercom.
11. If you need LOUD volume coming out of a Panasonic phone, you can easily connect a public address "horn" speaker. This works well at pool cabanas and in factories. You can get one at Radio Shack for about $40.You'll be surprised how far voices will carry with no additional amplification. The normal microphone should work quite well, too. You can modify a Panasonic door intercom speaker the same way, if you only need intercom capability. Modifications like this may void your warranty -- BE CAREFUL!
12. We've seen a couple of KX-TD816s lose the ability to ring single-line phones. Somehow the power supply got damaged, perhaps by a short-circuit, or maybe because too many old-fashioned "mechanical" phones were connected. We've never seen the problem with any other control unit. Replacing the fuses on the front panel won't help -- the unit will have to be repaired...so be careful.
13. Instead of mounting your voice processing system next to the phone system control unit, mount it near one of your computers, so it's easy to make programming changes. It won't take up much space, and the wiring is very simple -- much simpler than extending a serial cable 50 feet.

1. While it is possible to change the designated extension numbers ("intercom numbers") to give you a nice logical pattern (such as all phones on the third floor begin with 3), it is a major PITA and probably not worth the effort, unless you have a severe case of masochism.
   
2. If you are on a call, and your phone doesn't ring or give you Caller ID when another call comes it, you need to program "Internal Call Waiting" for your phone. Press Intercom, then 7311 to activate.
   
3. If you tap the HOLD button twice in rapid succession (deliberately or by accident) you'll notice that the light does a "double-wink."  This means that the call is now on "exclusive hold, and only the phone that put the call on hold, can take it off hold.
   
4. Program #108 can be a terrific timesaver or a major PITA. It's used to establish "Automatic Hold" for all the multi-line phones and DSS/BLF consoles in the system. It saves time by automatically holding a caller on one line, when you want to use intercom or another line, without having to use the Hold button. It's a PITA, because it will often ACCIDENTALLY put lines on hold...even sending Music-On-Hold through the speaker on someone else's desk (which might be fun).
   
5. You can eliminate the alerting tone that people hear when you join a conversation, by changing field # 13 in program 990 in the digital systems. This is good for managers who have to monitor staff members who interact with the public, and for kids who want to listen-in on parents' calls.
   
6. The system can automatically correct the displayed time based on information sent with Caller ID, once a day. Change field # 30, in program 990.
7. If you want to transfer a call to a phone that is programmed to forward the call outside, you need to do a "supervised" transfer. Press Transfer, then dial the intercom number or press a pre-programmed button for the person, and stay on the line until you hear ringing, then hang up. Thanks to Panasonic TechWizard Frank for this tip.

1. If one or two phones don't work, particularly in the lowest-numbered jacks in each group of eight (but not the first eight in the D816), there is a very good chance that the 25-pair Amphenol plug has come loose from the female connector in the control unit, or in an expansion module.
   
2. If you're trying to program your system from a digital phone, and the display shows "another use," it means that someone else is already programming from a phone, or that a PC is connected for programming. Programming can only be done from one phone at a time, or a PC, but not a phone and a PC simultaneously.
   
3. Panasonic phones systems are very robust. They are hard to kill, but can be temporarily wounded. If your system crashes and you can't bring it back to life by resetting, disconnect all the wires going to your phone jacks. Then plug one in. If the phone works, keep re-connecting the others until you crash again. Once you find the bad wire segment, disconnect it and inspect it. Chances are, you'll find some damage to the wire, or maybe something soggy in the jack. If you have an outdoor jack, check it first.
4. If a phone is dead or intermittent, try it in another jack that you know works OK, to see if the trouble is with the phone or the jack. If you determine that the phone is faulty, swap its pluggable parts with another phone to zero-in on the defect. Most-likely sources of trouble (starting with most-likely): handset cord, handset, line cord, phone base, jack, wire between jack and control unit, control unit.
5. Things that people touch are more likely to break than things that don't get touched. Wire outside a wall is more likely to have problems than wire inside a wall. Phone equipment in an active office is more likely to have trouble than phone equipment in a locked closet.
6. If a phone has been unplugged and plugged back in and doesn't work, make sure that both ends of the cord are snapped in securely. On a digital phone, make sure its line cord is in the jack labeled "to EMSS" or "to main unit."
7. If a phone's speaker works, but the handset doesn't, check to see if the headset/handset switch is set for a headset.
8. If an analog phone is dead and you're sure it's plugged into a live jack, check to see if the Program/Set switch is in the Program position. If it is, move it to Set.
9. If a phone has lights, but no sound, check to see if one of the buttons is being kept pressed-down by the plastic overlay sheet, particularly on first-generation phones like the KX-T61630 with12 auto-dial buttons. If a button has slipped behind the plastic, wiggle it so it pops though the proper hole, and you'll avoid a $75 service call. If it's an analog phone, a damaged cord or improper (2-conductor) cord can give you lights but no dialtone.