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Intercom Phone System


Tom

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I'm looking for a six way intercom phone system, to install temporary as part of a project.

It's to allow performers to talk to a control position and maybe each other.

 

Something like this:

http://www.electrosupplies.co.uk/Tools-and-Power-Intercom-Systems-Telephone-Intercoms/c7_95_2037/p11238/Eagle-Cream-6-Station-Master-Station/product_info.html

 

We did think about doing something with a comms handset but for various reasons have gone this way.

 

Does anybody have any experience with this sort of system - perhaps can recommend one.

 

Also, would there be a simple way of wirering a strobe light or similar into the circuit to allow for a visual indication that the phone is ringing?

The manual and whirring diagram are attached.

 

It should be said that when I say simple I really mean that. Talk of resistors etc is great but will have to be explained.

 

Thanks

Tom

Intercom Manual.pdf

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Does anybody have any experience with this sort of system - perhaps can recommend one.

 

Also, would there be a simple way of wirering a strobe light or similar into the circuit to allow for a visual indication that the phone is ringing?

The manual and whirring diagram are attached.

 

It sounds like your phones need to be practical, otherwise I would suggest a collection of very cheap domestic hand-sets, used as dummy phones. Have you though about just using mobiles, or cheap PMR sets?

 

I have used similar Eagle handsets for 1:1 links. They are a fairly cheap way of setting up a small internal phone system, but are very limited. Pushing the Call button produces a loud squawk at the other end (no way of controlling volume). It MIGHT be possible to devise a way of replacing the squawker with a light, but it's definitely not one for the non-technical.

 

As a general point (applies to many non-technical posters), the more specific you are about your project the more likely you are to get replies that are relevant to it.

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Thanks for your response Ian.

 

Yes, these are practical. They are used "in action" by performers, and possibly also audience members, to talk to a control position. The show is more of an audience participation game than anything else so they need to be as much like a phone as possible, hence not using any of the other suggestions you made and why we have also moved away from a comms system.

 

a fairly cheap way of setting up a small internal phone system, but are very limited
is just what we are after.

The loud squawk is a little worrying but we will have to see.

 

I understand they are wired in a daisy chain style, which is fine, but do you know if one could run spurs off that? We want to us them desk mounted / hand held and even pass them around a little and having two cables running off them will be a bit ugly. Do you think I can put a junction box at each "desk" and run a spur to the actual handset (as one would with a conventional phone system).

Now I've typed that it seems like a silly question and I'm imagining the answer is no, bot I'll leave it hanging so somebody can put me right.

As a general point, I don't consider myself non-technical but I do know pretty much nothing about electronics.

In this case, I do feel I've been as specific as I need to be without describing the entire project to you all. You're response is exactly the sort of answer I was after -somebody with specific experience of this type of kit. I didn't really want lots of suggestions other ways of cracking this.

Thanks

Tom

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We want to us them desk mounted / hand held and even pass them around a little and having two cables running off them will be a bit ugly. Do you think I can put a junction box at each "desk" and run a spur to the actual handset

2 cables into a junction box then 1 cable with double the number of cores from the junction box to the handset.To trigger external stuff maybe an opto coupler replacing the sounder and the transistor /triac controlling the indicator circuit

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The loud squawk is a little worrying but we will have to see.

 

I understand they are wired in a daisy chain style, which is fine, but do you know if one could run spurs off that? We want to us them desk mounted / hand held and even pass them around a little and having two cables running off them will be a bit ugly. Do you think I can put a junction box at each "desk" and run a spur to the actual handset (as one would with a conventional phone system).

Hi Tom. You can reduce the squawk a bit by covering the hole above the sounder (gaffer tape?), or stuffing some sort of deadening over the sounder itself. For anything more you may need a geek.

 

Yes, you could easily insert a junction box between #1 & #6 & their neighbours. In theory you could even have them all in a "star" arrangement, using a central 9-way terminal strip. Each phone needs an 8-core cable, & they are all wired the same, except that the wire corresponding to each phone's own number is connected to "L" instead, if you see what I mean.

 

 

In this case, I do feel I've been as specific as I need to be without describing the entire project to you all. I didn't really want lots of suggestions of other ways of cracking this.

 

 

Fair comment. The point I was trying to make (if not very clearly) is that lots of threads go off in directions that are of little use to the OP, because the original query gives so little background info that everyone is trying to 2nd-guess what the actual problem might be, or what the OP is really trying to achieve.

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They are used "in action" by performers, and possibly also audience members, to talk to a control position. The show is more of an audience participation game than anything else so they need to be as much like a phone as possible, hence not using any of the other suggestions you made and why we have also moved away from a comms system.

Then use a small phone system. Most use 2 wires (1 pair) to each station, ordinary phones can be used, and if you want a flashing ringing light there are commercially available strobe ringers, or circuits on the web to make a light that flashes with ringing. At the most basic it's a capacitor, bridge rectifier, LED and resistor.

 

 

There are Orchid PABX 206 for about £112 new on Ebay, add 6 cheap handsets and some wire.

 

 

You would also have the option of using one or more cordless handsets.

 

Some cordless phones can have multiple handsets and have an intercom function between handsets, but their operation might not be as straight-forward

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I would be inclined to agree with Owain. You can get the Orchid unit for less than £100, so a 6-phone system should work out a bit cheaper than 6 Eagle units, & you would end up with something that could have a 2nd life as an office or venue phone system. Having said that, it appears to need proper BT-style sockets, & is a bit more complex to connect up & programme than just stringing 6 Eagle units together.
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it appears to need proper BT-style sockets, & is a bit more complex to connect up & programme than just stringing 6 Eagle units together.

Most of those small phone systems will work -- if you use modern electronic phones which are 2-wire anyway and don't need master sockets with a ringing capacitor -- just using RJ11 to RJ11 leads.

 

For programming most will work out-of-the-box for intercom dialling.

 

Worth checking the internal call paths as although the systems might have 6 extns it doesn't mean it will allow 3 concurrent intercom calls.

 

Also note that handsets might have to be labelled "not for 999 calls" if they're not immediately obvious as props.

 

Secondhand systems such as Panasonics are available for less, but some may need a keyphone on station 01 for programming, although most would work in this application on default settings.

 

 

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Sorry not to have been back -very busy.

 

The Orchid PBX system is perfect. Much simpler to wire (plug ad play) and comes with the adaptors required.

Actually, we've now gone with cordless phones so no hassle to cable up at all and much easier to hand around the audience if required.

 

I am assured that six cordless phones will sit happily next to each other without interference (crosses fingers) so I just have to hope they don't pick up anything or cause any problems to any of the other kit we'll be using.

 

I'l let you know if it works as well as I hope.

 

 

T

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just to say the PBX system worked perfectly.

We bought six £10 cordless phones and have had no problems at all.

 

The local crew thought there might be a little interference on their radio cans but nothing that was any sort of issue.

 

Thanks for the idea.

 

T

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