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OBi200 partial ring

Started by Roland_Des, August 28, 2018, 07:11:13 AM

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Roland_Des

Just moved to a new house and brought over the OBi200.  The previous owners had the house wired for phone line and connected through the cable provider VOIP service. 

When I connect the OBi200 to the phone lines in the house and call comes in, it tries to ring and cuts off, it will continue to do that for every ring.  If I pick up than the line connects fine and I can also make calls fine.  I believe the phone line is connected to the water meter and the security system and only one cordless phone base.  If I connect the phone directly to the OBi than it works fine as it should.  Any thoughts on what the issue could be? 

A_Friend

#1
Sounds like the line is overloaded and the Obi isn't putting out enough ring current for your ringer.  Besides the water meter and security system, are there any other phones plugged in?

Have you tried another telephone?

Here's a lame workaround:  replace the Obi200 with an Obi202, plug your phone into one port and the house wire into the other, and have them both share the same SP, which can ring both ports.

Nominally, an Obi200 or 202 phone port can handle 5 "Ringer Equivalents."  Check your systems to see how much they supposedly draw. If it adds up to less than 5, and nothing else is broken, it might be your phone.




SteveInWA

Quote from: A_Friend on August 28, 2018, 10:36:54 AM
Sounds like the line is overloaded and the Obi isn't putting out enough ring current for your ringer.  Besides the water meter and security system, are there any other phones plugged in?

Have you tried another telephone?

Here's a lame workaround:  replace the Obi200 with an Obi202, plug your phone into one port and the house wire into the other, and have them both share the same SP, which can ring both ports.

Nominally, an Obi200 or 202 phone port can handle 5 "Ringer Equivalents."  Check your systems to see how much they supposedly draw. If it adds up to less than 5, and nothing else is broken, it might be your phone.



Seriously, every one of your compulsive answers is bullshit.  You are not helping anyone.  Just stop it and go away.  DrGeoff already explained ringing power to you.

REN was only meaningful until around the 1970s, when phones stopped being manufactured with mechanical ringing bells operated with a coil.  All modern telecom devices, be they telephones or modems or security panel dialers, draw a fraction of a REN, typically .1 or so.

This poster's issue is likely that the house wiring is still connected to the cable box, or there is a low-resistance somewhere in the wiring.  The definitive test is to plug the telephone directly into the OBi.  If it works, then the problem is with the house wiring.

drgeoff

The OP has already confirmed that with the phone plugged directly into the OBi both work as they should.

Reconnect the OBi to the house wiring.  Plug the phone into the house wiring but unplug the water meter, the security system, the cable box.

If not working Ok there is a problem with the house wiring.

If still working OK then add the other items one at a time until you find the one that breaks things,

If the cable box is required in order for the water meter or security system to communicate back to wherever they report to, you need to understand that the cable box and the OBi cannot both be on the same pair of wires.

A_Friend

#4
Quote from: drgeoff on August 28, 2018, 11:39:13 AM
The OP has already confirmed that with the phone plugged directly into the OBi both work as they should.

Reconnect the OBi to the house wiring.  Plug the phone into the house wiring but unplug the water meter, the security system, the cable box.

If not working Ok there is a problem with the house wiring.

If still working OK then add the other items one at a time until you find the one that breaks things,

If the cable box is required in order for the water meter or security system to communicate back to wherever they report to, you need to understand that the cable box and the OBi cannot both be on the same pair of wires.

Roland_Des,

Was just reading up on Varistors, which are the components most surge protectors use.  It seems when they degrade, after eating a few surges, their trigger voltages get lower and lower.  You may have one on line somewhere which is now eating your ring voltage.  If the water meter and security system aren't the cause, inspect your network interface and jacks to see if anyone installed a MOV/varistor/surge device (they look like a large flat disc capacitor).  And if it turns out the water meter or security system IS the cause, you might want to notify that company that their device needs service/replacement.

SteveInWA

Quote from: A_Friend on August 30, 2018, 01:00:45 AM
Quote from: drgeoff on August 28, 2018, 11:39:13 AM
The OP has already confirmed that with the phone plugged directly into the OBi both work as they should.

Reconnect the OBi to the house wiring.  Plug the phone into the house wiring but unplug the water meter, the security system, the cable box.

If not working Ok there is a problem with the house wiring.

If still working OK then add the other items one at a time until you find the one that breaks things,

If the cable box is required in order for the water meter or security system to communicate back to wherever they report to, you need to understand that the cable box and the OBi cannot both be on the same pair of wires.

Roland_Des,

Was just reading up on Varistors, which are the components most surge protectors use.  It seems when they degrade, after eating a few surges, their trigger voltages get lower and lower.  You may have one on line somewhere which is now eating your ring voltage.  If the water meter and security system aren't the cause, inspect your network interface and jacks to see if anyone installed a MOV/varistor/surge device (they look like a large flat disc capacitor).  And if it turns out the water meter or security system IS the cause, you might want to notify that company that their device needs service/replacement.

More ridiculous bullshit.  We don't need someone to read random stuff on the internet and then make guesses about it.  If you need a friend, then get a dog.  This is not a citizens band radio chat channel.

AC line (mains) power surge suppressors use a combination of MOVs and RF noise-suppression circuits.  Telephone line / data line surge suppressors do not use MOVs; most commonly use gas discharge tubes and zener diode arrays, which do not degrade over time.  The telephone company suppressors installed in network interface boxes used a very heavy-duty carbon lightening suppression device, again, not MOVs.  The devices inside network interface boxes are intended for lightening protection.

Most AC surge protector power strips are designed to fail open-circuit, with an indicator LED to notify the user that the product is now EOL.

A power line disturbance could make its way through the AC power adapter (wall wart), if it is not plugged into a working surge protector, but it would be caught by the surge suppressors inside the OBi device, and the relatively wimpy circuitry inside the AC power adapter would break down and fail first.  Worst case, if the surge made it all the way past these protections, the entire OBi device would release its magic smoke and die.

There is nothing to "eat up your ring voltage"; that's utterly preposterous.  The ring voltage is generated and precisely regulated inside the Subscriber Line Interface (SLIC) module.  If a surge on the telephone line got that far, the module would sacrifice itself, and the phone line would be dead.  There have been plenty of examples of this over the years.

A_Friend

Quote from: SteveInWA on August 30, 2018, 06:18:17 PM
[
More ridiculous bullshit.  We don't need someone to read random stuff on the internet and then make guesses about it.  If you need a friend, then get a dog.  This is not a citizens band radio chat channel.

AC line (mains) power surge suppressors use a combination of MOVs and RF noise-suppression circuits.  Telephone line / data line surge suppressors do not use MOVs; most commonly use gas discharge tubes and zener diode arrays, which do not degrade over time.  The telephone company suppressors installed in network interface boxes used a very heavy-duty carbon lightening suppression device, again, not MOVs.  The devices inside network interface boxes are intended for lightening protection.

Most AC surge protector power strips are designed to fail open-circuit, with an indicator LED to notify the user that the product is now EOL.

A power line disturbance could make its way through the AC power adapter (wall wart), if it is not plugged into a working surge protector, but it would be caught by the surge suppressors inside the OBi device, and the relatively wimpy circuitry inside the AC power adapter would break down and fail first.  Worst case, if the surge made it all the way past these protections, the entire OBi device would release its magic smoke and die.

There is nothing to "eat up your ring voltage"; that's utterly preposterous.  The ring voltage is generated and precisely regulated inside the Subscriber Line Interface (SLIC) module.  If a surge on the telephone line got that far, the module would sacrifice itself, and the phone line would be dead.  There have been plenty of examples of this over the years.

You're forgetting the fact that he bought a house that had existing wiring with an existing history.  Who knows what was installed or when.  Further, you don't know the circuitry of either the security system or the water meter.  Your speculations about what, if any, type of surge arrestor is installed, and where, is no more valid than mine. 

Have you ever taken apart a cheap Chinese power strip with "surge protection" for power, cable and telephone?  It's just cheap varistors.  Only intended to work once, at most.  Maybe the previous homeowner got a brainstorm and stuck one in a phone jack.  No one will know without looking.

Here, go educate yourself a bit:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varistor

In a power application, they're intended to short out and pop the breaker, not fail open.

SO, to sum up:  We know he has a problem with ring current when the Obi200 is using the house wiring.  Why?  I haven't heard a single thing from you that has any prospect of answering that question.  Meanwhile, drgeoff has offered some excellent diagnostic advice.

If the other two items on line don't answer the question, then what's wrong with the wiring?  He can dial the phone and converse with the called party, so it's not a short.  What is it, smart guy? 


vtsnaab

#7
More verbal abuse from 'the Steve':
Quote from: SteveInWA on August 30, 2018, 06:18:17 PM
More ridiculous bullshit.  We don't need someone to read random stuff on the internet and then make guesses about it.  If you need a friend, then get a dog.  This is not a citizens band radio chat channel.
It is suggested to avoid responding to this hate-filled troll as he is certain that he absolutely knows EVERYTHING - that everyone other than himself is stupid & worthless, and that they are also not allowed to be friendly or helpful to one another's benefits.
It also seems most likely that his only close friend in the world must assuredly be a dog - as he suggests so frequently & abusively at others.

He is NOT a credible, helpful, or well intentioned source of information & as such it is suggested that 'the Steve' not be taken seriously - but rather, ignored as much as possible so as to discourage his openly hostile & endless trolling.