Panasonic troubleshooting

(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.