X100P mod or USB relay box, RE: [Asterisk-Users] Line Override Device

[Reed Wade]

The best solution would be an enhancement to the X100P card.

If the 2nd RJ jack was a pass through for the line except
when the card had power and was initialized. Some kind of
watchdog functionality would also be nice so that if, for
example, Asterisk dies then pass through functionality would
take effect after n seconds.

This would probably mean adding a relay to the board which
would raise to cast a little. But, as the original poster
indicated this is critical for a serious system.

An alternative would be an extra relay box, maybe powered by
USB. One mode could be to switch based on presence of power,
another mode could require periodic watchdog pings via the
USB. I always wanted to build something using a USB flavored
PIC...

I can see this for small offices (like ours). We have 4 incoming
lines in a hunt group. If Asterisk is not running I want one of
those lines to ring the receptionist (maybe using a simple dedicated
phone since they'd otherwise have an IP phone) and the others looped
for busy.

I can see a box with USB and 12 RJ jacks (4 x (1 in, 2 outs)) to make
that work.

Would anyone buy a product like that?

-reed



At 07:12 AM 7/14/2003 -0500, jltaylor wrote:
>This power failure thing does not have to be complicated.
>A few solutions come to mind:
>
>1) A 3,5,12 (whatever is needed) power supply (wall wart)used with a relay 
>(DPDT).  When the wall wart has power, the computer takes the call.  When 
>power fails, the POTS line "falls" in to place.
>Now, this does not "delay" while the computer is booting up.
>
>2) A "basic stamp" computer - about $25-30.  It has 8 programmable i/o 
>pins that will drive relays. One pin monitors either a wall wart or 5v 
>from one of the plugs on your computer's power supply.  When pin 1 goes 
>low (no power) relay kicks in to bypass computer and connect POTS line 
>direct.  When power returns program jumps to a "sleep" or delay statement 
>for xMINS until computer boots. And then releases relay for "normal" 
>operation.  www.parallaxinc.com and resellers.
>
>James Taylor
>jltaylor at metrotel.net
>903-793-1953