Rolm phone system compatibility with other phones?

Question

Okay, this feels like a super technical question I can't get a straight answer for.

I am running on a CBX 9751 system with some old @$$ phones that are built like a brick. Now what I want to do/ know is what can I do to have a wireless phone to use in my department. I have plugged in a normal cheap wireless phone and it started smoking... not one of my better ideas. What phones would be compatible with such system? Call hold and transfer would be required features. Any help greatly appreciated before I go to office depot and drop money on a nice unit and frying it again. Thanks

Answer 1

The actual Rolmphone ports only support Rolm Phones because it is a propriteary circut feeding a proprietary phone. You would have to match the bit format , sequence and signal characteristics. That means any phone you try to use with have to have the same Codec inside. All digital systems use their own formats or they would have to pay a licensing fee to the originall developer of that product. Now if you have any analog ports in the system then you can put any wireless / cordless phoners you want onto those ports because they are straight telephone / Bell standards ports. They use 48 volts for talk and 105 volts 20 hertz for ringing. We used those ports for any places like hospitals to use with wireless headsets.

Answer 2

I posted to our ROLM Alumni facebook page and I'll see if anyone can answer your question. Here are some of the replies:

"Sounds like they plugged into a ROLMphone port not an analog port. They can use a standard wireless phone if it is plugged into an analog port..."

"The ROLM link will not support analog connection, only digital with ROLMphone protocol."

"Most systems do have at least one analog card. It is used for faxes, music on hold and other applications. He might need some cross connections done to give him his analog port. He will have to learn the POTS features such as how to transfer the call (flash *7)."

Answer 3

How about the old 900mhz spectralink phones that can mimic the rp400 phone and i think siemens had a wireless phone they use to sell to customers but cant recall the model number