The MERLIN Plus Communications System. AT&T Merlin

The MERLIN Plus Communications System

THE CONTROL UNIT

THE VOICE TERMINALS

The basic MERLIN Plus system provides connections to up to four outside telephone lines and ten voice terminals. We use the term “voice terminal” instead of “telephone” because a basic telephone only lets you make and receive calls, while a voice terminal can be programmed to do a whole lot more, which you will soon discover as you read this manual.

To accommodate your growing communications needs, the system expands easily and economically to support up to eight outside lines and 20 voice terminals. If your business eventually outgrows even the fully expanded

MERLIN Plus system, you can protect your investment in voice terminals, accessory equipment, and training time with the purchase of a larger MERLIN system.

The paragraphs that follow offer a brief introduction to the system’s control unit and voice terminals. The optional equipment you can add to your system is

described under the heading “Accessory Equipment” in Section 5, “Reference.”

The control unit is the system’s brain. It manages all incoming, outgoing, and intercom call traffic. It makes all of the system’s decisions and controls all of the system’s responses. For an illustration of the control unit with its major

components labeled, see “Administration Preview” in Section 3,

“Administering the System.”

A voice terminal is a MERLIN system telephone that provides basic telephone functions and allows you to take advantage of the special MERLIN system features. All voice terminals have buttons for fixed features such as Conference,

Drop, Transfer, and Hold. They differ from one another in the number of buttons above and to the right of the dial pad that can be used for outside lines and programmable features. The 10-button voice terminal with the “HFAI” designation has the hands-free intercom feature. Voice terminals with “SP” or

“BIS” designations also have the hands-free answer on intercom feature and a built-in speakerphone. For more information on using basic telephones with the

MERLIN Plus system, see “Basic Telephones” in Section 5, “Reference.”

Your MERLIN Plus system works best with the following voice terminals:

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BIS-10 Voice Terminal

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BIS-22 Voice Terminal

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BIS-22D Voice Terminal with Display

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BIS-34 Voice Terminal

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BIS-34D Voice Terminal with Display

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5-Button Voice Terminal

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10-Button Voice Terminal

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10-Button Hands-Free Answer on Intercom (HFAI-10) Voice Terminal

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34-Button Voice Terminal

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34-Button (SP-34) Voice Terminal with Speakerphone

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34-Button (SP-34D) Voice Terminal with Speakerphone and Display

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34-Button Deluxe Voice Terminal

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BIS-10, BIS-22, BIS-34, and BIS-34D Voice Terminals

The BIS-10 Voice Terminal allows you to make and receive outside and intercom calls without lifting the handset. There are two columns of five buttons above the dial pad for incoming lines, auto intercom, and programmable features.

The dual lights next to each button indicate the current status of selected features and lines.

BIS 10

The BIS-22 Voice Terminal allows you to make and receive outside and intercom calls without lifting the handset. There are two columns of five buttons above the dial pad and one column of 12 buttons to the right of the dial pad, each with dual lights that indicate the current status of selected features and lines. You can use the buttons above the dial pad for incoming lines, auto intercom, and programmable features. You can also use the 12 buttons to the right of the dial pad for programmable features.

BIS 22

The BIS-22D Voice Terminal with Display allows you to make and receive outside and intercom calls without lifting the handset. There are two columns of five buttons above the dial pad and one column of 12 buttons to the right of the dial pad, each with dual lights that indicate the current status of selected features and lines. You can use the buttons above the dial pad for incoming lines, auto intercom, and programmable features. You can also use the 12 buttons to the right of the dial pad for programmable features. The display, located in the top portion of the voice terminal, offers a variety of visual aids for most features.

BIS 22D

The BIS-34 Voice Terminal allows you to make and receive outside and intercom calls without lifting the handset. There are two columns of five buttons above the dial pad for outside lines, auto intercom, and programmable features and two columns of 12 buttons to the right for programmable features. The dual lights next to each button indicate the status of the selected features and lines.

BIS 34

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The BIS-34D Voice Terminal with Display allows you to make and receive outside and intercom calls without lifting the handset. There are two columns of five buttons above the dial pad for incoming lines, auto intercom, and programmable features and two columns of 12 buttons to the right for programmable features. The dual lights next to each button indicate the status of the selected features and lines. The display, located in the top portion of the voice terminal, offers a variety of visual aids for most features.

BIS 34D

5-Button Voice Terminal

The 5-button voice terminal has one column of five buttons (an Intercom button and four additional buttons above the dial pad) that you can use for outside lines and/or programmable features.

5-Button

10-Button Voice Terminals

The 10-Button Voice Terminal has two columns of five buttons

(an Intercom button and nine additional buttons above the dial pad) for outside lines and programmable features.

10-Button

The 10-Button (HFAI-10) Voice Terminal has a built-in speaker that allows you to answer intercom calls without lifting the handset. It also has two columns of five buttons (an Intercom button and nine additional buttons above the dial pad) for outside lines and programmable features.

HFAI-10

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34-Button Voice Terminal

The 34-Button Voice Terminal is a basic voice terminal that provides two columns of five buttons above the dial pad for outside lines and programmable features. The two columns of 12 buttons to the right of the dial pad can be used for Auto Intercom buttons and other programmable features that do not require lights.

34-Button

The 34-Button Deluxe Voice Terminal has two columns of five buttons located above the dial pad and two columns of 12 buttons to the right of the dial pad.

You can use the buttons above the dial pad for lines and programmable features.

You can use the 24 buttons, with two lights per button, located to the right of the dial pad for programmable features.

34-Button

Deluxe

The 34-Button (SP-34) Voice Terminal with Speakerphone has a built-in speakerphone that allows you to initiate and answer both outside and intercom calls without using the handset. Above the dial pad are two columns of five buttons (an Intercom button and nine additional buttons) for outside lines and

Auto Intercom buttons and programmable features. The two columns of

12 buttons located to the right of the dial pad can be used for programmable features that do not require lights.

SP 34

The 34-Button (SP-34D) Voice Terminal with Speakerphone and Display has all the features of the SP-34 voice terminal combined with a display in the top portion.

SP-34D

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Summary

Voice terminal models BIS-34 and BIS-34D are ideal for the system administrator/attendant console because their features allow you to easily use all the system’s features. You can also use the BIS-22 and the 34-Button Deluxe models as the console. However, the SP-34, SP-34D, BIS-10, HFAI-10,

10-Button, and 5-Button voice terminals are not recommended for use as an adrninister/attendant console because the administrator would be unable to see which buttons were being assigned special features during system administration. In addition, 10- and 22-Button voice terminals cannot be used to program certain system features.

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Section 2: Planning the System