Is my KX-T61610 toast?

[moctodCRP]

I use my pbx for intercom purposes only. It has always worked, so I never paid any attention to the status light when you power it on, but I'm guessing it was GREEN when it was working fine. Recently, I noticed I wasn't getting any dial tones, and the power light is now a solid red. That should be green, right? Can other KX-T61610 users confirm?

It was purchased off ebay and last 5 months. Very sad... Any tips or tricks to fix this? Thank you.

[moctodCRP]

Left it unplugged, and today the PBX is working again. So apparently, power status light is still red, so maybe it was never green before. But what I am getting today is the amber DAY light, which was not there last night when it wasn't working.

What is happening?

[TelePlay]

My 616 has 3 windows that light. Left is green, center is amber and right is red.

Green: night mode (not lit in the image)
Amber: day mode (lit)
Red: power (lit, the unit is turned on)

Day vs night are programming modes, I didn't program my 616 to go into a night mode.

Resetting the unit is always a good first step (with the battery disconnected if you haven't programmed your 616, resetting with battery disconnection bootstraps the unit on power up to factory settings).

What do the manuals say?

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=13613.msg168900#msg168900

[moctodCRP]

Yeah, when it's working, the lights are exactly as yours. I did a reset and everything. The Ambient DAY light just went out again. I'm leaving it unplug. Tomorrow morning, it will probably come back again. I'm guessing my guy has one foot in the grave.

[HarrySmith]

Have you checked the battery? IIRC a weak battery will cause all sorts of problems.

[moctodCRP]

Have you checked the battery? IIRC a weak battery will cause all sorts of problems.

Really? That would be good news if that's the case. I thought the battery was just for memorizing your programs and stuff.

[moctodCRP]

I took out the battery and let it operate without it because maybe it's causing issues. I know people who operate it this way because they don't need all the program memories. But the unit lasted only 9 hours and the amber light went away again.

[5415551212]

I took out the battery and let it operate without it because maybe it's causing issues. I know people who operate it this way because they don't need all the program memories. But the unit lasted only 9 hours and the amber light went away again.

Thats a shame, I'd open it up and do a visual inspection of the boards, look for any burned components or leaky caps. Also there are test points for voltages I think it uses 3 voltages you can check with a cheap multi-meter.

[TelePlay]

Yes, look for overheated components. If you have a digital hand held thermometer, you could also use that to check components temperatures.

Do you have it vertically mounted on a wall with the top and bottom vents not blocked so ambient convection can cool it (as shown in the installation manual)?

That period of time before shut off does sound like an over heating issue. One thing you can try first is to direct air from a small fan upward through the unit from bottom to top while it's running. If the amber light stays on hours longer than 9 hours, that may show it's an overheating issue (one or more components on the PC boards may be nearing their end of life). Or the component boards may be dusty and could use a blow off with compressed air.

Lot of things to try to find the cause.

[TelePlay]

Did you try any of the suggestion I offered in my last post (overheating related) and if so, what, if anything, did you discover?

[moctodCRP]

Did you try any of the suggestion I offered in my last post (overheating related) and if so, what, if anything, did you discover?

I feel I may be jinxing myself but here goes... I had ordered a fresh P-01H-F2G1 hoping that's the simple fix that Harry Smith mentioned above. I was skeptical but lo and behold... it's been running 19 hrs. straight now... knock on wood! I still don't trust it. LOL! I'll report back if it runs for a few days.

[TelePlay]

Do you have it mounted on a wall so natural air flow moves through the unit from bottom to top to keep it cool?

[moctodCRP]

Do you have it mounted on a wall so natural air flow moves through the unit from bottom to top to keep it cool?

Yes, when it shut down, it was hanging in my garage properly.

[TelePlay]

Yes, when it shut down, it was hanging in my garage properly.

What is the daily average ambient temperature inside your garage.

( my garage inside temperatures range from -15F to 105F over a years time period )

The temp spec for the 616 is quite wide, 32 to 104 F.

[moctodCRP]

I don't know, it's been hot, but not above 100. I work in the garage, that's why I'll notice when the light is gone. The amber light is still on, and we've passed 24 hrs. I'm gong to give it another day, see if it stays functioning. Then, I'll disconnect this new battery and reconnect old battery, to see if it shuts off after 5 to 10 hrs. This will confirm if new battery is indeed the answer. Or, leave it without battery because it was shutting off with and without battery before.