How to program a Panasonic
 KX-TVA50 or KX-TVA200
 voice processor, Part 1
NOTE: on this website, "voice processor,"
 voice processing system," and "VPS"
 mean the same thing.
 
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the world's best source of information on Panasonic voice processing systems

  • This page will help you get your Panasonic KX-TVA voice processor working in a typical business or home environment, providing both automated attendant and voicemail service, with a Panasonic KX-TD, KX-TA, KX-TAW or KX-TDA series phone system. It should take about an hour.
  • You can modify the suggested settings to provide the best operation for your particular needs.
  • The work on this page is done AFTER you have made programming changes in your phone system, to prepare it for use with your voice processor. Programming instructions continue on Page 2.
  • Some of your work will be done from a PC, and some will be done from a phone.
  • "Maintenance Console" is just a fancy stupid name for the software used to program you voice processor. It is provided free, on the CD-ROM packaged with your voice processor.
  • While programming your voice processor, the software will often refer to your "PBX." In this case, PBX means the control unit ("KSU") of your phone system.

►►►IMPORTANT WARNINGS:

  1. This is a new page dealing with new products. Some information may be INACCURATE or INCOMPLETE or in the WRONG order. It will get better. We promise.
  2. Panasonic has published some INCORRECT information. If you RTFM, you may get in TROUBLE.
  3. We revise this page as we learn more. We're all VIRGINS again.
  4. The instructions say that the default password is 1234. That's WRONG. Use "INSTALLER," in all upper-case letters.
  5. HOWEVER, the second time you are asked for a password, you DO use 1234.
  6. The screenshots below may be DIFFERENT from what you see on your PC. Some screenshots were cropped or otherwise modified to save space.
  7. The instructions say that the USB drivers are on the CD-ROM. They're NOT on the first CD-ROMs to be distributed (June, July 2005). You can download drivers from
    www.voiceprocessor.info/pan-TVAUSBDrivers-5.zip
  8. The USB driver may interfere with KX-TDA or other Panasonic drivers you may have on your PC. Install the appropriate upgrade from the upgrade site or your CD-ROM.
  9. When you install the USB driver, you may get a warning that Bill Gates has not approved the driver. Bill is a very busy guy, and may not get around to it for a while. Ignore the warning and continue.
  10. Unlike earlier Panasonic voice processors, you CAN'T program with a serial cable. You can program by modem, or through your network, or with a USB cable. This page covers USB programming. We'll add network and modem programming later.
  11. Previous Panasonic voice processors had default programming for use with KX-TD or KX-TA824 phone systems. The default settings for the TVA VPSs are for KX-TDA and KX-TAW systems, and you'll use "quick setup" to set your VPS for other systems.
  12. The initialization sequence takes a few minutes, and you may be tempted to quit too soon. You're not FINISHED until you see bursts of five green "run" LED flashes (which indicated BIG TROUBLE on the older VPSs).
  13. You may have to initialize your VPS several times, to clear out bugs. The less JUNK on your PC, the easier it will be to get going.
  14. Don't be DISCOURAGED. Your VPS will work pretty soon. We promise.
  15. You are an "early adopter," part of an elite group of highly intelligent and frugal technophiles who will influence millions of lesser beings. Enjoy your place in history, and focus on the future. Think how GOOD you'll feel when the setup is over and the robot lady starts whispering in your ear.
  16. Send comments, suggestions and corrections to info@ablecomm.com

Unlike earlier Panasonic VPSs, you can't program a KX-TVA series VPS with a serial cable and null modem adapter. You'll probably use a USB cable.

►TIP: Instead of mounting your voice processor next to the phone system control unit ("KSU"), you can mount it near a PC, so it's easy to make programming changes. It won't take up much space, and the wiring from the VPS to the KSU is very simple -- much simpler than extending a USB cable. (Panasonic recommends that the USB cable be less than about 15 feet long, but you can probably get away with 25 feet.) You may be able to use spare wire pairs that are already in the walls. The VPs can be over 300' from the KSU.

You can also connect your VPS to your Local Area Network, and program from any PC on the LAN that has the software loaded. We'll have instructions for that soon.

You can also program remotely with a PC that has a modem, if the VPS has a modem. We'll have instructions for that soon, too.

Data transfer speed is limited by the throughput limitations of the phone system (typically 19.2kbps for KX-TD and KX-TDA and KX-TAW systems; KX-TA systems may hit 33.6).

 
STEP 1
►Before starting to program the VPS, it must be initialized.◄
NOTE: you may have to initialize several times before your VPS works right. We're not happy about this, either.
 
STEP 2
Insert the CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive. When the first screen appears, click on maintenance console.
 
STEP 3
A new Window should appear with a "setup launcher" icon. Click on it.
 
STEP 4
The InstallShield Wizard should then appear.
 
STEP 5
Click NEXT to continue installation.
 
STEP 6
Use your mouse to drag down the elevator button, or press your PAGE DOWN key, as you make believe that you are reading the agreement, then click on YES. Nobody expects you to actually read it, and nobody cares if you don't accept all of the terms in the agreement. You're not agreeing to anything terrible, and unless you click on YES, you won't be able to use the software.
 
STEP 7
Choose Destination Location (you can click on BROWSE to change the default if you want) and click on NEXT. We generally use a folder simply called "Panasonic," rather than burying the files deeper inside "Program Files."
 
STEP 8
You'll see the progress of the installation.
 
STEP 9
Installation will complete. Click FINISH, then click YES to copy USB driver files.
 
STEP 10
Click OK to copy drivers
 
STEP 11
You should soon see this little window. Click OK
OOPS! You may get this good news even if driver files weren't copied. If it comes up very fast, there is a good chance that the drivers were not on your CD-ROM.  You'll know it didn't work in a minute or two, if after you connect the VPS to your PC, and you don't get the little announcement window telling you that new hardware has been found.

You may also see this warning screen:

If this happens, Here's what you gotta do:

  1. Download drivers from ww.voiceprocessor.info/pan-TVAUSBDrivers-5.zip
  2. Uninstall the Panasonic software.
  3. Re-initialize the VPS.
  4. Re-install the software from the CD-ROM.
  5. Follow steps 17 through 24 below.
STEP 12
Connect your voice processor to your PC.
 
STEP 13
Left click on the KX-TVA Maintenance Console icon on your desktop
 
STEP 14
Select your VPS model.
 
STEP 15
Enter the Programmer Code. ►WARNING: Your manual may show that the default password is "1234." That's WRONG. The correct password is "INSTALLER" (all upper case letters).
STEP 16
You should then see the Set Default Parameters screen. In the PBX Type drop-down menu, select the model of your phone system. The Integration Mode shown may automatically change to match the capability of your phone system.
 
STEP 17 (may not be necessary)
Go to the file folder where holding the downloaded driver files, and click on "Extract all files"
 
STEP 18 (may not be necessary)
You should then see the Folders Extraction Wizard. Click on NEXT.
 
STEP 19 (may not be necessary)
You will then select a file folder to hold the un-ZIPed files. A directory will probably come up automatically, but you can click on BROWSE to change it. Click NEXT to proceed.
 
STEP 20 (may not be necessary)
You should then see a window that shows "Extraction Complete." Click on FINISH.
 
STEP 21 (may not be necessary)
You should then see a window that shows a file folder containing the drivers. Click on the file icon,
 
STEP 22 (may not be necessary)
You should then see a window that shows file folders for different versions of Windows. Click on the file icon for your version.
 
STEP 23 (may not be necessary)
You should then see icons or a list of individual files. You don't have to do anything here, but you might feel better if you know that you have the driver files.
 
STEP 24 (may not be necessary)
One more check: in Device Manager, you should see the Panasonic VPS USB driver. If it's not there, you should be able to locate it and re-install it. We got it right on the 13th attempt. Don't be discouraged. (Your screen probably won't look the same as the screen shot below.)  
 
   
STEP 25
Click on Connect to get a drop-down menu, and then select USB.
 
STEP 26
You should then see a USB Parameters window. Enter password 1234 (unless you've changed it) and click NEXT.
 
STEP 27
You should then see a window that says "Connected!" Click on FINISH.
 
STEP 28
Click on the Utility drop-down menu, and then click on Quick Set Up.
 
STEP 29
Soon you should see the System Security window. Click on NEXT.
 
STEP 30
Next you should see the PBX Environment window. Double-Cick on the PBX type shown below "value," and you'll get a dropdown menu where you can select your phone system. The screenshot below is for KX-TDA and KX-TAW phone systems (default). Your screen will be different if you select a different type of phone system. Click on NEXT.
 
STEP 31
You should next see "Start Auto Configuration?" If your VPS is properly connected to your phone system, and the phone system is programmed for use with a VPS, click on OK.
 
STEP 32
You should next see an animated screen showing the VPS and the phone system exchanging information. When the animation stops and there's a green check mark next to each entry, click on NEXT.
 
STEP 33

You should next see the Select Extensions screen. The number of extensions should correspond to the number of extensions (also known as stations and phones) your phone system is equipped for. Unless you have a good reason to make changes here, don't make changes here. Just click NEXT. Don't be concerned about missing names. You'll take care of them soon.
 
STEP 34
You should next see the Mailbox Edit screen. Just click in the columns below First Name and Last Name and type in the names of people who will have mailboxes. You can tab from first name to last name, and to other parts of the screen. You may have to double-click before you can type. After you've entered the names, click on NEXT. Don't mess around with any other settings now. First get your system working, and later you can play around.
 
STEP 35
You've been working a long time. Go to the john, take a nap, have a snack, call mom, take a walk, play with your dog, do anything at all. Just get away from the darn computer for awhile. It will be here when you get back. You've come a long way, and will be finished soon. You deserve a break. If you're setting up the system for someone else, till him that the union contract guarantees you a break.

 
STEP 36
You should next see the Port/Trunk service screen, where you can assign specific services (such as menus) based on the line a call comes in on, or the port in the VPS. We recommend that you leave this screen alone for now, and just click NEXT. Later, we'll show you how to make changes. The important thing now is to make the system do basic stuff.
 
STEP 37
This is an exciting time. Correct the time and date if necessary, click on Finish and then Yes; and if the gods on Mount Fuji are smiling on you, you should have a working voice processor in a few seconds.
 
STEP 38
You now should get two confirmations. The PC screen should say "Quick Setup Completed" and the flashing green LED on the VPS should go steady. Congratulations! You did it.
 
STEP 39
Now it's time for a quick thrill.

Call the extension number of your VPS (usually 107 for the KX-TA624 and 824, 295 for the KX-TD308, 165 for the KX-TD816 and 1232, and maybe 165 for KX-TDA and KX-TAW systems).

You should hear "Welcome to the Panasonic voice mail system..."  If you call into your phone system from the outside, you should get answered by the VPS if a human being doesn't grab the call first.

 
 
Now that you know your VPS works, it's time to start customizing. You'll be conceiving, constructing, recording and organizing the various announcements and menus that callers will hear.

CLICK FOR PART TWO
 
 

© 2005 AbleComm, Inc. All rights reserved.
Some screenshots are © 2005 Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd.

voiceprocessor.info/prog-tva-1.htm updated 6 JULY 05
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