How are Telephone Calls Priced?

MicroBX tries to use the same formula your telephone company is using. We also take care of cheap rates on weekends or at night, but not on national holidays.

Prices are then calculated based on the area code and the duration of the call. If Meter Pulses or Line Reversal on Connect are available and your PABX can decode them, then MicroBX will also use this information. If neither of this is available, then MicroBX has to guess whether a call did go through. By default, we give a Grace Period of 35 seconds, and any call longer than that gets a price. You can modify the Grace Period in 'OWNER OPTIONS'.

In Reports or on the screen you may use either the Buying Price (that is what you owe to your telephone company), or the Selling Price in case you sell telephone services to someone else. The Selling Price is sometimes called 'Invoice Price', and consists of the marked up buying price plus an additional handling fee. Both the markup and the handling fee you can set in 'OWNER OPTIONS'.

If you want to see a price list for different area codes, please use in MICROBX the option 'REPORTS' --> 'PRINT DIRECTORIES' --> 'COSTING TABLE'. You can then choose to print using the Buying Price or the Selling Price.

Calls are listed twice

Some PABX (including all Mitel types) seem to show the same call twice. The reason is usually that the user has dialled a number, received a 'Busy' signal, briefly tapped the hook switch or put the handset down, dialled again and this time got through.
However, tapping the hook switch ('flashing') does NOT terminate the first attempted call - it is only parked as if for a transfer. When the second call is finally terminated, the PABX rings back at the caller to remind that there is still the first call parked.
If you do a printout, you will see both calls with almost the same duration and the same time, but on two different trunk lines.
Botswana Telecomms will not charge for the unsuccessful first call if it was domestic, because in a digital network the Central Office knows whether the called party has received the call or not. But for international (and hence expensive!) calls this information is not available, and therefore both calls are billed.
Normally the caller assumes that he will only be billed for successful calls, but , of course, this is only possible if the technical information about the call progress is there.
Most PABX can be programmed to ignore the 'hook flash', but for many handsets this is the only means to transfer calls. Therefore only for handsets with DTMF transfer button can this function be disabled, with all other handsets we have to live with it.

The Full Version

What is a Full Version, and how do I obtain it?

When MicroBX is installed on a computer for the first time, it works for six weeks with all its features. If an Activation Key was supplied, it continues to run this way. If no Activation Key was installed, then in most cases MicroBx will simply cease to operate with one exception: when running with a Tiptel-PABX, MicroBX will continue to work but with a reduced set of features: no graphics, no bar charts, and no remote or network operation.

For a full version please ask us for a quote with: your PABX type number of extensions country If it is an upgrade, the version or year of the previous installation
Also, you need to e-mail the file MBXKEY.TXT which is in the same directory as MICROBX.EXE

What are the Hardware Requirements?

MicroBX always runs in background. It is compatible with all business software (Dos / Windows / NT). It is NOT compatible with games. (No-one is!). MicroBX also comes in a DOS version, and there - again - runs in background, logging all calls while you use your computer. The real hardware requirements are controlled by your patience when printing reports: the more powerful the computer, the faster the reports. However, you can also batch the reports and print them overnight. The logging computer must have a working Serial Port (or Communications Adapter) which we use to connect it to the PABX. MicroBX can run on a network, so you can use an old and slow computer to log the calls, and a snazzy powerhouse to print the reports on, as long as both machines are linked to the same network.

The Telephone Rates have changed!

MicroBX uses an external rates table. When your phone company changes its rates, you can download the latest table from our web site Download . You will find the file 'NRATES.MBX', which you copy into your data directory - usually 'C:\programs\microbx\data'. After you have done this, you may need to recalculate the prices if the phone company has already started charging the new rates: go to 'Owner Options', and then click on the button 'Re-Price'. Next, you will be asked from which date to which date you want to recalculate the prices, and then you click 'OK'. We recommend to update the rates table for your country every few months, since new area codes come quite often, phone companies negotiate new rates with new countries, etc. Many of these changes are not publicised but we learn them from our customers and update our web page. If you still use the MSDOS version of MicroBX, please contact us for updated rates tables!

First Printed Reports

How do I print a report of all calls, sorted by extensions? Go step by step through the following menu options: 'REPORTS'-->'Create New Report'-->'List'-->'Calls sorted by extension'. Now you can enter any additional qualifiers, like the beginning and end date of the report, and many more. Click 'Save', and the system will ask 'Do you want to display this report now?'. If you do that, it will show the report and then ask whether you want to print it.

Do we need a Buffer Box?

MicroBX always runs in background. So it does not really need a buffer box. But it can only record calls while the computer is switched on. If you can not guarantee that the computer stays on whenever phone calls can be made, then maybe you do need a buffer box, and we can supply one at some extra expense.
When you have a power breakdown, your PABX does not work unless it is connected through an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS). Should that be the case and black-outs are a problem in your area, then you should get either a buffer box or connect the computer to the same UPS.
When a PABX is without power, it usually connects the trunk lines to a select few of the extensions. These extensions can then make phone calls without going through the PABX, and there will be no records. You should arrange with your PABX supplier that only 'trustworthy' extensions are connected in case of a black-out.

How do I find the right PABX type?

MicroBX can handle more than 100 different PABX. Many of them have subtypes which can be distinguished automatically. For example, if you select 'Panasonic' than any Panasonic PABX should be recognized automatically. But if you have a Siemens, you may not be so lucky: it is not easy to distinguish between different Siemens data types, and you may have to try all six of them.
In any case, if you don't find a type that works with your particular PABX, let MicroBX run for a while so that you have at least 50 calls in your 'Raw Data'.
Make sure you also include some 'complicated calls', like Unanswered and Transferred calls.
Next, you mail the raw data file 'c:\programs\microbx\data\sermon.txt' to us at support@microbx.de and we'll respond with an updated version of MicroBX.

Monitor remote sites through Internet, or post reports automatically as e-mail

MicroBX can monitor multiple sites through the Internet or a VPN.
If you want to do this, drop us a line at support@microbx.de and we'll respond with the necessary documentation of MicroBX.

These are the manufacturers which we currently support,
most of them with several models:

Ackermann
AGFEO
Alcatel 4x00,OCS
Alchemy
Aristel
Bitronic
BTS xxx
Busicom
Call Cutter,4x4
Calypso
Chercol Alfa
Colt
Commex
D.91
Definity
Diana
DOLEE
Elmeg
Ericsson 100,150,Fatme
FDX90
Forth
FoSonic
FSX 24/TeleBoss
GDP Plessey
GESKO
HFTK
Hymax
Innovaphone
Interconnect
IS1000-EP1
ISDN-Monitor
Jupiter
Kapsch
Karel
LG
London
Lyric
MDS Opera
Meridian
Meridien US
Mitel (all)
Navion
NEC 2400 SDS, NEAX 12S
Nitsuko
Nokia DX/Jz
Novatec
Panasonic (all)
PCBX
Pentara
Philips KBX, TBX, Octopus, Concord,Sopho
Piccolo
Plessey (all)
RS02
Samsung (all)
Siemens Claire, Hicom xxx,HiPath xxx,Euroset,EMS xxx,Opera
STC 5200 BCS, Omni-S3
Talkline
TCI Max-24
Teleboss
Tenovis
TelRad
Tesion
Tiptel

The Connector Pin-Out

How do I solder my cable? The plugs for serial ports (RS-232) on PC can have one of two forms:
DB-25 or DB-9 plugs (just count the pins, they tell you which one you have!).

The meaning of the pins is this:

DB-25	DB-9	Abbr.	I/O
PIN	PIN			Description
8	1	CD	in	data carrier detect
3	2	RD	in	serial receive data
2	3	TD	out	serial transmit data
20	4	DTR	out	Data Terminal REady
7	5	GND		Signal Ground
6	6	DSR	in	Data Set Ready
4	7	RTS	out	Request to Send
5	8	CTS	in	Clear to Send
22	9	RI	in	Ring Indicator

Of these pins, you usually need: GND, Received Data (RD), and Data Terminal Ready (DTR).
The DTR line allows the computer to signal when it is ready to receive data, so that you don't loose any records.
On the computer side, you get their pin numbers from our table. On the PABX side, it depends on the manufacturer. Usually you find the pin-out in the User's Manual, or even better: they already have a ready-made cable.
If neither is possible, send us an e-mail containing the PABX type and the looks of the connector, and we'll try to help. These must be soldered to the