Ever heard of a Gigaset phone? We need to get one fixed.
November 19, 2019 11:00 AM Subscribe
It's a german digital phone and we have a super old like 13 year old siemen's gigaset.
Siemen's doesn't even exist anymore. A friend has an old phone that needs repairing. Why? Because apparently there are some old voice messages on the digital phone that she'd like to hear again.
But the gigaset company is in germany and they don't support it any more.
We asked if they could refer us to a repair center anywhere in the world which would repair this for us. And all they do is respond by telling us that they no longer support this model and that there is no official repair center in the USA. We asked again- "It doesn't have to be in the USA, but can you refer us to someplace to get it fixed"
Response again is "there is no repair center in the USA"..
Lame company that doesn't listen.
When I call the local fix-it shops they've never even heard of gigaset so they aren't keen on fixing it as they think they might lose the voicemails.
Anyone have any suggestions for us?
Siemen's doesn't even exist anymore. A friend has an old phone that needs repairing. Why? Because apparently there are some old voice messages on the digital phone that she'd like to hear again.
But the gigaset company is in germany and they don't support it any more.
We asked if they could refer us to a repair center anywhere in the world which would repair this for us. And all they do is respond by telling us that they no longer support this model and that there is no official repair center in the USA. We asked again- "It doesn't have to be in the USA, but can you refer us to someplace to get it fixed"
Response again is "there is no repair center in the USA"..
Lame company that doesn't listen.
When I call the local fix-it shops they've never even heard of gigaset so they aren't keen on fixing it as they think they might lose the voicemails.
Anyone have any suggestions for us?
Wow, unless you mean "cell phone/game console repair shops" (that primarily advertise as such) specifically when you say they don't know what a Gigaset is, I'm very surprised.
Gigaset is a catch all name that Siemens used for a variety of 2.4 and 5.8GHz cordless phones that supported multiple handsets from a single base station. They were manufactured in many iterations for 5-10 years, if not longer. Older ones are completely proprietary, while others use the DECT standard. Some connect to analog phones, others digital lines of various descriptions, and at least one was a SIP phone.
In all cases the voicemails are stored on the base station. I don't recall if they typically used nonvolatile storage or used battery backed DRAM. If the latter, you're hosed because the battery probably died a decade ago. If all you have is the handset, same deal. Otherwise, a competent shop should be able to swap the memory modules into an identical base station easily enough.
That's assuming the problem isn't simply a bad power supply, as I seem to recall they used a wall wart, which never have particularly long lifetimes. If the specifications are printed somewhere on it, you can try a replacement power supply of the same voltage and an equal or greater amperage rating and a couple of other specs you'll need to match.
What, exactly, is the model number, and which components of the system do you have? Does it simply not power up or is there some other issue?
Sorry I don't have an answer for your actual question. :(
posted by wierdo at 11:34 AM on November 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
Gigaset is a catch all name that Siemens used for a variety of 2.4 and 5.8GHz cordless phones that supported multiple handsets from a single base station. They were manufactured in many iterations for 5-10 years, if not longer. Older ones are completely proprietary, while others use the DECT standard. Some connect to analog phones, others digital lines of various descriptions, and at least one was a SIP phone.
In all cases the voicemails are stored on the base station. I don't recall if they typically used nonvolatile storage or used battery backed DRAM. If the latter, you're hosed because the battery probably died a decade ago. If all you have is the handset, same deal. Otherwise, a competent shop should be able to swap the memory modules into an identical base station easily enough.
That's assuming the problem isn't simply a bad power supply, as I seem to recall they used a wall wart, which never have particularly long lifetimes. If the specifications are printed somewhere on it, you can try a replacement power supply of the same voltage and an equal or greater amperage rating and a couple of other specs you'll need to match.
What, exactly, is the model number, and which components of the system do you have? Does it simply not power up or is there some other issue?
Sorry I don't have an answer for your actual question. :(
posted by wierdo at 11:34 AM on November 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
I used Siemens Gigaset cordless phones in the early aughts, so I have some familiarity with them.
The Gigaset phone systems stored messages digitally in the main base unit, and attempting to service the base itself would be like trying to service the motherboard of a 13 year old computer. Even Apple will not support their 13 year old computers if they fail, and independent service facilities are usually not equipped to do the kind of surface-mount soldering necessary to fix a bad circuit board.
Even worse, if your friend had sent the unit in for repair when Gigaset had a service center in the US, your friend almost certainly would have received a replacement board or base rather than receive a serviced original unit that contained their messages. If they have to do work on the board itself to revive the unit, that's just a very difficult repair.
But not all is lost. With low-voltage equipment like the Gigaset bases, it is far more likely for the power adapter to fail than the base itself, and if this is a "no power" scenario where the base just doesn't turn on, it is likely that the issue is the power adapter (easily replaced) and not the base (difficult to repair).
I would strongly recommend that your friend take the model number off the bottom of the main base that contains the answering unit, search eBay, and get either a new or used compatible power adapter. It is very unlikely that trying a new (or used) adapter will make things worse, but it may simply allow the base unit to be powered up to retrieve the old messages.
On preview, what wierdo said. IIRC, there was not a user-replaceable battery and messages were stored in non-volatile memory, so if your friend still has the base the messages should still be accessible.
posted by I EAT TAPAS at 11:37 AM on November 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
The Gigaset phone systems stored messages digitally in the main base unit, and attempting to service the base itself would be like trying to service the motherboard of a 13 year old computer. Even Apple will not support their 13 year old computers if they fail, and independent service facilities are usually not equipped to do the kind of surface-mount soldering necessary to fix a bad circuit board.
Even worse, if your friend had sent the unit in for repair when Gigaset had a service center in the US, your friend almost certainly would have received a replacement board or base rather than receive a serviced original unit that contained their messages. If they have to do work on the board itself to revive the unit, that's just a very difficult repair.
But not all is lost. With low-voltage equipment like the Gigaset bases, it is far more likely for the power adapter to fail than the base itself, and if this is a "no power" scenario where the base just doesn't turn on, it is likely that the issue is the power adapter (easily replaced) and not the base (difficult to repair).
I would strongly recommend that your friend take the model number off the bottom of the main base that contains the answering unit, search eBay, and get either a new or used compatible power adapter. It is very unlikely that trying a new (or used) adapter will make things worse, but it may simply allow the base unit to be powered up to retrieve the old messages.
On preview, what wierdo said. IIRC, there was not a user-replaceable battery and messages were stored in non-volatile memory, so if your friend still has the base the messages should still be accessible.
posted by I EAT TAPAS at 11:37 AM on November 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: If this helps the base of the unit says: Siemens gigaset SL3501 2.4 ghz digital technology.
The Back of the handset says Siemens Gigaset SL30
This handset does have a removable battery in the back, but replacing the battery didn't seem to do anything. The device powers up, but it does not charge at all and it shuts off every 10 seconds while on the cradle.
posted by fantasticness at 12:13 PM on November 19, 2019
The Back of the handset says Siemens Gigaset SL30
This handset does have a removable battery in the back, but replacing the battery didn't seem to do anything. The device powers up, but it does not charge at all and it shuts off every 10 seconds while on the cradle.
posted by fantasticness at 12:13 PM on November 19, 2019
The wireless handset should be irrelevant to the process unless you have one of the models that has no speaker or anything on the base station. All you need is the part labeled SL3501. The part that looks like a large toy cell phone isn't what you need to focus on, you want the bit that has a jack for the phone cord. The one I used could play messages from the base station or the handset, but I'm fairly certain I have seen some that don't. I have been known to misremember the late 90s and early 00s, however. I went through a lot of phones back then, what with racking up 3000+ minutes of long distance alone.
I should note that there is often a separate charging cradle for the handsets separate from the actual base station. The one that's barely bigger than the bottom of the handset isn't it. Unfortunately, the FCC's website is being crappy for me right now, so I'm not sure exactly which type your friend has.
posted by wierdo at 12:34 PM on November 19, 2019
I should note that there is often a separate charging cradle for the handsets separate from the actual base station. The one that's barely bigger than the bottom of the handset isn't it. Unfortunately, the FCC's website is being crappy for me right now, so I'm not sure exactly which type your friend has.
posted by wierdo at 12:34 PM on November 19, 2019
In all cases the voicemails are stored on the base station. I don't recall if they typically used nonvolatile storage or used battery backed DRAM. If the latter, you're hosed because the battery probably died a decade ago. If all you have is the handset, same deal. Otherwise, a competent shop should be able to swap the memory modules into an identical base station easily enough.
The Gigaset base stations I've seen the insides off didn't have replaceable memory modules or something similar to an SD card, just chips mounted directly on the circuit board, but as a possible upside the ones I've seen didn't have a battery either, suggesting that it was some non-volatile memory.
That's assuming the problem isn't simply a bad power supply, as I seem to recall they used a wall wart, which never have particularly long lifetimes. If the specifications are printed somewhere on it, you can try a replacement power supply of the same voltage and an equal or greater amperage rating and a couple of other specs you'll need to match.
On the bottom or back of the base, where the power supply plugs in, there's a number specifying the power supply model to use. With some luck you might find a picture of that exact model, with readable specs or maybe even a webpage listing the specs directly; output may well be AC. The base stations and auxiliary chargers of that era tend to use an RJ11 plug, so there's also their pinout to deal with.
posted by Stoneshop at 12:54 PM on November 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
The Gigaset base stations I've seen the insides off didn't have replaceable memory modules or something similar to an SD card, just chips mounted directly on the circuit board, but as a possible upside the ones I've seen didn't have a battery either, suggesting that it was some non-volatile memory.
That's assuming the problem isn't simply a bad power supply, as I seem to recall they used a wall wart, which never have particularly long lifetimes. If the specifications are printed somewhere on it, you can try a replacement power supply of the same voltage and an equal or greater amperage rating and a couple of other specs you'll need to match.
On the bottom or back of the base, where the power supply plugs in, there's a number specifying the power supply model to use. With some luck you might find a picture of that exact model, with readable specs or maybe even a webpage listing the specs directly; output may well be AC. The base stations and auxiliary chargers of that era tend to use an RJ11 plug, so there's also their pinout to deal with.
posted by Stoneshop at 12:54 PM on November 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
The SL3501 base unit does not have a speaker or any control options other than a button to register a handset. So if it's the handset that's failing to power up (and thus provide access to any messages stored in the base unit) the best way forward is to get another Gigaset DECT handset and register it with the base.
Manuals for the SL3501 are available on sites like manualslib.com.
posted by Stoneshop at 1:29 PM on November 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
Manuals for the SL3501 are available on sites like manualslib.com.
posted by Stoneshop at 1:29 PM on November 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
OK, electronics nerd stepping in here.
The public FCC info for the SL3501 includes photos of the mainboard in the base unit.
Specifically, the 28-pin Atmel flash chip visible in the lower centre of the second image is where those messages will physically be. The image is a bit blurry but if I'm reading the part number correctly it's an AT45DB081B - it's certainly something in that family. If all else fails, it would be possible to remove that chip and recover data from it. That type of memory will retain data for decades and does not need power to do so.
I don't know the background to this story, so I'm going to note that if you want to absolutely minimise the chance of losing the messages and cost is no object, the safest possible solution is going to be to get that board to a professional data recovery company and have them remove that chip and back up its contents before you make any further attempt to power up the unit. I say this because it's possible that the system might boot up, find something it's not happy about and then wipe itself back to some default settings, losing the messages in the process.
Assuming the situation is not that level of critical, the simplest and cheapest way to hear those messages again is just going to be to get the unit you have working. From the symptoms you describe, plus the age of the unit, it's very likely that the battery in the handset is completely degraded. A quick search suggests there are lots of places selling replacement batteries for the Siemens SL30 handset. Get one from a reputable looking supplier and try that first. Or find a working SL30 handset. Note that the suggestion of pairing a Gigaset DECT handset will not work - the SL3501 is a pre-DECT model, the radio protocol is proprietary.
If a new battery or handset doesn't bring the system back to life, the next step is the power supply for the base unit as others have suggested. The labelling document from the FCC info says that the part number for the official power adapter is C39280-Z4-C477. Here is one on eBay for $6. The spec is 9.5V AC at 300mA. If you cannot get that exact power supply model, any other supply rated at 9.5V AC (not DC) and 300mA or more, with the same connector, is safe to use.
If neither a new battery or new power supply brings this system back to life, some soldering is going to be involved - a competent electronics repair place, or friendly hobbyist, could do these things for you. My first suspects would be the two electrolytic capacitors (silver cylindrical components) on the mainboard in the base unit. 9 times out of 10, when an old device is failing, these are what has gone. Any visible bulging is a sign this has happened, but they can also fail invisibly. Either way, replacing these with equivalent new parts could bring the unit back to life.
If the base unit is still dead after all of that, the next thing I would try is to scour the world to find a working base unit, then desolder the flash chip from your one and transplant it into the working one. In theory, if the hardware and firmware versions match up, the new unit would then wake up with the memories of the old one, including the messages. If it came to this, you would need to try and find a unit matching yours as closely as possible, ideally visually identical housing, same labels, same date code if present, same version markings on the board inside.
Failing that, the last resort is to pull the data off the flash chip directly as I mentioned, but there would likely be difficult reverse engineering work involved in actually translating that data into playable audio without a working unit to do the playback.
Good luck - I hope one of the easy options does the trick for you.
posted by automatronic at 3:34 PM on November 19, 2019 [5 favorites]
The public FCC info for the SL3501 includes photos of the mainboard in the base unit.
Specifically, the 28-pin Atmel flash chip visible in the lower centre of the second image is where those messages will physically be. The image is a bit blurry but if I'm reading the part number correctly it's an AT45DB081B - it's certainly something in that family. If all else fails, it would be possible to remove that chip and recover data from it. That type of memory will retain data for decades and does not need power to do so.
I don't know the background to this story, so I'm going to note that if you want to absolutely minimise the chance of losing the messages and cost is no object, the safest possible solution is going to be to get that board to a professional data recovery company and have them remove that chip and back up its contents before you make any further attempt to power up the unit. I say this because it's possible that the system might boot up, find something it's not happy about and then wipe itself back to some default settings, losing the messages in the process.
Assuming the situation is not that level of critical, the simplest and cheapest way to hear those messages again is just going to be to get the unit you have working. From the symptoms you describe, plus the age of the unit, it's very likely that the battery in the handset is completely degraded. A quick search suggests there are lots of places selling replacement batteries for the Siemens SL30 handset. Get one from a reputable looking supplier and try that first. Or find a working SL30 handset. Note that the suggestion of pairing a Gigaset DECT handset will not work - the SL3501 is a pre-DECT model, the radio protocol is proprietary.
If a new battery or handset doesn't bring the system back to life, the next step is the power supply for the base unit as others have suggested. The labelling document from the FCC info says that the part number for the official power adapter is C39280-Z4-C477. Here is one on eBay for $6. The spec is 9.5V AC at 300mA. If you cannot get that exact power supply model, any other supply rated at 9.5V AC (not DC) and 300mA or more, with the same connector, is safe to use.
If neither a new battery or new power supply brings this system back to life, some soldering is going to be involved - a competent electronics repair place, or friendly hobbyist, could do these things for you. My first suspects would be the two electrolytic capacitors (silver cylindrical components) on the mainboard in the base unit. 9 times out of 10, when an old device is failing, these are what has gone. Any visible bulging is a sign this has happened, but they can also fail invisibly. Either way, replacing these with equivalent new parts could bring the unit back to life.
If the base unit is still dead after all of that, the next thing I would try is to scour the world to find a working base unit, then desolder the flash chip from your one and transplant it into the working one. In theory, if the hardware and firmware versions match up, the new unit would then wake up with the memories of the old one, including the messages. If it came to this, you would need to try and find a unit matching yours as closely as possible, ideally visually identical housing, same labels, same date code if present, same version markings on the board inside.
Failing that, the last resort is to pull the data off the flash chip directly as I mentioned, but there would likely be difficult reverse engineering work involved in actually translating that data into playable audio without a working unit to do the playback.
Good luck - I hope one of the easy options does the trick for you.
posted by automatronic at 3:34 PM on November 19, 2019 [5 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by fantasticness at 11:22 AM on November 19, 2019