Using the Monarch MMI

To Program the Monarch we need to send it instructions about how it should behave.

To do this we need to change its configuration.

Its configuration is held in battery backed up static RAM, if the configuration held in that RAM is found to be corrupt, the Monarch overwrites that RAM with what is held on the memory cards daughter board.

On later systems this board is EEPROM, on older systems its EPROM

There are 4 ways to read and write to the configuration held in RAM.

1. via a "master" extension, which is an MF extension programmed as "master"

2. via a console in night mode

3. via a 300 baud RS232 cable to a terminal or PC

4. via a RAC card, 2 phone lines, modem and a terminal or PC

3. and  4. are very similar

1. and 2. are pretty tedious except for the simplest of tasks.

Lets talk about 3.

3. Logging onto MMI with RS232 terminal 

You  will need :-

1. A laptop, PC or terminal with a 9 or 25 pin D connector that is a serial port or a USB to serial port adaptor

2. A 4 conductor cable to go between Monarch and 1.

3. A terminal program to run on 1.

Basically just 3 or 4 wires are needed between the monarch and PC

Data in - 2

Data out - 3

Ground - 7

Data Terminal Ready - 20

There is no hardware handshaking, so be careful not to type too fast !!!

Most XP computers come with hyper terminal, for windows 10 you could download putty 

To make it bit more difficult the monarch does not echo characters typed before the passsword MMI commnad and password have been accepted.

There must be a space between the MMI command and password.

If you don't know the password there are ways to find on this page .. Glasdons BT Monarch N2.X config Database scroll down to cracking the Monarch MMI passwords.