Aiphone C-ML/A - Master Station for C-123L/A, Includes DAK-2S

The C-ML/A is the inside answering station for an Aiphone ChimeCom C-123L/A intercom. Communication is push-to-talk simplex, so you hold the button to speak and release to listen, one direction at a time. It has a door release button on the station, and the conversation cuts off automatically after 20 seconds so nobody leaves the channel open. Talk volume is adjustable at the station.

Run length depends on gauge: 245 feet on 22AWG and 590 feet on 18AWG, measured from the door station to the farthest master station. Wire is 2-conductor with an overall shield, and Aiphone specifies #822202 for 22AWG or #821802 for 18AWG. If your run is over 245 feet, go to 18AWG from the start rather than splicing later.

Door release on the C-ML/A is a normally open dry contact rated 30V AC/DC at 1A. That is a switch only, not a power source, so the strike or maglock needs its own transformer or supply; the contact just closes the circuit. Check the strike's inrush current against the 1A rating before you wire it, and if it draws more, switch a relay with the contact instead.

Any Aiphone LE Series or LS Series door station can replace the C-D entrance unit on this system. That matters on older ChimeCom installs where the original door unit is weathered out or vandalized: you keep the C-ML/A inside and the existing 2-conductor shielded run, and put a current LE or LS station at the door.

Two options: batteries or a DC power supply. Draw is 85mA maximum at 6V DC, and audio output is 100mW. The low current is why battery operation is practical on this system, which is what makes ChimeCom a common pick in a retrofit where there is no power at the answering point.

Audio only. The C-ML/A is a push-to-talk voice station with a door release button, running on a 2-conductor shielded pair. If your tenants need to see who is at the door, this is the wrong family and you want a video entry system instead, not a ChimeCom station.

No. Communication is simplex push-to-talk, meaning one person transmits at a time and the other hears nothing until the button is released. If your application needs natural back-and-forth, say a healthcare or reception desk where staff are handling calls all day, you want a hands-free or duplex intercom instead of a ChimeCom master station.

Wall mount, and it is a commercial-grade unit. Surface wall mounting keeps the retrofit simple since there is no back box cut-in to coordinate with the drywall, which is usually why property managers pick it for an existing corridor or office wall.