AboutJohn E. Pecore Power Quality Engineer Expertise Power Quality and Lightning protection for Burgs, Fire, CCTV, and Gate access systems. I also want to hear about Back up Generator issues effecting your electronic equipment. I know all 24 manufactures of fire alarm panels. If you ask me I will tell you who I think is the best, and who is the worst. A lot has changed in 30 years, and many consumers have no idea what they are buying, and what they should expect for reliability for their systems. The question is, why are you paying for so many repairs? In the South, re-occurring revenue is extremely important. Do you fall in that category?
Experience 18 years trouble shooting every name brand in after market lightning issues.
Organizations Stormin Protection Products Inc.
Publications Wrote a book in 1992, The Conspiracy of Electronics and you pay for it. Copyright 1993, by Terra Publishing, Salamanca NY.
Education/Credentials BSEE, MSM
Awards and Honors Inventor of many surge suppression and Power Guards used here in the USA
Past/Present Clients All 23 manufactures of fire alarm panels, several gate access mfg, Hard Rock Casino,
Question Hi, I have a power problem, My battery sent a low battery alarm to my monitoring station and the yellow trouble light came on. Thinking it was a bad battery, the next day when i went to replace the battery the keypad was completely dead, so once i replaced the battery to my surprise it didnt come back on. After further testing I found that it wasnt getting the 16V at the input, I checked the transformer and I unplugged and replugged it back in and I got 17V, while it wasnt connected to the circuit board. When i connect the wires at the AC input, and i measure the voltage at the screw terminals I get 4V........is that normal? What else can i check?
As soon as the light, low battery comes on, you need to change it. When you have a starved battery, it is drawing more current then required. Because you waited too long to change the battery, the components in between became damaged during the cooking phase of a low battery.
You waited to long to change the battery. Voltage drops,the current will rise will burn out the component on the PC board. You will either have to have the unit repaired or replaced.
Sorry I could not be much more help to you. Usually when it comes to power quality the magic fix is not so easy to fix.
Think about this...see how easy it is for any low voltage keypad to become non-functional? Imagine this if this just happened on the panel. That is not good either. I would change out the batteries in panel as well. If you have more key pads, change out the batteries in all of them as well.
A transit surge on a keypad will cause the Key pad to become non-functional as well. A transit surge in an alarm panel will do the same on the battery.
So the next question is, do you have surge suppression on any hardwired input, or output on the alarm panel as well as the RJ31X.
The next question is, do you have surge suppression on the power of the alarm panel as well.
If you did not have either or all, then the likelihood of additional battery or power related issues will re-occurred in the near future especially during a thunder storm.
How do you know you do have protection on the panel and low voltage devices? Look and see. If you don't have any.....have the technician contact me...I will be happy to provide the best units available.
If you do have them on the panel and they are Ditek, or Edco, they did not prevent the damages at all.
If you do not have anything on the low voltage area....have your technician call me and I can help him get the best designed to fit the job........if they are Ditek or Edco products, they will not work, too much let through voltage.
I hope I have answered your question on the battery as to why things go bad, with all good intentions and also why I recommend you replace all the batteries now before more complications happen.
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