Cannot Silence Bellbox

[nifreaky]

Hi I'm new here!

I have a DA Systems Abacus that was installed when my house was built approx 10 years ago. The system was maintained under contract for a few years until the installer unfortunately went bust.

Up until about 6 months ago the system was working great, with very few false activations, possibly one or two a year.

Problems started when the alarm would activate on its own even when we were in the house without the alarm being set. The error message shown on the keypad was "Trouble!". The keypad lights and screen would fade and die and not accept any button presses. I eventually had to permanently put the system into engineer mode just to stop the activations.

Last night we had a power cut for about 45 minutes during which the alarm sounded on and off randomly. When the power came on I tried to put it back into engineer mode but this did not silence the alarm. I had to put it into a permanent bell test and this did the trick, although the strobe is flashing the siren has now stopped???? When I come out of the bell test the siren goes again, although the keypad shows no errors. I have tried coming out of engineer mode altogether and there are still no errors and the siren still sounds. I checked all onboard fuses and they are intact/good.

I have now switched the panel battery to a new, fully charged one and I tested the old one in my charger (a Optimate III motorcycle charger) and it shows it as being bad although there is still a 12.5volt charge.

Any suggestions?

What I have omitted to tell you is this though...

With the advice of an electrician mate of mine I bought a Pyronix Sterling 10 LCD about 3 months ago with the intention of changing the panel myself. Unfortunately I could not get the bell box to silence while I carried out the work so the installation was aborted before it even began!!! Because of the problems last night I have today bout a Pyronix Belle too. I have only just found these forums and it doesn't look like the Pyronix is held in high regard amongst the tradesmen here. Shall I try to return it/ebay it and go for a Texecom Premier? What is so bad with the Pyronix anyway?

Thanks in advance

Jonny

[gooner31]

sounds to me like you need a new backup battery.could be an idea to check your yellow pages and get a professional in im sure the system could do with a service.how long ago was it since it had a service should be done every year.

[amateurandy]

sounds to me like you need a new backup battery

He has one - "I have now switched the panel battery to a new, fully charged one ".

[Guest anguscanplay]

He has one - "I have now switched the panel battery to a new, fully charged one ".

tested the old one in his motorbike charger

i would return it all/ebay it and have a company fit one for me and stop listening to electrician mates who recommend pyronix sterling 10 lcd`s

seriously though youve been without an alarm for three months now? after not been able to proceed with the update an d it could take you another three months to finish the job wher e as this time next week it could all be sorted

[morph]

The other solution would be to call out a real engineer and get them to fix the fault, far less hassle and money well spent. The abacus range were good panels and if looked after they will give many years realiable service.

[arfur mo]

hi nifreaky,

firstly a warm welcome to the forums,

some observations,

1) returning the kit to the vendor might be difficult based simply on because you changed you mind.

2) the system false alarming '1 or 2 times a year' is just not acceptable, your neighbors quickly lose respect for it, and so completely ignore the siren, and so do you as you have done by having not had it fixed.

3) the alarm batt's are trickle charged, and not designed or used for regular sudden current draws or charging cycle's as with lights or starting, your charger is designed for a different battery so not a reliable tester for alarm batteries, (although this would be the 1st thing i'd recommend to change).

4) i don't think the pyronix stirling panel is universally disliked, just many prefer other panels with a different set of facilities or for aesthetics issues.

5) there seems no problem with your existing siren as from what you say it is operating within it's design parameters, later sirens are equipped with option timers to comply with the noise pollution act, so worth having it changed.

we can not explain to you how to disable you siren so you can replace your controls, this info would be of value to a criminal, and tbh as advised by others you really do need someone who is competent in alarm systems, not a mate of your mate who is a sparks, so trust others and me if you get a reasonable (not the cheapest) one it will be money well spent as alarm technology has moved on conciderably.

regs

alan

[breff]

Last night we had a power cut for about 45 minutes during which the alarm sounded on and off randomly. When the power came on I tried to put it back into engineer mode but this did not silence the alarm. I had to put it into a permanent bell test and this did the trick, although the strobe is flashing the siren has now stopped???? When I come out of the bell test the siren goes again, although the keypad shows no errors. I have tried coming out of engineer mode altogether and there are still no errors and the siren still sounds. I checked all onboard fuses and they are intact/good.

Sounds like the bell output is programmed to SCB, ie when you activate bell test it removes 0v trigger, when in day mode it applies 0v. Or the 0v hold off and bell trigger are reversed.

[Guest anguscanplay]

Sounds like the bell output is programmed to SCB, ie when you activate bell test it removes 0v trigger, when in day mode it applies 0v. Or the 0v hold off and bell trigger are reversed.

if that doesnt make sense you needs an engineer

[nifreaky]

if that doesnt make sense you needs an engineer

LOL, that's exactly what I was thinking while I was reading it!!!

Anyway, thanks guys for all the input. I really appreciate the advice.

Earlier today I rang a local qualified installer for a quote. He came round and had a look at the layout of my house and said it would probably be better to replace the panel, keypad and bellbox with a Veritas R8 system. I have asked for the LCD version because I prefer to be able to check the logs following an activation for exact dates and times. It will be about 3 weeks before he can squeeze me in.

In the mean time though....as breff mentioned about SCB etc, is that something I can change in engineer mode? Just until I get the new panel installed. Could this have been caused by the powercut and defective old battery?

I think I will ebay the Pyronix ....unless someone wants it here of course.

[nifreaky]

Oooops, just realised this isn't an Abacus its a Pulsar 6! I found the full user guide and the installers installation notes.