bee_man Posted May 30, 2013 Author Posted May 30, 2013 Do ya reckon my 1st class BSc Hons in Electronics and 40 years design experience will qualify me for entrance to GCSE then ? Thanks for all the opinions, I've ordered the book and I'll report back after reading it. bee_man
arfur mo Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 your qualifications might well help you, but also hinder just as much. confidence is simply not competence in this technology.. this trade is not just theory either, of electronics and knowing how to solder, read a meter or understanding a scope screen. encompasses some carpentry, building construction knowledge, fabrication, use of and tool handling, working at height, customer relations, sales, repairs, fault finding, psychology, reading body language, to name a few handy skills and many more. you can learn a bit about it from a book, but experience in this field counts big. as said above, get a simple panel, put it on your workbench get close up and comfy with it. but i suggest then instal it to your own house, or workshop. If you think education is difficult, try being stupid!!!!
Scotmod Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 Do ya reckon my 1st class BSc Hons in Electronics and 40 years design experience will qualify me for entrance to GCSE then ? Thanks for all the opinions, I've ordered the book and I'll report back after reading it. bee_man Alarms are as basic as they come electronics wise, what interests you about them or what do you want to know more on?
fozzies Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 Bee man, you do not need that book with those quals. Just get a panel, and learn to speak the manufactures language. You already have all the knowledge, you dont need us( no sarcasm) Edit: soz, clarification needed: buy panel, read panel eng manual. Interpret into english. Put into practice. Ask away, i doubt you will need to
bee_man Posted May 31, 2013 Author Posted May 31, 2013 Getting a panel and having a play sounds like good advice to me. We (wifey & I) have installed 2 cheap wireless alarms and have finally learned our lesson. The aim now is to learn enough to be able to be able to install a wired alarm (or at least oversee it, I'm disabled). I've got a grasp of wiring, logic, switchery etc, but I have a lot of new stuff to learn. Eg, I know what a double pole relay is but what's a double pole alarm?. What's an Entry Shock Zone?. Do I put a impact sensor on every window?. If I want an entry delay on the front door, is there a special input for it or do you configure it in the panel?. And loads of other questions that you guys know without thinking about it, but I am not familiar with. Most of all there's the questions that I don't even know enough to ask yet. And besides all the practicality of it, I love learning new stuff. bee_man
magpye Posted May 31, 2013 Posted May 31, 2013 You just carry on, you've got a great attitude. Any problems come back here for the answer & abuse, we're good at that Someone told me I was ignorant and apathetic, I don't know what that means, nor do I care.
fozzies Posted May 31, 2013 Posted May 31, 2013 The engineers manual for the panel will detail all those answers, and the answers maywll be manufacturer specific. Choose a panel first, and make sure you can get an engineers manual for it. Not all panels come with the manual
bee_man Posted May 31, 2013 Author Posted May 31, 2013 Manufacturers seem a bit shy about acess to installation and programming manuals, even user manuals in some cases. I managed to get a manual for the Pyronix PCXi and PCXiDP units, but when I went back the site today, the PCXi series is no longer there, having been replaced by the Euro 76, etc, family. Good luck doesn't seem to follow me . I'm assuming this is more or less the EU version of the same thing and will do for me to get started on as I wanted to go to grade 3, and the RS485 bus appeals to my way of thinking. Also their KX15DTAM PIR looks good. I'll have a look at Scantronics and a few others before making a decision, and then I'll buy the panel first and have a play, given that I can find a distributor who will actually give me a price on it let alone sell me one!. After wireless, it will be a pleasure to be able to more or less pick and choose sensors form different manufacturers (or am I wrong there?) bee_man
datadiffusion Posted June 1, 2013 Posted June 1, 2013 Yep, hes right... How about this little beaut - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Used-Complete-Scantronic-500r-wireless-house-alarm-/221233626040 Anyone else think his 'alarm installer mate' is Arf??! Seriously though I'd always recommend something like a Scantronic 9651PD to bridge the gap between DIY and a pro install. But of course a big part of an alarm installation isn't always about the kit itself. Either way you get the full manual with that system and its quite comprehensive (and written by a native English speaker!) I have read the Honey book whilst I too already have an electronics BSc, I thinks its OK for the money. But agree that my degree is virtually worthless for most of this industry, on the installer side at least. So, I've decided to take my work back underground.... to stop it falling into the wrong hands
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