Re: Ademco 50P - Unable To Disarm

[Nomen Nescio <nobody@xxxxxxxxx>]

Don said:

>I had read the manual several times which originally led me to the loop
>extender in order to maintain independent zones for each item since the
>Vista 50P could provide only eight zones in this design.  My life
>experience that manuals frequently leave out important information
>either as too basic or irrelevant appears, however, to have led me down
>a garden path in re the 4297.  This is where the folks here can groan
>or laugh, cry or....
>
>The 4-wire devices, including smokes, wired to the 4208U expansion
>modules have the data pair connected to the individual zone data
>terminals.  But then, the power pair from ALL such devices are together
>wired to the expansion module's power terminals.  This is to say that
>the terminals which supply power to the expansion module are "tapped"
>(if I can say it this way) by the smokes et cetera. So, yes, I have
>connected the 4-wire smokes to the polling loop but only (?) the data
>pair.

Don, you seem like a nice enough guy, so don't take this the wrong way...

Step away from the alarm panel.  You're in over your head.  In the
relatively few messages you've posted here, we've uncovered some
significant problems, and it appears that you lack the training and
experience necessary to deal with them.  You have a moderately large
system, and while it would not tax the abilities of a professional, he
might need to sit down with some scratch paper for a few minutes to work
things out correctly.

I am concerned about the other problems that are probably lurking in your
system, the ones you haven't discovered yet.

I completely agree with you that Ademco writes crappy manuals.  As an
example, if you look in the Vista-50P installation manual index under
"smoke detector," there is ...NO ENTRY!  So, you have my sympathy on this
point.

Now, about the 4297 loop extender.  I am afraid you don't understand the
purpose of this device, or how to wire it up.  This product is primarily
intended to allow for very long wire runs for the "polling loop" that comes
off the control panel, wire runs of over 600 feet as I recall.  It's an
amplifier, and as such, it needs a source of power.  Ademco provided the AC
and battery terminals on the module as a way of supplying that power, on
the assumption that the module may be a long way from the control panel's
auxiliary power terminals.  It was never intended as a way to supply power
to other devices.

If you read the instructions, you will see that you are not supposed to use
it for fire alarm service.  I don't know how you planned to reset the smoke
detectors you are powering off the 4297 terminals.  In short, you don't
even need the 4297; it serves no useful purpose.  The 4208 zone expanders
connect directly to the control panel using four wires, see the instruction
sheet.

- badenov