Re: How to get DSC alarm system to communicate with my PC? (hacks/mods ?)

["Crash Gordon" <webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Have fun troubleshooting multiple pirs on one zone.


"Security Guy" <Security@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:43C04DB0.39682692@xxxxxxxxxx
| Mark Leuck wrote:
|
| > You ripped out a 4010 and replaced it with a 1550?
|
| New building we bought had a 4010 panel in the telephone room and some
| small expansion panel in a second floor closet.
|
| Total number of sensors is:
|
| (6) motion sensors (5 are IR, 1 is IR/Microwave combo unit)
| (2) entry/exit doors
| (2) seldom used/emergency doors
| (2) heat sensors
| (2) horns
| (2) keypads
|
| First thing we did was check the internet for instructions on how to
| reset the 4010 to it's factory master and installer codes.  We did
| that, and downloaded pages and pages of manuals and work-sheets for
| the thing, and then thought this was crazy.  We found a spare 1550
| unit (with keypad) sitting in a storage room, and we ripped out our
| own 1550 from our old building before we left.
|
| So I ripped out the 4010 and the expansion panel and re-wired
| everything:
|
| Zone 1:  Main door
| Zone 2:  Secondary door
| Zone 3:  3 motion sensors wired in series
| Zone 4:  3 motion sensors wired in series
| Zone 5:  2 seldom used/emerg exit doors wired in series
| Zone 6:  not used (might hook one of the heat sensors to it)
|
| Replaced the two 1410 keypads with the two 1550 ones.  Hooked up only
| 1 horn.  ->Didn't have to run any new wire<-
|
| Programmed the 1550 in about 15 minutes.  Set the master, 2'nd master,
| and installer codes to numbers of our own choosing.  Set the usual
| arming/disarming code to what we had before.
|
| The previous owners must have really been hosed with the installation
| of the 1410 and the expansion panel (1408?).  What a scam.
|
| Anyways, I'm going to poke around the 1550 panel and see if I can pull
| some signals off it it (like armed/disarmed status, sensor activity,
| etc) and see if I can do some neat control things (like turn on the
| juice to the electric water heater only when the system is dis-armed,
| or activate a web-cam to take timed pictures when the system is armed,
| etc).
|
| > Like trading in a Cadillac for a Chevette
|
| Practically speaking - not really.
|
| The 1410 was over-kill (for us, for this building) although I suspect
| that a "professional" alarm installer would not agree.
|
| It's been my experience that installers seem to insist that every
| sensor be connected to it's own separate zone.  The bigger the
| building, the more zones, the deeper the pockets of the customer, the
| bigger the panel, the more $$$ the installer makes.
|