Re: Zone Response Times (50ms or 750ms) for GEM-P816

[RLB <sales@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Aug 11, 2:37=A0pm, HandymanYP <yeahpro...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hello all - I've been troubleshooting a problem for a while now and I
> think I've narrowed it down.
>
> I have a GEM-P816 using 12 zones. I have wired and wireless
> transmitters but only having trouble with the wireless. I have
> glassbreak shock sensors (Sentrol 5150s) connected to GEM-TRANS2 units
> which then communicate with a GEM-RECV32 which in turn connects to the
> control ports on the GEM-P816 panel.
>
> Every few months, a zone trips that has a glassbreak shock sensor on
> it (nothing is happening to the sensor when the zone fault is
> triggered). After a zone trips, my alarm re-arms after a timeout
> period of 5 minutes. On more than one occasion, the alarm trips,
> sounds for 5 minutes, resets itself, trips again and follows the same
> pattern three full times. From the log, it's always one minute after
> the alarm resets that it trips again. This happens when I am not home
> because if I am home, I simply disarm the alarm so I don't know if it
> would have gone off again.
>
> This has happened at least 15 times already (over the past 6 years)
> and all equipment always tests to be within specifications - no loose
> cables or connectors, no weak batteries and it's not always the same
> sensors.
>
> Here's some facts I recently realized:
>
> 1) The alarm is configured so it makes an audible beep when a zone is
> opened. The zones causing the problems never trigger the audible beep
> sound (when the alarm is not armed) but do trigger the alarm to sound
> (when the alarm is armed). If it was a connection-related problem
> triggering the alarm, It would be very coincidental if these zones
> only had problems when the alarm was armed and never had a problem to
> play the audible beep sound when the alarm is not armed.
>
> 2) The zones that have the problem are always zones 9 through 12.
> Zones 1 through 8, some of which also have the same wireless equipment
> as above, have never had a problem in the past 6 years.
>
> Point 2 above prompted me to look into the specifications on the
> equipment a little deeper, and I found the following message on the
> glassbreak shock Sentrol 5150 sensors:
>
> "Do not wire the sensor into fast response loops-false alarms will
> result"
>
> I fired up QuickLoader and discovered that the first 8 zones (1
> through 8) are correctly configured - they are configured as normal
> response loops (750ms). When checking zones 9 through 12, I see that I
> cannot change the setting, nor do I know what value is set for the
> loop response time. If the loop response times are set too low for
> zones 9 through 12, this could be the problem causing the false alarms
> but I don't know how to tell what response time those zones are set
> for and how I can possibly change the loop response time setting if
> it's incorrect.
>
> Anyone know how I can check the loop response time for zones 9-12 on
> my Napco GEM-P816 panel? Maybe it's a limitation in the panel. I
> eventually will be replacing it with a GEM-P9600 panel for the Home
> Automation controls but I was holding off until I could afford it. If
> this is a limitation within the GEM-P816 panel though, I may be forced
> to upgrade in order to fix this problem.
>
> BTW, I tried calling Napco but they won't talk to me because I'm not a
> dealer. They won't even answer my question. Horrible!
>
> Thanks so much for your help in advance!!

Zones 9-16 are set for slow response and cannot be changed. The panel
most likely alarms only three times because the zone is programmed ot
to trigger more than 3x in one armed period.  This is an option to
prevent swinger alarms where a screwed up sensor causes unlimited
triggers. Id replace the sensor.  Those 5150s are inexpensive.

Regards,
Robert