X10 Community Forum
🛡Home Security => Home Security General => Topic started by: Mike Mck on August 23, 2004, 11:35:11 AM
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For those who own this device, you know the
difference between the standard chime when
someone opens the door and the ambulance-like
sounds it makes when armed and triggered.
Saturday night at 2:30am, my alarm sounded
the ambulance like sound. However, I did not
ARM the console. Neither did the power
horns go off. Regardless, it scared the PISS
outta me...from deep sleep to realizing the
alarm went off.
My question is....what might have caused the
alarm to seemingly trigger when the console
wasn't armed? Could it be the 9v battery
died? I need to know so that I will not have
a heart attack next time this happens.
Mike
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mike, Good question and amusing story. Did
you measure the voltage of the 9v battery
after the incident?
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Not the best system out there, these
systems have potential false alarms for no
reason. Or it is very sensitive to voltage
change, radio interference, etc. You want
false alarm proof alarm... check out linear
security products.
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Hi Scott. Well, the story may sound amusing
now, but Sat night it wasn't very funny at
all!! I actually haven't measured the
voltage on the 9V, however I expect it to be
almost non-existant because a couple of weeks
ago, I resequenced all my door/window sensors
and forgot to plug the AC power back on the
console. The (cheap) battery lasted about 6
hours before I realized I forgot to plugin AC
power. But I just left the battery in. That
was why my initial thought was battery simply
died altogether and somehow triggered the event.
Phil, thanks for the info. I'm not an
electrical kind of guy, but maybe a 9V
battery that died was a voltage change to the
console, thus causing the problem. I'm going
to put in a Duracell tonite.
Thanks for your responses.
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The batteries that come with the system are
horrible, cheapos.....what do you expect
it's included...lol...
You don't have to be an expert in
electrical...even the higher end system
have the same programming
concept...www.keepsafer.com do it yourself
systems or www.linearcorp.com pro grade
stuff....been using this companies products
for many years, trouble free and now I sell
them.
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Phil,
Would you drop me an email - I'd like to ask
you about those 2 companies. [email: n1st @
yahoo.com].
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I have a couple of suggestions for you.
Check what devices are around the base
console and the sensors. Devices such as
cordless phones, microwaves,
TV/entertainment centers, etc. can
occasionally cause interference with the
signals. Also, check to see if the sensor
magnets for that sensor are mounted on
metal. If they are, that could be the cause
of the problem. You could use spacers to
raise the magnets off the metal about 3/4".
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Robert:
What would be the curse of mounting to metal?
I'm just curious.
Mine are mounted to glass and aluminum. I'm
hoping by metal your meaning steel.
Jim
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Got me curious now re: the mounting on
metal statement. I have some sensors
mounted on metal doors,, they have the
double back tape as a spacer only. Will a
metal door cause a problem? and if so, what
type/material spacer should be used ?
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Here's my thinking on this guys. The DS10A
are normally closed sensors. Normally closed
meaning that the magnets are together. We
all know that metal will interfere with the
way magnets work. Obviously some metal would
cause worse interference then others.
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Ahhh, I see what your thinking. I'm not sure
of the quality materials used in the DS10A,
but I do know that at several places I have
worked at over the years, they had magnetic
door switches mounted on steel doors that
worked for years.
I have some DS10A magnets not even touching
each other. Buy this I mean there is a gap
about 7/16". I am worried as time goes by,
the magnets might lose "power" and stop working.