Electronic Alarms and Home Security Devices - I've screwed up my DSC PC-1550
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jpmntb
08-26-05, 08:00 PM
Old story: bought house with DSC PC-1550, didn't get codes, now I'm selling it and the new owner wants them.
I tried the reset using the jumper. When I power on, the telephone relay clicks. According to the manual, it's supposed to click 10 times to tell me that I'm locked out. It seems to click about 5 times, but maybe I just can't count fast enough.
When I turn the power on, the lights on the keypad do the following:
1) Ready on
2) Ready off, trouble on (OK, I haven't connected the battery yet.)
3) Trouble off, all six zones on.
When the motion sensor trips, trouble goes on and zone 6 goes off. A few seconds later, they reverse.
I key in *81500 (one of the possible default installer codes). I get short beeps after each key except the last.
What I think that means is that it's listening for the installer code, and I don't have the right one.
OK, have I screwed this up beyond repair, or is there still something I can do? I could try all the possible installer codes. I figure it would take me about 10 hours. Or, do I need to send the board to www.unlockservices.com to get them to unlock it for me.
Thanks,
Pat
I tried the reset using the jumper. When I power on, the telephone relay clicks. According to the manual, it's supposed to click 10 times to tell me that I'm locked out. It seems to click about 5 times, but maybe I just can't count fast enough.
When I turn the power on, the lights on the keypad do the following:
1) Ready on
2) Ready off, trouble on (OK, I haven't connected the battery yet.)
3) Trouble off, all six zones on.
When the motion sensor trips, trouble goes on and zone 6 goes off. A few seconds later, they reverse.
I key in *81500 (one of the possible default installer codes). I get short beeps after each key except the last.
What I think that means is that it's listening for the installer code, and I don't have the right one.
OK, have I screwed this up beyond repair, or is there still something I can do? I could try all the possible installer codes. I figure it would take me about 10 hours. Or, do I need to send the board to www.unlockservices.com to get them to unlock it for me.
Thanks,
Pat
MrRonFL
08-27-05, 05:11 AM
It sounds like a lockout to me. Those clicks go pretty fast.
You can try the following: To reset the Installer's code to 1500:
1. With power on, short default pins and type * 8 0000
2. Remove short from default pins and press 91 to remove the lockout.
3. Press 20, then 1500, then press # #.
This trick doesn't work on all the versions of the 1500 series, but it's worth a shot. For the rest of it, once you can get back to normal program mode, you need to turn off the EOL requirement (is there a DSC installer that actually installs the zone resistors???) in section 12 option 5. You will also need to reset all of the zone settings (zone 6, for example, defaults to a fire zone).
You can try the following: To reset the Installer's code to 1500:
1. With power on, short default pins and type * 8 0000
2. Remove short from default pins and press 91 to remove the lockout.
3. Press 20, then 1500, then press # #.
This trick doesn't work on all the versions of the 1500 series, but it's worth a shot. For the rest of it, once you can get back to normal program mode, you need to turn off the EOL requirement (is there a DSC installer that actually installs the zone resistors???) in section 12 option 5. You will also need to reset all of the zone settings (zone 6, for example, defaults to a fire zone).
jpmntb
08-29-05, 02:56 PM
OK, I tried that and it appears that it didn't work. I got a reject (long tone) at the end of step 1, then at step 2. In step 3, it went back to having all the red lights on.
The more I get into this system, the more unhappy I get. I didn't get any codes from the former owner (but that was partly my fault for not asking before I got mad at her for other reasons.) Even if I had gotten any codes, I doubt that she would have given me the installer code because I doubt that she even knew that such a thing existed. She didn't leave me the manual. I couldn't find anything anywhere that said what company installed it. Every other electrical appliance except the refrigerator has something that says who installed it. Not the alarm. What kind of company that would want repeat business fails to mark their equipment?
I've done computer security off-and-on for years. One thing I keep emphasizing to customers is that if you don't have physical security, nothing else matters. And, if you do, then this lockout nonsense that DSC put in is just a way to annoy legitimate customers.
Sorry, just whining, I know.
The more I get into this system, the more unhappy I get. I didn't get any codes from the former owner (but that was partly my fault for not asking before I got mad at her for other reasons.) Even if I had gotten any codes, I doubt that she would have given me the installer code because I doubt that she even knew that such a thing existed. She didn't leave me the manual. I couldn't find anything anywhere that said what company installed it. Every other electrical appliance except the refrigerator has something that says who installed it. Not the alarm. What kind of company that would want repeat business fails to mark their equipment?
I've done computer security off-and-on for years. One thing I keep emphasizing to customers is that if you don't have physical security, nothing else matters. And, if you do, then this lockout nonsense that DSC put in is just a way to annoy legitimate customers.
Sorry, just whining, I know.
MrRonFL
08-29-05, 05:50 PM
It's not DSC, it's the local installers. A lot of them like the brand _because_ it has a very difficult to bypass installer lockout. I have a personal issue about lockouts on customer-owned hardware (a leased system is a different animal). It's still in production, and fairly inexpensive to replace the mother board with an identical one and start over (which stinks, but sometimes those are the breaks). The other alternative is to replace the keypad(s) and control with something more modern and possibly nicer.