Electronic Alarms and Home Security Devices - Concord Express help...

I've browsed through the fourm here and need to know if I'm right about this...I just purchased a CE system and was working my way though the menus and somehow armed the system before I was able to change the user code. I believe I was using the install code of 4321....but that code will not disarm. 1234 and 6321 do not work either to disarm. I'm still hoping the original owner will get back to me with the user code, but if not, am I out of luck and have to buy a new board for it? Thanks!

Kris

Have you tried the "brute force" approach of pulling battery and AC power waiting a few minutes and powering back up. If it wasn't set up to restore in the previous state, that should get you back to square one.

Otherwise, I'm fairly sure that there's no easy way to bypass the armed state.

Yes, I have tried that....as well as connecting the memory reset jumpers on the board with no luck. Is there a special tool that I would need to use for that? I just tried using knife to do it....

Ewww, be careful with those jumpers. There is a specific procedure for using them, and they do not reset the installer codes!

Basically, the only way to extract the code with the system armed is with the downloader software (because even if you know the dealer and installer codes, programming is locked out locally until the panel is disarmed).

Short of a lucky guess at the master code, you can either replace the motherboard and start from scratch, or contact the original installer. (sorry, these things are supposed to be hard to bypass while armed...).

About the toolbox downloader software...how is that used? Is there an extra cable that goes from pc to alarm panel, etc....? I've found a couple places online that have the software, but I don't want to spend the money if it's going to be a pain to use. Not to mention that I have found boards pretty cheap...

The toolbox software is designed for installers who are setting up multiple similar systems. It takes an interface cable to use it directly, and the learning curve is far from flat. The CE system is honestly inexpensive enough that replacing the motherboard isn't that bad (check your keypad, though, you have to have full alphanumeric keypad to program the new motherboard).

Ok, all problems solved....owner got back to me last night with the previous disarm code. Thanks for the help!!

Well, I got the new keypad (alpha) the other day and was walking through the programing when I ran into a problem. It's recognizing all of the sensors just fine, but the system is setting off the alarm when it is not armed and when any sensor is tripped. On the status menu it is is displaying a failure of "bus 0". I'm not sure what bus 0 is, or if that could be the contributing factor. I will say that the system is not fully installed yet (sensors not yet mounted). I was doing the programing as a test to see if everything worked right. Any help?
Thanks!

The system is probably still looking for the other keypad that I assume you swapped for the alpha keypad. You will need to run the device supervision sequence to effectively erase internal references to the original keypad. Check your wiring on the keypad buss at both ends as well, just to be safe.

Ok, I think I've almost got this thing worked out. That solved the bus 0 problem, but it is still setting off the alarm whenever a sensor is tripped, regardless of being unarmed or armed. Any suggestions for this?

More than likely, you have a zone/sensor programmed as either one of the 24 hour zone types, or as a fire zone. Look at the "sensor group" for that input and see what you have it set as.

(I like the Concord panels, but that terminology they use is a little annoying, at times. Anywhere they say "sensor group", substitute "zone type" to be consistant with every other maker's terminology).

If I would have actually read the appendicies of the install guide I would have picked up on the fact that group # had specific functions. Kinda makes sense, and neat to be able to set up zones under different uses...

I really appreciate the help!

-Kris