Electronic Alarms and Home Security Devices - Bell Circuit Trouble (LCD5501Z)

Hello,

I have DSC Power Series alarm system with LCD5501Z keypad.
Few weeks ago it stared beeping every 10 sec. I checked trouble code and it was #1. I checked this forum and found that the common problem with this code was the back up battery, so I ordered new one and meanwhile was able to turn those beeps off. The beeps came back while the battery was being delivered and I couldn't do anything about them, so I just unplugged the whole thing and disconnected the back up battery (the system isn't hooked to the central station).
The battery came in yesterday and I replaced it today. The yellow trouble light was still on. I started digging deeper and found out that trouble code #1 was too generic and I could narrow it down by entering '1' after *2, which I did and it gave me new code '2' which apparently means Bell Circuit Trouble.
Does any of you guys and gals know what I can do to make this trouble disappear?

Thanks in advance,

-Tony. Beer 4U2

hook up the new battery, then plug in the transformer.

is there an o/side siren? or just an i/side?


activate a panic from the keypad- (2 buttons with a police shield) press the buttons at the same time- siren should sound- if not, maybe try the fire ones - there are 3 pairs of buttons- they may not be programmed to work- if you have to- arm the system and set it off by openeing a door- see if the siren sounds- if it does- then you need to add a resistor to the bell circuit. its the 5th & 6th from the left terminals

a 1K oHm resistor- can be bought at radio shack- you'll get 3 or 4 in the pack- use one.

if it doesnt sound- something happened to the siren

is it self contained? or is there a siren driver in the panel? this is a small, maybe 3 x 3 inch board- wires from terminals 5 & 6 will go to this, then a pair of speaker wires will go from this board to the speaker/s in or on the building

the siren driver (if this is what you have) may be bad. i doubt the speakers will report to the driver and the driver to the DSC panel that there is a problem

I'd start by checking the wiring between the alarm control motherboard and the siren(s). Look in that box first. There may be a small siren driver card inside that is connected to the bell/siren terminals and in all the other fiddling around with the battery may have gotten a broken wire.

Basically, if putting a 1k ohm (brown black red for the first three stripes) resistor on the bell terrminals clears the trouble then the problem is with the wiring between the panel and the siren.

Thanks for the reply guys. Wasn't able to check it out till today, sorry.

I think I located bell terminals.
I tried arming the system and it got armed then when I opened the door, I only heard few single beeps, but the siren didn't sound. Not sure what it means, probably there's something wrong with the wiring that connects that alarm to the siren?
I couldn't locate the siren board. It might be there but I don't know if I'd recognize if it was starring right in my eyes.
The wires from the bell terminals (blue and brown) run directly into the wall.
I took few pictures, may be you guide me what I should check based on these?

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3arn1pTllcU/Svcqevdz0yI/AAAAAAAAAM8/YL99wtgmyAA/s640/PICT0123.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3arn1pTllcU/SvcqxG3eEiI/AAAAAAAAANA/0itbp-WidyI/s640/PICT0122.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3arn1pTllcU/Svcq5D4FgeI/AAAAAAAAANc/rG_0VDLjP00/s640/PICT0124.JPG

Thanks,
-Tony

Since the wires go directly into the wall, the siren driver must be in the siren itself.

If you can obtain a 1K resistor and then loosen the screws directly above the Bell+ and Bell- terminals, and remove the two wires below. Then poke the two leads on the 1K resistor in and tighten the screws. If the trouble light goes away, you will know that the problem is in the wiring to the siren, or in the circuitry of the siren itself.

While the "bell" wires are removed from the terminal, make sure they are not scraped or pinched, or in any way have exposed metal that could be touching the cabinet or any other metal. If that all looks good, the next step is to find the siren itself (ladder may be required) and open the box, or remove it from the wall, to look for problems inside there.

In essence, one of two things has happened:
1 -- the wire between the motherboard and the siren has been damaged/failed.

or

2 -- the siren has failed in an open circuit (not an unusual failure mode.

The second is the more expensive but easy fix; the first can be difficult, depending on how the wires were routed through the structure.

I will get the resistor from Radioshack an try connecting it to the bell terminals.
So my options are either to replace the siren or look for the problem with the wiring, depending on the resistor test?
I honestly don't care all that much for the outside siren, especially that it's located in probably in the most inconvenient location on the house. I don't even have a ladder high enough to reach it. Is it somehow possible to tell the alarm to ignore this condition and not consider it an error? I stopped the alarm from beeping every 10 seconds (I wasn't even sure what I did to make it work), but I did it before and it started beeping again (yes, in the middle of the night).

if you install the resistor- it will "think" there is a working siren

if you do this- then you will not have ANY sound during an alarm- other than what may come from the keypad itself.


in the least- i would buy a siren at radio shack- 12 volt and install right at the panel


this is only if your not gonna actually attempt to find or repair the problem'd one.

you never really did answer if there is more than 1 - is there 1 inside as well as 1 outside???

Sorry, there's only 1 outside siren. Nothing's inside as far as I know.
So in essence, plugging resistor in instead of the siren wires will pretty much fix everything since there doesn't seem to be any bell driver inside?

Plugging in resistor instead of siren will fix the bell trouble but will leave you with no noise-maker at all. Not really a fix, but a workaround until you fix the siren, or replace it. Any loud 12-volt security siren will work, but if your wiring is bad you will still need to fix that.

Putting a siren indoors is better than nothing - it will wake you up, and possibly scare an intruder away. In fact, many systems have both an indoor and an outdoor siren.

To explain "siren driver" - a security siren is really an audio speaker with an electronic circuit that makes it sound like a siren. That circuit is the "siren driver" and it can be inside the control box (in some systems) or inside the speaker (like your system). There are some sirens (called "piezo" sirens) that are not really speakers, and only can be used on a system like yours where the siren is only driven by 12 volts, not by an audio output. If you end up replacing your siren, you can use a piezo or a speaker-type siren. Just look for one that makes the most noise (rated in "db") and also that does not draw too much current (for your panel, less than 700mA)

Yes, you're right. I will try the resistor first (just to make sure the trouble light goes off), and then if it works, I'll probably install a siren inside right next to the alarm box. It's in the closet in the basement, so I'll have to buy a really loud one. I don't know if I'll ever be able to reach that siren outside and I'm not even sure it's a siren. If it's the wiring, I won't be able to trouble shoot it by myself.

-Tony.

If it's not a siren, it's a real bell - a big round thing with a clapper that hit is to make the sound. If it's a bell, it's most likely inside a box on the wall. If it's a siren, it could look like a speaker, and be in a box, or it could look like one of these. (http://www.homesecuritystore.com/nsearch.aspx?keywords=siren)

It's definitely a siren....like one of those in your link. I can see it from the outside, but I have no idea how to get to it without a really tall ladder. It's right underneath the gutter.

I have no idea how to get to it without a really tall ladder. It's right underneath the gutter.

That's a good place for security - most burglars are allergic to really tall ladders. Not so good for maintenance. As far as the location of an indoor siren, can you get a wire inside the walls to a good location on the main floor? Inside a closet in the basement is not the best spot.

I don't know if I'll be able to run the wire inside the wall all the way up to the main floor. I'll see how it's run all the way up to the gutter. May be I can use that route.

Update:
Plugged in resistor instead of the siren wires and the trouble light went off. so this means the problem is either the siren itself or the wiring to the siren. If I can find a ladder long enough to reach the siren, I could probably buy a new one and swap the old one with it. But if it's not the siren, but the wiring...I'll just give up.