DSC - how to map zones to 1832 inputs

[norcoscia]

Hi, hoping someone can help me.

I have an 1832 DSC board on order and I download the installation guide to get a head start while waiting for the board.

I'm having a bit of trouble understanding how to map my sensors to zones. I have an existing setup I put together using an ADIO-100 and the already installed door, window and motion sensors from an old BRINKS system which was not working but installed when I moved in.

It works OK but wanted to go with a real system for some additional capability.

I have read the installer guide and a document called HOW TO PROGRAM A DSC SYSTEM - A TUTORIAL.

Maybe I'm getting too old but I don't see any mention about mapping / assigning the 1832 physical sensor inputs on the logic board to the virtual zones that I think will exist (if I'm understanding this correctly)

Can anyone help or point me to a better guide - I have a good understanding of electricity and electronics but I don't have a background in security systems.

[reidfo]

The DSC plugins map physical input zones on the board to logical zones in HS. If you have a PC1832 board, it has 8 physical inputs which will map to zones 1-8. If you have expansion boards, they will be zones 9-16, 17-32, etc. Wireless zones come after your hardwired zones.

I would suggest downloading the DLS IV programming software and either building or buying a PCLink cable. It helped me get my system programmed much quicker, and helped make sense of the configuration.

DLS IV software is available here:
http://www.diyalarmforum.com/DLS_IV/

How to build your own PCLink cable:
http://sadik.net/DIYProjects/2011/10...er-pc-dls2002/

[norcoscia]

Thanks, I just took a very fast look, the SW seems to be a few years old and does not reference DSC FW versions past 4.2.

The board I have coming will be 4.6 (supports 2-way wireless)

I noticed (via a few posts) you recently purchased your DSC board - does the SW work with FW newer than 4.2 and are you running 4.6

I think what must have been confusing me is the references I came across that said you could have any number of sensors on a zone. (not having the HW does not help either)

So I assumed the zones were not tied to the physical inputs on the board - I guess those references either were assuming someone would hook up multiple sensors to one physical input (or configure groups of zones the same to form a group of common behaviors).

Anyway thanks for the info - just like everything else I do with HS, it is a magical process that involves lots of time, muttering and many expletives.

[reidfo]

I did recently purchase my PC1832 and it's running either 4.5 or 4.6. DLS IV worked fine with it.

When people talk about multiple sensors per zone, it's because they're wiring the sensors in series, so if one sensor in that zone trips it trips the whole zone. That's why in typical installs you can have an 8 zone system, but dozens of door and window sensors.

In my house the builder preinstalled a DSC panel (old model), and wired a total of 30 door and window sensors to 4 zones(!). They were seemingly random too, so when a zone tripped I had no idea where in the house the sensor was. On the panel I just installed I put in three zone expanders, and wired up every door and most windows to their own zone. The only time I double up sensors on a zone is when two windows are side by side.

Do some reading on the diyalarm forum for some other tips on wiring. One nice thing about the newer DSC panels is that you do not have to have a terminating resistor on each zone. Terminating resistors are meant to prevent someone from simply short-circuiting a sensor and bypassing the zone. If your wiring is all protected in the wall like mine is you don't really need the resistors. Makes installation simpler.

[norcoscia]

Agree on the termination resistors, seems like overkill. In any case, I'll be using whatever is in my walls now. Guess I better break out the meter and re-check to be sure before I hook up the 1832. Pretty sure there are none but it has been almost a year since I hooked up the ADIO-100 and I can't remember.

Thanks for the tip on the DLS SW, I downloaded and installed it on a netbook I had laying around (trying to find something useful for it - slow, slow, slow).

The DLS IV SW automatically added some missing (but required) SQL SW and then updated to V5 - went pretty smooth and looks like it will be a million times better than hand jamming in all the info via a keypad.

I have an email into Mark (at HS) to add one of the new DSC PTK5507 PowerSeries TouchScreen keypads to my pending 1832 order - hope the bugs are worked out of that Keypad (fingers crossed).

Strange bit of SW, I can't seem to figure out how to add a DSC PC5108 PowerSeries 8-Hardwire Zone Expander (I'll be adding one) - I'm assuming the main logic board will sense it once it is hooked up and it will just magically appear. Hard to do much until I get the 1832 installed and connected.

Thanks again and have fun with your panel...

[Rico]

8 zone expander

You will need to set the jumpers on the 8 zone board. They will physically set it to 9-16, 17-24, etc.

Then in the DSC programming you need to turn those corresponding zones on.

In the HS plugin just tell it what the "maximum" zone number is. You can increase this later if you need to. Keep in mind that if you use zones 1-6, 9, 10 and 15 for some odd reason, you would need to tell it you have 15 zones.

If you decide to use wireless they can be spread out on whatever zones you wish. In the panel zone programming you have to set a flag that tells it a zone is wireless. If you do, that corresponding hardwired zone will not be used.