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Ade Accenta G4 - Backup Battery Fault Mystery


opacey

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Hi all.

I have a Honeywell Accenta Mini G4 Alarm panel with LCD keypad (8SP399A), 4x PIR sensors and one AG8 and one AG6 bell boxes. All is working fine until there is a mains power cut at which point the system behaves as if there is no power at all (ie, no backup battery in the panel, which in fact there is):

 - AG8 and AG6 sirens and strobes are triggered (they ring with an intermitting pause every couple of seconds)

 - LCD keypad display is on but not responsive to any buttons, LCD display gradually fades to blank over about a minute

 - Red power LED on the panel fades gradually until it is off

 

I suspected that the lead acid (AB21) battery was dead but removed it and using a multimeter found 13.5v across its terminals and after an hour on the desk it still showed 13.5v so I assume it is fully charged and able to hold that charge for at least an hour.

 

I also found 13.5v across the terminals that the battery wires connect to on the main panel (with battery removed).

 

Clearly the panel is able to charge the battery, and it would seem the battery is functioning well (4 years old installation) but somehow that backup power isn't getting to the rest of the logic board. Could this be a fuse problem? I called Honeywell Support but they weren't very much help in further diagnosis. It seems supplier only sell the whole package (panel + keypad) and I'm on a really tight budget so only want to replace the minimum of parts.

 

If anyone can help me further diagnose this behaviour I would be delighted!

 

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I'd put money on it being the battery. Output voltage is only one consideration, it's when the battery is placed under load that it will prove itself. Try checking the battery voltage with it connected to the panel and the mains disconnected. If it's still reading above 12 volts, it's the panel although I'm fairly sure after 4 years, the battery has had it and the voltage will plummet.

Trade Member

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Thank you all kindly for the input. Tomorrow I will try testing the batt voltage, while still installed, and after cutting the mains (with the flick of a switch rather than than the lethal grasp of scissors!)

 

If it falls then we have a bad battery. If it sustains around 12v then we have a bad panel. Is that the right thinking?

 

Thanks!


PS, Will check the fuse too - thanks for the tip.

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  • 1 month later...

It was indeed a dead battery!

I bought and installed a new AB21, switched off the mains (didn't even let the battery 'settle in') and no alarm bells rang.

 

Sadly my circuit tester had broken so I took the gamble, based on your consensus, and paid for the new battery. Well worth it!

 

Thanks for all the help everyone. Very much appreciated.

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