neilf Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Hi, I have a (DA SYSTEMS) ABACUS alarm that was installed in approximately 1996. The system has developed a fault whereby the alarm will not set and all you get on the display when trying to set the device is 'ALARM!' The sequence of events is as follows; > User code is entered > Display reads 'HELLO XXXXX. SET SYSTEM?' > User presses the YES/PART key on the keypad. > The alarm looks like it is setting then after around 3 seconds it displays 'ALARM!' on the control panel, and the alarm does not set. I've read the manual and I am aware of the resets that are required after the alarm is tripped, namely; USER (CUSTOMER) RESET - the customer has the ability to fully reset the system ENGINEER RESET - can only be unlocked by an engineer e.g. message displayed is 'Phone Engineer on 01234 567890' CODE RESET - can be unlocked with a code supplied by the alarm company e.g. message displayed is 'Phone Engineer Quote #123456' I am certain that in this case that the USER (CUSTOMER) RESET is in action as there are no messages to call engineer etc, and when the alarm has been tripped historically there has never been any need to call an engineer. Puting in the USER CODE also clears the 'ALARM!' display on the keypad. This leads me to think that it is a fault with the system. Can anyone shed any light on the best way to proceed with this one? I'm thinking of replacing the battery in the main unit under the stairs, or is it best to call someone out? . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSS Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 This leads me to think that it is a fault with the system.Can anyone shed any light on the best way to proceed... ...best to call someone out I think you may have hit the nail on the head... Suggest you ring a few respected local companies for an estimate or post your area on here to see if one of the members local to you can help you out - make sure you tell them its an Abacus because not everyone uses them... Generally, if your battery is more than about 4 years old it may (usually) need replacing, engineers have proper test equipment and can usually tell you what capacity is left in the battery allowing you to make the correct decision if it needs replacing! A few pounds invested now will almost certainly improve the reliability of the system in the months/years to come... As I'm sure most members of the forum will echo, there are dangerous mains voltages inside the metal/plastic end station, and without knowledge of your electrical competence would not recomend you open it for safety reasons! Also you may need an engineer code to reset the panel after you have opened the endstation, leaving you without a working panel and in a worse state for an engineer to discover the facts relating to the state of the system. Best regards and please do let us know what the problem is and how you got on with your chosen installer/engineer TSS Communication is "A question asked, and an Opinion given." I offer mine to help you with yours. Statements I make are my personal views only at the time they are posted, if I offend you sorry, must be taken in context and do not neccesarily represent those of my employer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dave the alarm man Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 will show alarm! untill the system has been set then unset Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinnitus Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 check the log to see what caused it. if its still causing a problem it wont reset even if its on customer reset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest anguscanplay Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 no chance youve pressed a panic button is there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilf Posted June 21, 2007 Author Share Posted June 21, 2007 Many thanks for all of your replies - much appreciated. UPDATE I've taken a look again and the 'ALARM!' display is on permanently even when the system is not set. When setting the system, after 3 seconds the 'ALARM!' display comes up again but the system will not set as described at the top of this thread. It appears the system will not set unless the 'ALARM!' display is acknowledged/reset however it's not obvious how to do this; There is an option for an 'ENGINEER CODE' which I'm guessing is where the reset can be done, but I'm not aware of that code so I cannot get into it. When I cancel the Engineer Code option it asks me if I want to 'UNLOCK ENGINEER ACCESS' (or similar) to which I can change the answer to 'YES' or 'NO' and press the yes key to accept. I've set this to YES, but strangely there are no further menu items as I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Harris Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 It is, as suggested above, better if you enquire about a trained engineer attending to rectify any possible fault and/or give the system a full health check. Some simple steps you can try are as follows: 1) Check any personal attack alarms to see if they have been activated, if they have then reset them 1st 2) When the alarm panel shows: 'Alarm!' press 'Yes' to display the cause of the activation 3) If no joy with the above then access the logs Finding out the cause of the activation will help greatly. The advice given by the other forum users above is sound, save yourself a lot more expense later by investing in an engineer visit at this stage. Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest anguscanplay Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 chack if the panic button has been " reset " - is it in ? did you need to turn a key ? i think the engineer access is for allowing the engineer into the system as apposed to changing the engineer code so it may be a bit of a red herring as you have been able to reset the alarm before angus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dave the alarm man Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 There is an option for an 'ENGINEER CODE' which I'm guessing is where the reset can be done, no I'm pretty convinced now that there is nothing wrong with the system. beg to differ, it won't set! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stress3 Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 nobeg to differ, it won't set! Just in reply to your post ! if you have checked that all the devices are clear then ! you will need to check you have the master code you can not reset the alarm with out it ! enter code, set sytem ? yes ! starts to set enter code, if alarm remains go into to engineer (if you have code) change reset to engineer come back out and reset ! one or more of your circuits may be programmed as eng reset. Failing this follow defaulting codes procedure simple to do if you are within 14 secs from endstation and Rkp. Reprogramme a master user code, this will then give you the authority to reset. B Lucky !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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