strobe behaviour

[diyer]

Can anyone suggest a way of making the strobe stop when the bell stops? I always find it strange that after an alarm condition the strobe carries on for ever until a reset. A continuous flashing strobe day after day is an open invitation to the low life to "do" your house. If the strobe stops when the bell stops then all is well. I know the latching strobe was a way of telling Plod which alarm has been set off, but these days Plod is not interested and neighbours seem similarly afflicted, so no need for continuous strobe I suggest. I have a gen4 CP and a couple of (different) bells but I suspect I could simply power the strobe from the bell signal - would that do it I wonder?

[datadiffusion]

Yes, there would be no issue doing that, assuming the load of the bell is low enough (most budget/modern sirens would be).

However, you say you have 2 bells so would highly recommend doing current calculations based on actual draw of bells / strobe and capability of the output.

 

The strobe is primarily to warn you that there has been an activation before you go marching into the property, it's unlikely but there could

still be a burglar on scene once the bell has stopped (or not started, if on a delay) especially when set to a shorter time, for example all mine are

set to 10 mins unless the customer requests otherwise.

 

So, I personally would keep it separate but up to you.

Edited September 6, 2016 by datadiffusion

[sixwheeledbeast]

I would agree that a flashing strobe is a sign of a vacant property and would use a separate output or the bell trig for the strobe.

I can see the pros and cons to the argument, however, you are likely to notice signs of a break in before or while entering the property.

 

 

[datadiffusion]

It depends on the situation, I agree, on a decent panel you can at least limit the strobe to say, 4 hours if it bothers you I guess.

 

And certainly on our property any break in would almost certainly be via the rear, which you can't see until you're already in the house and past the lobby...

Edited September 6, 2016 by datadiffusion