Boy am I glad to have found this site. I have a Citadel XR2 system fitted with a Defender bellbox. The system has a couple of issues. The strobe no longer works on the bellbox, not under alarm conditions or test conditions however I have checked the supply and stobe return in the XR2 control panel and all is well voltage wise so i believe the error is with the stobe, can this be checked? The other issue also is to do with the bell box. I was led to believe that the bell box has its own timings 5, 10, 20 and test mode which I have confirmed as I have the paperwork. However a recent incident where a PIR failed caused the alarm to sound whilst we were away. According to the environment lady it rang all night which can't be true however I am told that the XR2 system will reset after 20 mins and if another alarm condition occurs the bellbox will ring again. I thought it would ring for 20mins and then shutdown regardless of further alarm conditions however the strobe remains until the system is reset. Having made enquires to the local security company i'm being told that all bell boxs' will work this way with the XR2 system and the only way to stop this is to install a new system! Is this right? All help much appreciated. (System is 7 years old)

There seems to be 3 points here:

1. You were told that the alarm sounded all night. From many years of experience, I can tell you NEVER to believe what you are told. ... er, unless I am telling you, that is.

2. The strobe isn't working. It could be a fault on the cable, but is much more likely to be a fault on the external unit. If so, replace it rather than attempt a repair. If the strobe is faulty, how reliable is the rest of it?

3. The number of re-arms is not a feature of the panel you have got. If you want this facility, you would need a better quality control.

Conclusion. New control and new external unit.

Alarm guard, will / should the keypads be replaced as well as the control / external units?

Yes

... oh, and a new battery (probably)

Thanks for help, are you allowed to suggest some suitable systems with the re-arm facility, I don't want to make the same mistake again?!

We use Texecom. The Veritas R8+ is a very good panel, and it make life easier if you use the same make of external unit.

... but any control panel will be more complicated to programme than your present alarm, so consider getting aprofessional in if you are unsure... and don't forget if you do it yourself, you are playing with mains electric, and your security...

Many thanks for advice, all PIRs currently are Texecom so will go with that! Merry Christmas.

3. The number of re-arms is not a feature of the panel you have got. If you want this facility, you would need a better quality control.

You sure about that?

Default automatic re-arms before panel shuts down = 3 (programmable up to 99)

Thought you said you fitted ADE kit?

Nope. Fitted a few Logic 4 panels and some original Optimas back in the early 1980's. Then went on to Aritech, now Texecom.

Ah, knew it was mentioned somewhere!