Optima 2 Plus Battery and PIR replacement

I've got an 'Optima 2 Plus' house alarm. We've had a few false alarms in the last few months and it's always the same PIRs that trip it. One of them doesn't even light up now when walking past! I assume the PIRs are either dead and/or on their last legs. The Alarm was fitted in 1994 (before we came here). The current system has:

Bell box and strobe on the front of house and 7 PIRs. There are no contact switches. There is a keypad control panel and a White Metal box in one of the rooms (I assume that is the main panel?).

So, I recognise that the battery is past it's life expectancy and so needs to be replaced and considering the failure/trip rate of the PIRs (zones), I think I'll need to replace at least two PIRs. My questions therefore are:

1. Can you guys point me toward the best place to purchase a battery and PIRs for my system?

2. Can you point me toward any info to guide me through the 'replacement' process?

3. Can any of you give me a ball park figure for having a new system fitted?

And...

4. Related to question 3, can you give me your appraisals of the wireless alarm systems available? The wife is keen on the idea of a 'remote' for the alarm for when she's coming in with shopping etc and obviously it allows for DIY fitting.

Thank you in advance.

well an Optima 2 plus, very good in its time,
if it is still in good working order, leave it alone, (other than changing the back up battery and the PIR`s that are faulty)

the best thing i can suggest is if you want to up grade;

do you think you have the technical knowledge to be able to follow the instructions for fitting a new system ?

this is not a put down, i am trying to be practical.
fitting an alarm system is easy (for us who do it for a living) if you have a technical head!

i would reccomend either a Texacom Veritas system or a scantronic 9651 9752 panel and keypad (cooper security) both are good bits of kit

PIR wise, Texacom QD
siren (outside box) again Texacom, various available,
battery 7Amp Hour (minimum)
internal sounder (speaker)

as for wireless, i am afraid i only fit Galaxy, and to be honest these panels are for the proffesional installer not really suitable for DIY.

but again if you want to keep you existing panel the way to do it is as follows;

disconnect the mains and battery from your existing panel,
go outside and disconnect the bell box (not the cabling just the bell/siren)
remove the a cover from a PIR look at the connections

you should find
N/C or ALM or alarm; this is you alarm circuit a pair of wires will be connected to these two connections

T or TA or TAMP; these are you cover switch, as it says its a TAMPER switch

then you have + and - this is the power connection for you pir

MAKE A NOT OF WERE THEY GO BEFORE YOU REMOVE THEM!!!

remove the cabling, fit back box for new PIR, feed cable into the back plate
fit PCB
connect cabling

external siren unit
as with above MAKE A NOT OF HOW ITS WIRED BEFORE DISCONNECTING FROM THE WALL

follow instructions given with your choice of siren unit, (or ask here)

fit the system back together, WITH A NEW BATTERY,
recoonect the mains suply, enter code, press reset

you never know it might be ok

hope this helps

Oasis

Thank you for taking the time to reply oasis.

Would I actually need to replace the outside siren/box? It is working fine at the minute. I only mentioned the battery as I assumed it's probably at the end of it's effective working life. It is just the PIRs that are causing problems (one not working at all, another one tripping the system and one that stays on sometimes), as such you cannot arm the system (sometimes), as it is telling me the particular PIR is sensing even though nothing is actually there, no door/window open and we have no pets.

Could you point me to a suitable supplier for the replacement PIRs?

Thank you once again.

i think security warehouse should be able to supply all you need.

the reason a said to change the external siren unit is if it is the original one, it really is at the end of its life to be honest.

also if the SAB (self activating bell) module fails or is failing it will lock the keypad out,
the way the electronics is done on the optima range, if the external siren unit goes faulty it causes a `watchdog` fault and locks the panel, it self protection circuit built in to the panel.

over the years i have come across soooooooo many of those type of faults,

but its really up to you, if you are happy with the external siren leave it.
but as you are doing other works to your system, changing the external siren would not really be a problem?

also don't just change the two faulty PIR`s, change them all, as if one or two are failing, and they are all of the same age, it really is silly not to change them all.

TBH thats what i would do

i visited a site today, that has a Optima XM 6 panel, that we fitted 18 years ago, its causing a few problems, so we have agreed with the client to change all the devices, and the panel for a new modern one,
but thats just that particular client, some like to keep the older panel, and as long as they are working and are serviced, there is no reason why they should not last longer !!

if you have any questions, fire away!!

Oasis

That's great thanks oasis.

Just one more thing, can you give me a link to a specific PIR that would be suitable replacements? For instance, would this be ok? http://www.securitywarehouse.co.uk/...age=product_info&cPath=36_37&products_id=1007

No doubt I'll be back with plenty more questions mate but thank you very much for now.

basic PIR, we would not use it ourselves, but that does not mean it wont do what you need it to do!!

versatil little unit and easy to fit, (you only have 6 connections!!!)

if you need any more info, post here.

oasistechnical said:

basic PIR, we would not use it ourselves, but that does not mean it wont do what you need it to do!!

versatil little unit and easy to fit, (you only have 6 connections!!!)

if you need any more info, post here.

Click to expand...

Can you suggest one oasis?

we use the Texacom QD pir we have found it to be a very very good and versatile PIR for most applications.

as we fit a a large number of sensors all over the country we like to use a PIR that will not false alarm.

and we have found via trial and error that the texacom QD does the job without any problems.
we even have six of them fitted in our office and stores !!

an all round perfect bit of kit.

if you go to security supplies.co.uk and contact your local branch they can supply you with what you need
the PIR is a Texacom AMQD (with or without wall bracket, depends on how your original systems detectors are mounted) they mail order as well, also you can get your battery and external sounder from them as well.

this is our companies preferred supplier as they always have what i need when i need it, and can sourse anything i need.

Thank you once more oasis. I shall look into your suggestions. I'll report back on what 'she who must be obeyed' decides.

LOL, ok mate keep in touch if you need any more info.

Oasis