Optima G3 - Changing a Sensor

[DaveSk]

Hi,

I have bought a pet friendly sensor for our alarm and I was about to go and snip the old one off and replace it with the new one when I realised this might set the alarm off...

Can anyone tell me the correct procedure for changing the sensor? And if I do something wrong will putting the code in stop the alarm ringing?

I'm paranoid I'll set it off and not be able to stop it!

Cheers,
Dave

 

[chaindaisy]

Hi Dave,

Open the control panel, there is a microswitch on board the pcb with a spring attached. The spring rests against the cover. Sometimes the springs drop out (but not often) so it's worth keeping an eye on it.

Silence the alarm by entering your code, and press reset. You now have a permanent tamper fault on the system, so if the tamper wires touch the alarm loop wires at the detector they cannot cause an alarm since you have already created one.

Remove the cover of the existing device and look carefully at the coloured cores. Two cores are for the alarm loop, note their colours, two for the tamper loop, note their colours, two for power to the detector.

The power cores are positive + and negative -. Personally, I remove the positive from beneath it's terminal and put some insulating tape around the bared wires so that they cannot touch any other wires or the small pcb. Do the same with the negative cable core. Remember or write down the colours. You do not have to do this with all cores but I would certainly cover the anti tamper cores also.

Bring all cores out of the existing device, remove the device from the wall and mount the pet passive.

Connection is opposite to removal. When you are satisfied that the correct connections are made, replace the pet passive cover, ensuring that it is fitting correctly.

Replace the control panel cover, enter your code to silence and press reset. If the outside strobe is still flashing press reset again.

These are general optima notes, there may be slight variations for silencing the sounders on a G3.

Take Care,

Chain Daisy.

 

[DaveSk]

Hi Chain Daisy, thanks a million for your help, that's massively appreciated.

Dave

 

[joe-90]

I don't agree with what he's written about taping wires. When you pull the wire back through the hole in the sensor the tape is likely to fall off and the wires get shorted together.

Much easier to go to the main panel. Where you see all the wires going into the +12v (usually red wires) - simply undo the screw and remove them. Ignore the rest of the wires.

You can now change the sensor without the risk of blowing fuses etc. That's how we pros do things.
When finished simply reconnect the wires to the +12v.

 

[DaveSk]

Cheers Joe, I'll have a look and weigh it up when I'm doing the job

Thanks,
Dave

 

[joe-90]

Also, you'll find that when you drill a hole in the new sensor for the cable to go through - if you do it like I told you to then you can twist the wires together (as they have no power) and feed them through the hole. Try doing that with taped up wires.

 

[DaveSk]

Cheers!

 

[bernardgreen]

To the OP

If you accidently short the 12 to Ov (*) then you will blow the fuse on the PCB in the panel. Depending on the alarm this could set the outside bell ringing if it requires the 12 volt to "hold off" the bell. Hold off means if the panel is not sending 12 volts to the bell box then the box will sound the alarm on its internal battery. ( this is done so that cutting the wires to the bell box will cause the alarm to sound. )

(*) depending on the type of alarm a short between 12 volt and another wire can also blow fuses

DIsconnecting the +12 volt at the panel is a safer way to work.

 

[DaveSk]

Thanks again for the advice offered by both of you. I'm wondering what I have started here though...

For the record, I have 2 methods of doing it at my disposal now. I'll work out which is best for me on the day.

 

[DaveSk]

...and thanks to Bernard too. I missed that one amongst all the other stuff.