troubleshooting old alarm, worked perfectly till this am....

Open each door and window, one at a time (make sure you have a clear panel besides zone 1) and note the lights on your alarm panel. It is possible that you may have several opening on one zone so write down which openings correspond to which red lights.

If there is no change when you've opened a contacted opening, note that also but go through the entire system before stopping (this will also give you references for future troubleshooting.

Once you've identified the doors and/or windows that do not cause a red light on any other zones you have identified the location or locations where the trouble exists.

Next step is to pull the contact and detach the wires. Ensure all other openings (assuming there is more than one) on the zone are secured and twist the wires together - this will "trick" the panel into thinking the contact is closed. If there is a resistor connected to the wires, ensure that it is included in your circuit. for multiple openings, leave the wires twisted as you move on to the next opening.

If your zone clears, you have a defective contact, if not, it is possibly the wire or the zone on the panel itself.

Go to your panel and detach the wires from zone 1. If there is a resistor in the panel, or if you found one connected to the contact, place the resistor across the terminals for zone 1. If you haven't found any resistors, use a multimeter to check resistance on a zone that is functioning properly - place that same resistance across the terminals. Also check the door of the panel enclosure, it will often have a diagram of the terminals and may indicate what resistance, if any, the panel requires.

Zone 1 MAY have a different resistance required than that of the other zones - it is rare, but I've seen it and I am not familiar with the product you mentioned.

The zone should clear indicating you have a broken wire somewhere. If it does not clear, then your panel is faulty. If you cannot replace the panel immediately, you can place the wires from zone 1 in series with another zone.

In case it's the wire - that can get tricky. Moisture in the walls can cause corrosion at the connections and is not uncommon, as is mice, rats or chipmunks (yeah, yeah, they're cute, but they're also destructive little bastards) chewing through the cabling.

If there are several devices, you may find the wire twist clears the zones at some point - that indicates that the break is 'after' that device.

If that is the case, come back here and report your findings, how many devices are connected to the zone, where it cleared (if it did), how many conductors are present in the cabling that was attached to the contacts and also find out where (if anywhere) you have access to the alarm wiring.

May also be helpful to put pictures of your panel on a site such as ImageShack and post the link here.

Happy hunting

pen the front door). Weird because there is no access to the wiring from th e outside..... maybe coincidence....

alled in door and frame.

ow, never paid attention until it stopped working)

arm on, I left the house thinking it wasn't set..... then when I came back from the dentist it was set... prealarm went off and the alarm turned off w hen I keyed code in (I didn't have time to go see if the "zone 1" red light was still on),

e connections one at a time and see if, when I detach the one that is the p roblem.. which one it is?

orhood... don't want to be without the alarm.

switched and a CFI... and I put a new battery in the alarm some years ago.

en how to add/remove an auxiliary code)

********************** alarm is kind of simple... only, zone 1 zone 2 for two doors and 6 windows. .. old system... they are bunched together

I took three of the "magnets"(?) off that looked like they might be lose en ough to shift and re glued them (e6000) no idea what the original glue was. . it was clear but dried... is there a better glue? ********* they just dried enough to replace windows in the frame, and.... "Green Light" it is working now ;-) so my idea of putting a magnet at the sensor to see if it was a connection problem in the door or window didn't work?

I am keeping your info, the system is old and some of the sensors don't wor k... there were some mats at doors and stair base for when no one was home, they stopped working... I want to familiarize myself with it better before there is need... a more sophisticated control might be nice and I'd like to add the garage d oor to the system and eventually get cameras at front and patio doors... I want to learn how this works so, thank you for the information ;-)

pen the front door). Weird because there is no access to the wiring from th e outside..... maybe coincidence....

alled in door and frame.

ow, never paid attention until it stopped working)

arm on, I left the house thinking it wasn't set..... then when I came back from the dentist it was set... prealarm went off and the alarm turned off w hen I keyed code in (I didn't have time to go see if the "zone 1" red light was still on),

e connections one at a time and see if, when I detach the one that is the p roblem.. which one it is?

orhood... don't want to be without the alarm.

switched and a CFI... and I put a new battery in the alarm some years ago.

en how to add/remove an auxiliary code)

I don't see where to post pics of the panel... though maybe not still neede d...

Opposite the magnet, there will be a contact. If you remove it from the door/window frame, it will be connected to two wires.

When the contact is in proximity to the magnet, the tiny reed switch creates a "short".

By removing the wires from the contact and shorting them together by twisting the bare copper ends together, you will mimic the action of a properly functioning contact with the window closed.

Is that easier than disconnecting it from the control box? first I'd like to be able to set the alarm so at least the downstairs is protected... I'll have time later today to do more trials if I remove them from the control box will that set off the alarm? or is that something impossible to know from what I can see in the box... disconnect the siren while I experiment? I think I know which wire it is... maybe... ;-)

the thing is, it is near the magnet that is in the window frame... so, shouldn't that work? then could there be something wrong with the contact? if the contact is the problem, then I could replace it?

that means pulling the contact up from the window frame? and if the problem is in the wiring below that (between contact and the control box?)

also... doing this when the alarm is "off" will not set off the alarm? I don't want to do this in the early am or dead of night... condo... not that some of my neighbors wouldn't deserve it... but... I'd like to be prepared, siren is REALLY loud. if I set the siren off accidentally... will using the code turn it off? probably a silly question but... I'm fascinated by how the wires run through the house... under the carpet and down through the walls? I wish I had stayed home to watch them do that.

If the contact is in the bottom of the window, then it is not uncommon for moisture to corrode the splice.

Pulling the contact out of the frame and checking the leads with a multimeter while moving the contact, near and then away from the magnet, will verify whether or not the contact is good or bad.

You can replace it, if you can get the same size and type (from the picture it is a normally closed device- meaning the contact creates a short when the magnet is near.

If the contact is bad, shorting the leads the contact is connected to will,in effect, bypass that window while the rest of the system is good.

If you are concerned about the siren, simply remove the positive lead from the terminal at the panel. if it is supervised, you may have to place a resistor across the terminals.

Really though, the panel you have is pretty old. You can replace it and the keypad with a relatively inexpensive one that will be much better. Contacts are pretty generic.

**** entered my questions between ***** are multimeters pretty similar, will a cheap one work? I've not tried a hobby that required one yet ;-)

********

not uncommon for moisture to corrode the splice.

, near and then away from the magnet, will verify whether or not the contac t is good or bad.

irection the magnet is glued into the window + or - ??*************

which one is that? ********

ts... before removing siren wires?... this is new stuff to me.... resistor. .. interestingly, there was one in the control box or I would not have one of those either, now I know why*****

****inexpensive is relative... right now, no spare money... but, was someth ing of what I had in mind, trying to figure out if this is something I coul d do myself... after a lot of learning... but there is no money for anythin g not essential for a little while... thank you again, I appreciate your patience ****************

Yes. All you need is to read is basic resistance - any meter will do.

******************************** will pick one up, Q looking in the panel I see the wires from upstairs (the two I suspect are the windows are not wired each to a contact in the panel as I expected but wired together with the red crimped tubes(what are these called?), and the two from upstairs are not wired together (I then expected them to be, wire d together to make a "zone" (zone 1 and zone 2) but are split, the two from upstairs are wired into a 1/2 wire (is there a term for a wire that is hal f the wire?) that comes from the downstairs bunch.... that wire is split to a burgundy wire (looks purple in the pic) from the group of wires covered by the thick grey tube) I still hoped to just disconnect the upstairs windows (less likely to be th e entry point) so I can set the alarm when I leave today.... the experiment ing is going to take some time and I have a 12 hour day today then early to morrow... I'd like to be able to set the alarm until I have time for the ex periments..... originally there was a mat at the patio door and at the stairs... they both stopped working and not certain if those wires were removed by the people who did some repairs after some water damage... i wondered if it might be a wire from that....

is there a way for me to figure out which wire is which window or door? also, doing this alone so there is no way other than running back and forth to see what effect something at the sensor effects the panel....

the more I learn, at least if I find it is beyond me, I hope to be less lik ely to be ripped off by an alarm repairman... had a garage door repair pers on charge a lot and not fix the motor a couple years ago. right now, scrimp ing to keep up, situation will be better in another year then I can save to upgrade... when I do I'm going to follow the alarm guys around and learn t he system ;-) right now, I don't want to deal with someone who is not a troubleshooter an d tells me (for $300) I need a new $3000 system... there is no way to do it .... and I imagine a person who can do repairs, it is still going to be exp ensive...I hoped the more I figure out, at least the less time spent on tha t... unless I can do it, then.. even better... my life story... besides, it is interesting

again, thank you

multimeters... digital or analog?

As old as his system is there is not telling if that's the case.

I agree.

Looks like the last thing he wants to do is pull the contact - which, the way I would troubleshoot it, is the first thing to do.

Ok... that is why I keep asking if removing the wires from the panel will e liminate the potential problems of there being something wrong at the conta ct or anywhere along the wiring to the panel.... my thought had been, the if I disconnect the wire at the panel (now looks l ike it won't work as easily because it looks like the window wires are wire d together (to make a "zone"?) and wired to a half of a wire from who knows what....) it might show exactly which window is the problem... right? is there still a way to do this? or would doing this not show a contact/wir e is the problem? the upstairs windows are the least likely point of entry, I would be comfortable, until I can do more, with being able to arm all th e downstairs areas (though, it might turn out one of them is the problem, t he "closed then open" issue happened when I first put the south bedroom win dow back in, showed green for a while then red again) digging the glue out of the track, taking the "contact" apart looks like mo re work than I have had time for for several days, and more work to put bac k together than detaching the wire at the panel.... or not?

well... I keep explaining why I understand if you don't agree with my circumstances... but that does not change them digging the glue out of the window... etc... and all that work will not sho w anything if, as you said, the problem is in the wire beyond that point. I think you are thinking as a repairman who is being paid to repair, I am t hinking, I want to be able to set the part of the system that protects the down stair areas (if they are not the problem, based on removing, re-gluing a lose magnet in the south bedroom window gave me a green light for a whil e, then it went red again). I'm not an electrician... I don't have a multimeter... I had to look up res istor (had a vague idea of what they look like and do)... I'm not sure what you mean by using the resistor when removing wires (could not find anythin g about that on the internet)... I understand it is a lot more work to answ er details to an amateur... I'm a 65 year old woman trying to keep her home together... I need to advice pitched to that level I've learned a lot from your discussion, thank you