EST3 Communication Protocol

Not gonna happen.

You're welcome. :-)

First EST falls into what is called an Engineered Systems product. Put in simple terms, it is not available to trunk slammers. To get or own an EST dealer slot is like someone handing you a big wad of cash. No one is going to violate any EST agreements to assist you and risk getting the slot yanked. The regulations and liabilities are so great with fire alarms in general no one is going to let you hook up a home made anything to it. EST is so completely flexible that it can do almost anything. That is both a blessing and a curse. Further it doesn't program all in one place. Some program stuff gets sent to the smoke heads etc. It is probably too difficult to explain the unique way EST programming works in a sentence or two. If you have a wad of cash you may talk to an EST dealer (I am not one) and see if they can get GE to help you out. That help may start by sending you to EST class for at least a week. That is your only hope as I see it.

My company wrote Edwards' "downloading" (for configuration and testing of panels) software for them a few years ago. They're pretty tight-lipped about their protocol, EEPROM maps, etc. We signed a non-disclosure agreement with them so I can't explain details beyond what anyone else in the trade would know just by reading the manuals.

Do you want your software to control the panels or just to respond to panel reports? If it's the former, I can't help at all. If it's the latter, we'd be happy to write an app for you (at a fee, of course).

You're best be is to contact an EST distributor with experience in cross platform system integration. There aren't a whole lot of those out there. I'll throw out two words: LonTalk and Synergy. If you don't know what those mean, you have no business monkeying around with this system.

What "company" would that be?? Are you listed as one of the owners? On the Board of Directors? Secretary? Bus Boy? Janitor? Coffee Cup Holder?

The poster wants information on EST-3. As far as I know "your" software only works with FireShield and the latest revision makes no mention of "your" involvement at all.

"Robert L Bass =E5=86=99=E9=81=93=EF=BC=9A "

panels) software for them a few years ago. They're pretty

closure agreement with them so I can't explain details

el reports? If it's the former, I can't help at all. If

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D>

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D>

I have tried contacting a local GESecurity guy, and he can provided me nothing about the Protocol. So I have to digging into it (alone). Since I have some basic knowledge of communication protocols, I'll spend some time to decode it. I appreciate for the help if someone could give me ( more or less ).

best regards.

If you are legit, EST should have no problem helping you out with this. If you are looking for help here, you'd do better if you said exactly who you were and what you are trying to do, and why. The EST3 system is not only used in a multitude of large buildings for life safety, it also is the security backbone for many fo them as well. Asking on a public forum how to hack into it won't win you many friends. If you have a knowledge of communication protocols, my previous post should give you a clue where to start since I know first hand that EST has already developed what you are looking for over one of the most common protocols out there.

"J. Sloud =D0=B4=B5=C0=A3=BA "

Thank you for your advise. I am a teacher in a university in Shanghai China ( My website: oldlinux.org ) The main motivity behind is to learn something about communication protocol of the most common used FACP. The Ap that I want to program is experimental and may not going to be practical. Actually I do have decoded some part of the ECP.I can now send command in responce to silence the pancel, silence alarm, on/off (enable/disable) a point, get a report, get a delta=20 service data. But I think its far not complete yet.

I own more than one business and, given the propensity of several people here to go real world I'm not going to divulge the information to you.

Yep.

I explained that we could write an app to do what he wants. I didn't offer him Edwards' software (which belongs to them). I doubt the OP is going to hire a third party to write a custom app though. That's the kind of project for which a manufacturer will engage a software developer -- not usually an end user need. However, if the gentleman wanted some assistance in designing his own app, we could help on that without violating Edwards' NDA and the cost would be far less than having us write the app for him.

It isn't "my" software. Edwards hired my company to develop it for them. It's their package. We were hired as sub-contractors. There is no reason for Edwards to mention us by name. However, my information is embedded all over the Help system. If you knew the top brass at Edwards they would tell you but you probably don't and it's really not your business.

The reason Edwards hired us to do the job was we were the only ones who offered to write a "universal" downloader. Our software is totally modular. It employs XML in such a manner that the software can be configured to download virtually any FACP by writing new XML.

We were brought in fairly early in the design stage of the product line so I was able to participate in engineering round table discussions (even though I'm not an engineer). This gave me the opportunity to have some input not only on the software but also on the hardware from an installer's point of view. That was actually the reason they first contacted me. One of their engineers used to lurk in ASA. He was aware of my background in the industry and took note of my proximity (Edwards' office is a few minutes from mine). He originally asked if I was interested in consulting on the user interface for the software.

Over lunch with him and several other engineers we discussed the project at greater length. They intimated that the project was behind schedule and they needed it done because the new standards in Canada would soon make their existing small panels unusable. I told them about my other business and offered to take the software project off their shoulders. They went for it. After lunch we spoke to the VP and he liked my proposal. A few days later he got the go ahead.

There was one major glitch in the project. Edwards hired another developer (an ex-FBII engineer) to write the firmware. His work was unusable, causing a 2-month delay in the project. If we had known of his incompetence in advance we would have done the firmware as well. One of our team has not only done machine firmware. He has also written compilers. That's an area of programming that most people never see. Between the three of us, we have over

70 years of software development experience. I have the least programming experience of the team so I write Help systems. There's a saying that programmers who can't code write Helps. :^)

I agree with Mr. Sloud about contacting GE on this. They're tight-lipped about certain things but with a legitimate need for training people who might later contribute to the industry they might be willing to help. Let me know if you don't get any help from them. I have some friends there who might be able to open a door for you as long as the need seems legitimate to them.

"Between the three of us, we have over 70 years of software development experience. I have the least programming experience of the team so I write Help systems. There's a saying that programmers who can't code write Helps."

Another saying is: He who bullshits will always be a bullshitter".

Let's see Mr. BAss....28 years in the business, now more time in software development and you still have time for the ASA.........

What a crock of shit Mr. BAss.......But then, I still believe in Santa....

Holiday Wishes to All and a Happy New Year

Norm Mugford

I choose Polesoft Lockspam to fight spam, and you?