OmniPro II Random Resets

I'm having a serious problem with my OmniPro II experiencing random "resets".  Log shows "System Reset".  I've contacted HAI but haven't received anything useful.  I understand that the resets do happen occassionally but I'm experiencing several (2 to 5) per day now with NO pattern.  Armed, Disarmed, nothing seems to make a difference.  I've reset RAM, reset EPROMS, reuploaded all of the setup and programming multiple times.  Tried running with NO programming lines.  The "problem" is not the resets, the problem is that sometimes they cause really strange results including: complete disarming of the system, corruption of programming (buttons no longer work manually or scheduled), weird values in flags (not just 0 or 1 but 72,83, etc.).
 
The system is about 9 years old and has been ROCK SOLID until now.  Running version 3.9 of the firmware.  Battery levels are in the 220's.  There are about 45 zones, six new style HAI thermostats, smoke detectors, wireless adapters, etc.  I use X-10 (don't laugh) for lighting, it's worked perfectly for many years (I did have that one bad power strip though!).
 
NOTHING CHANGED, at least I didn't change anything.  All zones look good, all thermostats work, all programming works, the control panels are fine, I use SnapLink on IOS which works great to access the system, I have HaikuHelper running on a Mac (it's not the problem, I've turned it off as well).  The whole system is connected to my gigabit network sitting behind a rugged firewall.  I have no network problems.
 
The challenge is that the system, literally, runs my 6500 square foot house.  Lighting, security, thermostats, everything is run by the system.  Without it, we're lost and, of course, have NO SECURITY.  It was professionally installed back in 2003, I added a few zones, features in the next year or two but, except for programming lines, hasn't changed from a hardware standpoint for many months.  I have replaced 5 of the six keypads with the new blue-button styles and one thermostat (old one died) last year.  Nothing in the hardware has changed in six months.  There is also an expansion chassis which was used for the relays to control garage doors, I disconnected that to see if it would help, it didn't.
 
Obviously I could simply replace the main board (what a HUGE job that is standing on a ladder) but I'd really like to know if anyone else has experienced anything like this and what the resolution was.  I hate to just throw money nd time at it without some kind of direction. 
 
Could it be something external, wiring, bad connection, bad thermostat (even though they all work), bad keypad (again they all work).
 
Any and all feedback and/or suggestions would be appreciated.  Thanks.

Try an intentional reset by unplugging transformer and battery; if you see the same problems after power is restored, it may indicate a faulty power connection at the board and you may have no choice but replacing it.

So you believe it to be power related?  I have unplugged and forced resets this way but the problem returns.  Batteries are about 18 months old (one in main box, one in expansion chassis) and show 200+ on the status displays which I'm told is good.   My concern is spending well over a $1,000 to replace the board plus the time to do it and ending up back where I am now because it's something "external".

The resets are usually power related. You can try replacing the battery first, or remove the battery and use transformer only. It could also be the transformer, but less likely.

Update: Since I have two batteries, two power supplies (main and for the expansion chassis), I've tried a few more things, none of which have helped: swapped the batteries, swapped the power supplies, connected both power supplies to a filtered UPS, ran without the batteries, nothing fixed it.  Tried unplugging four of the six keypads thinking there was too much power drain (they had been upgraded within the last year to the newer, blue button style), didn't help.
 
The resets occur when armed or disarmed, whether we're home or not, average three per day now.
 
Anyone else have this experience and have to replace the main board?  As I said above, I can certainly do that but would hate to spend the money and the time and not fix the problem.

I've not seen an issue like this with the two HAI OPII panels I have.  I don't recall the specifics but did have some wierd thing going on with the External horn drawing too much power and mucking with the panel some; its been so long ago I don't remember what exactly it did (think I did write about it here on the forum).  I just replaced it with a lower mA external horn or piezo horn. 
 
That said I did upgrade one panel, originally thinking it was going to be difficult it was not.
 
You can maybe disconnect everything by removing the terminals en "masse" except maybe for one keypad and see what happens.  The terminal strips just pry up and off the base. 
 
I'm guessing you do not see any odd zone status numbers or similiar while watching via PCA.
 
It would leave you without any security for a period of time but it'll allow you to rule out anything plugged in that "might" be causing an issue.
 
Two years or so ago I had an intermittent problem with one magnetic door switch where the door frame itself had shifted some causing some issues.
 
The only issue that I have had with the LED keypads was the LED lamps going out a few years back; nothing else really.

Hopefully you will not have to replace the Omni. If it was working and it suddenly stopped then something changed. The problem is to find what changed and fix it.

You said you ran with no automation, so that kind of eliminates any sort of programming loops or related issues.

If it's not software then it's hardware.

My first thought would not be power because even if the transformer dies the batteries will keep the system up and it will "look" like a power failure. On the other hand a broken ground wire can be troublesome. Check to make sure that everything is still tight, no broken wires, etc.

Can you correlate the failures to any events like when the pool pump runs or something?

After the reset is the log empty with only the "system reset" message, or does the reset appear in the midst of other normal log entries?

If the board is still crashing with no programming and nothing hooked to it then the board may have failed. If you do have to replace the system it really should only take a couple of minutes. Many people don't realize this but the terminal strips are depluggable so in most cases swapping the board only takes a couple of minutes. Just pop off the terminal strips, unplug the serail and network cables.

It is times like this when an experienced dealer can really be helpful.

I'm seeing something similar. I randomly get disconnect/connect to controller messages from Haiku. I didn't see any of these messages until I upgraded my firmware to 3.11a.

I haven't been able to tie the disconnect/connect to any controller functions. A couple of times the disconnects happened in the middle of the night. I don't have any automation programs that run in the middle of the night.

I haven't had any functional issues because of the disconnect/reconnect as of yet just an odd anomoly.

Personally I upgraded my PCA and FW to most current HAI version 3.11B a couple of days ago. 
 
The updates do not mention anything about network stuff though.
 
I did have an odd issue updating via the LAN that I never saw before.  In the middle of the update PCA hung.  I thought I had bricked my OPII panel.
 
I killed the PCA process and was able to reconnect and update just fine afterwards.  This is the first time with a firmware update that I have seen this.

I have had about 4 "reboots" of my Omne Pro II. All in the last 2 months or so. I have never seen them before. If it begins to happen more frequently I will have to start a debug process.
 
Joe

Well this is certainly very frustrating.  After disconnecting everything that I thought was suspicious, trying alternate power supplies and batteries, reseting, clearing RAM, EPROM, multiple times, running without programming, trying alternate power sources, and every other thing I could think of.  Including replacing the last "old" keypad.  Still no help.
 
Honestly didn't know what to do, consulted the group here, talked with an installer, general concensus was "hardware problem".
 
So, I bit the bullet, ordered a BRAND NEW OmniPro II (ouch!), carefully took out the old one (thanks a LOT for the "remove the strips" hint, that was a lifesaver), check every connection, every wire, reflashed the ROM to 3.11b, reloaded my programming, check and double-checked, all seemed well.  Pretty excited but "beat up" after spending the better part of TWO HOURS going up and down the ladder (the darn thing is 6' off the ground, who thought that was a good idea?).
 
Reprogrammed all of the IOS devices (SnapLink, Haiku) with the new keys, everything looked great.
 
Then BAM, the new board resets within 30 minutes.  My wife, the skeptic, can't stop laughing.  I'm ready to rip the thing out and buy a different system.  Completely frustrating, just not sure where to go from here.  The wiring in the box is not "pretty" (I didn't do it, I swear) but it's relatively straightforward and clean.  I tightened every connection carefully.
 
Any other ideas out there?  Sure appreciate any help.  Sorry for venting.

Here much of the automation WAF "lines in the sand" are drawn when HA doesn't work right and I am reminded when things "change" or do not work right.
 
I am playing with little touchscreen tablets and there is now three (plus one Omnitouch) of them in the master bedroom.  The screens shut off at night and a few weeks back they all (except the Omnitouch) went on at 3AM.  Very low WAF.
 
Curious how many zones and other devices do you have hooked up?  My HAI OPII panel in FL is also mounted close to the ceiling.  I do need to use a ladder to get to it.  I do have another can below it though and I rarely touch the OPII panel.
 
Maybe start to test with less stuff; go really slow this time.  I am guessing your wiring is labeled and stuff eh?
 
1 - zones, phone and one keypad only - no network connection for anything for first part.

I have about 45 zones, mostly doors/windows, a GE wireless interface with 8 zones (not the HAI kind), six HAI thermostats (5 old style, 1 new style), six panels (1 old style, 5 new style), 1 external bell, 1 internal horn, 18 2-wire smoke detectors (all on a single alarm panel input), 1 4 wire smoke, 4 motion sensors and I'm running HaikuHelper on a MacMini (not the cause, I checked that).  I use iPads and iPhones for most of the control (SnapLink and Haiku).  Lighting control is X-10 (don't laugh it works great) with about 40 switches or so, mostly newer SmartHome Insteon stuff (in X-10 mode).  I have an X-10 controlled irrigation controller (16 channels).  I did have an expansion chassis but disconnected that and the 8 extra relays to isolate the problem (didn't help but not yet reconnected).  I have two hard-wire 16-zone expansion boards to provide the 48 zones (with some spares).
 
The problem with disconnecting more stuff is that it's all in-use.  Without it we're a bit "crippled".  I guess it's the ultimate "first world problem": Home Automation Problems.
 
It is interesting that, unlike in the beginning, the resets are somewhat less frequent (1 or 2 a day) and non-destructive.  There for a while it was losing programming, buttons, values AND actually disarmed itself twice (old board).
 
I'm going to disconnect the network connection for a while, while that disables the majority of my control, I'll give it 24 hours to see what happens.  It ALWAYS resets within a 24 hour period (at least the old board did).  Network is accessible from Internet but it's behind a reasonably robust SonicWall TZ-190.  I hate to switch that out, it does all of my automatic VPN to work systems (I'm an IT guy and use it for remote admin, etc.).
 
Just wondering if the external bell (exposed to the weather for 9 years) might be an issue, maybe I'll disconnect it next as a test.

Lots of stuff there. 
 
I have wireless (HAI and other) connected to the Florida HAI OPII but have only tested it and not really used it for the alarm pieces; that is me though.
 
I installed an OPII replacing the neighbors alarm panel in FL (gratis; as I bragged about mine and said it was a 5 minute swap).  I did replace her older outdoor "alarm" horn in a weatherproof metal case.  It was really old.
 
I still have X10 connected to my OPII (via a dual phase XTB - using smarthome Insteon stuff like you), along with UPB and Z-Wave.  BU (before UPB) and with the XTB the OPII talked just fine to all of the X10 light switches.  Mostly light in wall switches these days are all UPB.
 
When I had my serial thermostat concurrent with networking issues; I never really knew what caused what.  The symptoms though were only a time sync issue, communications on the thermostat issues and a "disconnect" on the network.  IF I disconnected the network cable for a time; the other issues went away.  I never had a reset with the panel.  I am now on FW version 3.11A and not seen anything related to earlier issue.
 
Your firewall should not have anything to do with the OPII panel.  Many years ago I used SonicWall SOHO firewalls at home.  Very robust and well built boxes.  I remote the OPII in Florida but via a local server on the network and via VPN.  I do open the firewall on occasion and directly connect via the midwest.
 
In the midwest I used to use an old 12 inch (with relay) antique red fire bell.  It was really loud and looked interesting.  That said I replaced the outdoor horn with something smaller without a relay.  The draw though did cause some issues with my OPII panel; but its been a few years back and now do not remember what actually it did.  So I then put in a little piezo outdoor sounder.  Its really loud and very tiny.
 
It shouldn't be too invasive to just disconnect the external bell at the OPII panel terminals and a quick test. 
 
9 years isn't really that long but weather does affect stuff.  In FL I had to replace all of the light fixtures outside (10 years old) as they fell apart from the salty air (we are on the water there).  Here in the midwest I was "testing" some new IP cameras and left one piece of one cable attached to the bottom of my deck and some rabbits or some other animal chewed up the cable and shorted it out.  Recently I had an issue with one door NC/NO magnetic switch.  Wierd but the door frame "expanded" or settled with the house.  For whatever reason that stretched my solder and shrink tube connections and would cause an intermittent shorting of said switch (it did have a terminating resistor too); played havoc with the alarm arming etc as it was a exit door.
 
Doing a quickie search on my own posts; found a post relating to my external horn issue from 2006.  It was causing a PCA seen "trouble fuse 215 code" to come up; but it wasn't resetting the panel.  Disconnecting the external sounder fixed the issue; I then just replaced it with a little piezo sounder.  This was also with the older non flash FW HAI OPII panel.  (I have since updated the panel to current flashable panel).
 
Not random but my PCA software will reset the panel after a FW upgrade and if I pull the battery and main power of my panel it will shut down and restart when I plug the power in (a sort of reset).  I wonder is some sort of occassional grounding loop or occasional 12VDC device short would cause a reset. 

lvrouter said:

I have about 45 zones, mostly doors/windows, a GE wireless interface with 8 zones (not the HAI kind), six HAI thermostats (5 old style, 1 new style), six panels (1 old style, 5 new style), 1 external bell, 1 internal horn, 18 2-wire smoke detectors (all on a single alarm panel input), 1 4 wire smoke, 4 motion sensors and I'm running HaikuHelper on a MacMini (not the cause, I checked that).  I use iPads and iPhones for most of the control (SnapLink and Haiku).  Lighting control is X-10 (don't laugh it works great) with about 40 switches or so, mostly newer SmartHome Insteon stuff (in X-10 mode).  I have an X-10 controlled irrigation controller (16 channels).  I did have an expansion chassis but disconnected that and the 8 extra relays to isolate the problem (didn't help but not yet reconnected).  I have two hard-wire 16-zone expansion boards to provide the 48 zones (with some spares).
 
The problem with disconnecting more stuff is that it's all in-use.  Without it we're a bit "crippled".  I guess it's the ultimate "first world problem": Home Automation Problems.
 
It is interesting that, unlike in the beginning, the resets are somewhat less frequent (1 or 2 a day) and non-destructive.  There for a while it was losing programming, buttons, values AND actually disarmed itself twice (old board).
 
I'm going to disconnect the network connection for a while, while that disables the majority of my control, I'll give it 24 hours to see what happens.  It ALWAYS resets within a 24 hour period (at least the old board did).  Network is accessible from Internet but it's behind a reasonably robust SonicWall TZ-190.  I hate to switch that out, it does all of my automatic VPN to work systems (I'm an IT guy and use it for remote admin, etc.).
 
Just wondering if the external bell (exposed to the weather for 9 years) might be an issue, maybe I'll disconnect it next as a test.

Click to expand...

 
Here would be my order of suspicions:
 
1. Scripts - I think you stated that you don't have any.
2. Wireless receiver - I have had many issues with the receiver "seeing" false signals and actually initiating erroneous keypad signals. I can actually see the bad key sequences on my keypads when it happens.
3. Internet
4. Anything connected to the on board relays without using an external relay.
5. Other hardware
 
Joe