Aux Power Supply - Picture is worth a 1,000 words

New construction.  I posted a similar question (embedded in a much larger thread) so trying to nail this down before I start hooking all this stuff up:

• Elk M1 Gold
• M1EXP
• M1DBH
• 5 M1XIN's
• 4 Keypads (M1KP2) with SP12F speaker behind
• 38 motion sensors
• 16 water sensors
• 16 window contacts
• 10 doors
• 7 4-wire smokes
• 2 4-wire carbon/smokes

So I know I need an aux power supply.  I'll most likely get a 6 AMP unit.  However, what I'm struggling to understand is what exactly do I need to purchase (e.g. Altronix, PDTs, blah blah blah, ...) and how to properly run the power (red/black) wires to an aux power supply and the zone wires to the M1XIN's.
 
I assume the power supply will be in its own enclosure so do I pull the jacket off the alarm cable prior to entering any enclosure and then route the zone wires to the M1XIN enclosure and the power wires to the power enclosure?  Will the power supply have terminal blocks just like the M1XIN?  Do I connect more than one power wire to a terminal block?  Any photos could help!  Thx a million!

I installed the aux power supply enclosure adjacent to the Elk enclosure. Then I installed a terminal strip in the Elk enclosure similar to this one:
 
http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productview.aspx?SKU=70193171
 
Each enclosure will need 120vac supplies to power them. Then I ran pairs of power wires from the aux power enclosure to the terminal strip in the Elk enclosure. That allowed me to run all of the cables from each powered device (motion, smoke, etc) into the Elk enclosure where the zone wires can be attached to the Elk panel and the power leads can be attached to the terminal strip or vaux on the Elk panel.
 
The actual wiring of the devices is a little more complicated. You need to understand the concept of electrical current supply and load. Your auxiliary 12 vdc power supply is rated at 6 amps. That is a rating of the total load in amps that it can accommodate at 12vdc.
 
The first thing to learn is the difference between parallel and series circuits. This should help with that:
 
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/direct-current/chpt-7/what-is-a-series-parallel-circuit/
 
Suffice it to say that all of the power to your devices will be wired in parallel.
As an example:
 
if you have one device you will wire the + lead to the + lead at the supply and the - lead to the - lead on the supply.
 
If you have two devices you will wire the + lead of both devices to the + lead at the supply and the - lead of both devices to the - lead on the supply.
 
If you have 16 devices you will wire the + lead of all 16 devices to the + lead at the supply and the - lead of all 16 devices to the - lead on the supply.
 
There is one limitation to the above examples. Each device has a stated or a specified amount of current (amps) that it will demand from the supply. If you have a 6 amp supply then all of the devices added together can not exceed 6 amps. If each devices is specified to use one amp then you can install up to six of these devices although I would not exceed five as a safety precaution. Never push anything to it's limits.
 
I hope this helps and  I recommend that you do some reading on basic dc electrical circuits. It's pretty simple stuff and would be a huge help to you in your installation.
 
Hope this helps, Mike.

An important point to make is that you do not cut the jacket on the cable outside of an enclosure as you suggested. You can use a terminal strip or just splice the wires together but make sure that you do it inside of one or both of the enclosures. I'm a DIY-er like you but I am sure that the jacket on the cable is for the purpose of protecting the wires and shouldn't be disturbed.
 
Mike.

Another important thing to keep in mind, put battery backup with the aux power. Otherwise, if you have a power outage, the zones will violate and you will also have an alarm on your hands.

Thanks Mike, 
 

mikefamig said:

An important point to make is that you do not cut the jacket on the cable outside of an enclosure as you suggested. You can use a terminal strip or just splice the wires together but make sure that you do it inside of one or both of the enclosures. I'm a DIY-er like you but I am sure that the jacket on the cable is for the purpose of protecting the wires and shouldn't be disturbed.
 
Mike.

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Thanks Mike.  I understand serial versus parallel wiring.  Regarding the power terminal block strip you'd install in the Elk panel, if I understand it correct I'd hook up multiple + and - power wires per terminal connection.  For example, if the terminal block had 5 positive and 5 negative connectors and I had 50 device requiring power then I could hook 10 positive wires to the same connection on the block (assuming the power supply the block is connected to has enough amps to support all the devices).  
 
Can I just use the same 22 gauge cable between the terminal block in the ELK and the power supply or do I need a different gauge of wire?
 
I'll most likely purchase a 6 AMP power supply from Altronix as that seems to be the general recommendation - although not entirely sure I understand which one I should get.

@ccmichaelson...just do some maximum load bean counting. 
 
IE: just add up every device load that you think or plan to connect for addition power and make a guesstimate of your requirments.  Do not short yourself getting the minimum required; over guesstimate your requirments a bit.
 
Here connected the battery voltage to a battery aux zone on the main panel and tagged it to be CS monitored.  I had spare room in the sub panel so put two batteries in it.  I learned after a few times (creating my own violations) of phone calls from the CS to remember to put the CS connection in test mode when doing stuff with the Aux power sub panel. (well too it is just another subpanel sort of independant / dependant on the primary panel).  BTW if you DIY your CS stuff; it is you that configures what it is you want monitored and when. (IE same if you text / email yourself).
 
Here is one example of one setup of many posted pictures right here on Cocoontech.  The M1 here is mounted in a smaller can.
 
You have much flexibility doing this with the large M1 can or subpanel et al.  (OPII is in a very compact can and all I can do is go to another can for this stuff).
 

ccmichaelson said:

Thanks Mike, 
 
 
Thanks Mike.  I understand serial versus parallel wiring.  Regarding the power terminal block strip you'd install in the Elk panel, if I understand it correct I'd hook up multiple + and - power wires per terminal connection.  For example, if the terminal block had 5 positive and 5 negative connectors and I had 50 device requiring power then I could hook 10 positive wires to the same connection on the block (assuming the power supply the block is connected to has enough amps to support all the devices).  

Click to expand...

Theoretically yes, you can connect any number of pairs of power wires (loads) to the same 12 volt source as long as you do not overload the supply.
 
 

ccmichaelson said:

Can I just use the same 22 gauge cable between the terminal block in the ELK and the power supply or do I need a different gauge of wire?

Click to expand...

 
Ignore the terminal strip for the moment and think of the source. I think that a 22 gauge single core wire is rated to safely carry a maximum of ~5 amps for a moderate distance so I wouldn't use it to carry the entire 6 amp load. However if you install a distribution board to distribute the 6 amp load then you would not be carrying the entire 6 amp load on one single pair of wires. Each of the six outputs would be rated at 1 amp each. You need to use a wire gauge that is rated for the maximum expected load for the length of feet that you intend the wire to be.
 
I don't know the proper gauge wire off the top of my head and when I installed my Altronix supply I just used 18 gauge wire that I had on hand confident that it was more than good enough for the foot or two distance between the boxes.
 

ccmichaelson said:

I'll most likely purchase a 6 AMP power supply from Altronix as that seems to be the general recommendation - although not entirely sure I understand which one I should get.

Click to expand...

 
In order to determine how much power you need you will have to determine the amount of current that each device uses and add them all together. It is a chore for sure and Elk made a spreadsheet to make it easier to do. Go to the following lin k and download the "current draw worksheet"
 
http://www.elkproducts.com/Owner_support_tools.html

mikefamig said:

In order to determine how much power you need you will have to determine the amount of current that each device uses and add them all together. It is a chore for sure and Elk made a spreadsheet to make it easier to do. Go to the following lin k and download the "current draw worksheet"
 
http://www.elkproducts.com/Owner_support_tools.html

Click to expand...

 
I downloaded the spreadsheet last night and researched my motion sensors (38 total), water sensors (16 total), M1XEP, M1XIN (5 total), M1DBH, M1KP2 (4 total), smokes (7 total), carbon/smoke (2 total), smoke/carbon interface module, and the Elk spreadsheet is showing that I need 2.202 AMP aux power supply.
 
I just found an Altronix AL600ULX on ebay for $80 (new) and purchased it because it was cheaper than the 4 AMP version and much cheaper than the Elk-P412.  What else do I need?  Batteries, terminal block in elk panel, does the AL600ULX come with a power cord/transformer?

ccmichaelson said:

I downloaded the spreadsheet last night and researched my motion sensors (38 total), water sensors (16 total), M1XEP, M1XIN (5 total), M1DBH, M1KP2 (4 total), smokes (7 total), carbon/smoke (2 total), smoke/carbon interface module, and the Elk spreadsheet is showing that I need 2.202 AMP aux power supply.
 
I just found an Altronix AL600ULX on ebay for $80 (new) and purchased it because it was cheaper than the 4 AMP version and much cheaper than the Elk-P412.  What else do I need?  Batteries, terminal block in elk panel, does the AL600ULX come with a power cord/transformer?

Click to expand...

 
The ULX model does not include a power distribution board, and I would recommend adding one to provide fused or PTC protection to the outputs (e.g. a PD8 or PD8ULCB).
 
The power supplies do not include a line cord.   They can be wired directly to the 120VAC line, or you can add your own line cord if you prefer.  Some older models of these Altronix power supplies have internal step down transformers.  Newer ones operate directly off of 120VAC.

RAL said:

The ULX model does not include a power distribution board, and I would recommend adding one to provide fused or PTC protection to the outputs (e.g. a PD8 or PD8ULCB).
 
The power supplies do not include a line cord.   They can be wired directly to the 120VAC line, or you can add your own line cord if you prefer.  Some older models of these Altronix power supplies have internal step down transformers.  Newer ones operate directly off of 120VAC.

Click to expand...

 
Wow is this stuff getting complicated...  Why can't the power supply come with a line cord...  why do I need a PDB...  I'd still love to see a photo/diagram that shows each component and how everything is wired...
 
Let me try to explain how I would hook up a single motion sensor to this system - and by all means tell me where I go wrong...
 
Motion Sensor (on wall) -> 22 gauge 4 wire cable (in the wall) -> Elk Panel enclosure (central closet) -> 2 zone wires connect to zone terminals on M1XIN (or M1G) and the 2 power (red/black) wires connect to the PD9 -> Heavy Gauge Wire -> Altronix AL600ULX.
 
I completely understand the zone wiring - but not 100% sure I understand how and where to wire the power/line wires.  @RAL and other you should post a YouTube video <hint hint>

ccmichaelson said:

Wow is this stuff getting complicated...  Why can't the power supply come with a line cord...  why do I need a PDB...  I'd still love to see a photo/diagram that shows each component and how everything is wired...
 
Let me try to explain how I would hook up a single motion sensor to this system - and by all means tell me where I go wrong...
 
Motion Sensor (on wall) -> 22 gauge 4 wire cable (in the wall) -> Elk Panel enclosure (central closet) -> 2 zone wires connect to zone terminals on M1XIN (or M1G) and the 2 power (red/black) wires connect to the PD9 -> Heavy Gauge Wire -> Altronix AL600ULX.
 
I completely understand the zone wiring - but not 100% sure I understand how and where to wire the power/line wires.  @RAL and other you should post a YouTube video <hint hint>

Click to expand...

 
The reason for the power distribution board is to provide fused protection for each power output.  If something shorts somewhere, the devices on that output will lose power when the fuse blows, but the others will keep working.  If you connect everything to a single output, they would all go down because of one problem.
 
You can connect the 120VAC up to the Altronix simply by running romex or BX right into the can.   Or, if you prefer a line cord, just get some power cord wire, a plug and a cable connector to fit the knockout in the can at your local big box store.
 
I sketched out a diagram that shows an example of how to wire the aux power supply to the sensors. I've shown just two sensors wired to each power distribution board output, but how many you have on each will depend on their current requirements.  Each Altronix PD8 output is fused at 2.5A or 3.5A each, so for something like motion detectors at 10mA each, you could connect all of them to one power output if you wanted to.
 
I just drew a wire nut on each group of wires, which is an acceptable way to connect them.  You could also use terminal strips (just too painful to draw them).  For something like 35 motion detectors, you'll never get all those wires into a single wire nut, and would need to make several smaller groups (say of 6-10 wires), each with a pigtail running to another wire nut that then connects to the power distribution output.
 
Another way to do this would be to use Dolphin crimp connectors and just daisy chain them all together.  But with so many crimp connectors strung together, that wouldn't be my choice.  Too many opportunities for a poor connection.
 

Here's a photo from Elk's Hall of Fame that shows a very simple example of this.  There is a small aux power supply in the bottom can.  You can see a couple of wire nuts in the middle can that appear to be the power wires from the cables that enter that can and connect to the zone inputs on the M1XIN.   Also, in the top can, where the M1 is located, you can see what appears to be a large yellow wire nut in the lower left corner above the battery.

ccmichaelson
 
The PD board allows you to group devices together on the same fused circuit. For instance, you may want to put your motion sensors on one fuse and the water sensors on a separate fuse. That way if and when a fuse blows you do not lose the entire system. If nothing else it would make troubleshooting a problem easier.
 
Mike.

mikefamig said:

ccmichaelson
 
The PD board allows you to group devices together on the same fused circuit. For instance, you may want to put your motion sensors on one fuse and the water sensors on a separate fuse. That way if and when a fuse blows you do not lose the entire system. If nothing else it would make troubleshooting a problem easier.
 
Mike.

Click to expand...

 
Forgive my stupidity...  if I connected all motion/water sensors directly to the power supply what would cause everything to stop working?  Obviously if the power supply went bad it wouldn't matter if I had a PDB or not.  Are you saying that if a motion sensor died or had an issue that everything attached to the power supply would stop working?  Would a rogue motions sensor "fry" my power supply and that's why you guys recommend a PDB so that a rogue motion sensor would only fry a fuse within the PDB and thus only devices on that same PDB output would be down until the fuse is replaced?

ccmichaelson said:

if I connected all motion/water sensors directly to the power supply what would cause everything to stop working?

Click to expand...

If something shorts the power wires fed from your power supply and you have no power distribution board, then the short protection for the supply should cut the power, which means everything connected to the supply goes dead. If you have a power distribution board that splits the supply's output into multiple circuits, then only the circuit that was shorted should be affected and the rest should continue working. So only those devices on the affected circuit will go dead and the rest will continue operating.
 
It is like if you cause a short in a power outlet in your bedroom. It should not take your whole house down. Only the circuit that powered the bedroom should go dead when the breaker trips.

ccmichaelson said:

Wow is this stuff getting complicated...  Why can't the power supply come with a line cord...  why do I need a PDB...  I'd still love to see a photo/diagram that shows each component and how everything is wired...
 
Let me try to explain how I would hook up a single motion sensor to this system - and by all means tell me where I go wrong...
 
Motion Sensor (on wall) -> 22 gauge 4 wire cable (in the wall) -> Elk Panel enclosure (central closet) -> 2 zone wires connect to zone terminals on M1XIN (or M1G) and the 2 power (red/black) wires connect to the PD9 -> Heavy Gauge Wire -> Altronix AL600ULX.
 
I completely understand the zone wiring - but not 100% sure I understand how and where to wire the power/line wires.  @RAL and other you should post a YouTube video <hint hint>

Click to expand...

 
You mentioned using an Elk PD9 for power distribution.  One thing to note about the PD9 vs the similar Altronix distribution boards is that the PD9 is fused (actually PTC'd) at a lower current level.  There are two models, the PD9, which is just 250 mA per output and the PD9HC, which is 400 mA.
 
By comparison, the fuse protected Altronix boards (e.g. PD8 or PD8UL) are 3.5A per output.  The PTC version (PD8CB or PD8ULCB) is 2.5A per output.
 
In determining how many and what kind of loads to place on each output, make sure you take into account which brand and model of board you are connecting to.