Caddx vs Elk keypad wiring

[theedudenator]

Since I am looking to switch from Caddx to Elk I am trying to see if my wiring will work.

My Caddx keypads were installed with 3 wire cable. +- and data.
I am reading that Elk needs 4 wire. +- and two data.
Are both data required?

I guess I need to run more wire??

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Since I am looking to switch from Caddx to Elk I am trying to see if my wiring will work.

My Caddx keypads were installed with 3 wire cable. +- and data.
I am reading that Elk needs 4 wire. +- and two data.
Are both data required?

I guess I need to run more wire??

This is a good question as I'm not sure the "-" of the data line is the same as the "-" of the power supply with the Elk.

One question on your existing cable though, are you sure it's only three wires and not four with the fourth wire cut off right after it exited the poly casing?

 

[theedudenator]

I ran the wire myself... I thought it was three wire.
I need to check when I get home.

Since I am looking to switch from Caddx to Elk I am trying to see if my wiring will work.

My Caddx keypads were installed with 3 wire cable. +- and data.
I am reading that Elk needs 4 wire. +- and two data.
Are both data required?

I guess I need to run more wire??

This is a good question as I'm not sure the "-" of the data line is the same as the "-" of the power supply with the Elk.

One question on your existing cable though, are you sure it's only three wires and not four with the fourth wire cut off right after it exited the poly casing?

 

[Spanky]

If the keypad is at the end of the data bus run, you only need 4 wires, +,-,data A, data B. You can have two keypads, one at one end and one at the other end of the data bus wire run.

If the keypad is in the middle of the data bus run you must daisy chain it into the bus so 6 wires are needed, +, -, data A in, data B in, data A out, data B out.

The M1 installation manual shows how the data bus should be wired for RS-485 high speed data bus'.

 

[signal15]

Yet more evidence that you should *always* overdo it when wiring if you're spending the time to do it.

If you use the ELK databus cards with the 7 or so RJ-45 jacks on them, you need 6 wires for everything but the last device on the bus, which can be 4 wires and then use the jumper to terminate the bus within the last device. I just use 6 for all of mine, and then use the little RJ-45 plug that came with it and move it to the first unused port everytime I add a device.