Sacedog
Active Member
Why? Isn't that the purpose of that connection? I too am new to the M1, so I'm sure I'm missing something?
Elk M1 - I'm overwhelmed
- Thread starter MikeB
- Start date
Why? Isn't that the purpose of that connection? I too am new to the M1, so I'm sure I'm missing something?
Why? Isn't that the purpose of that connection? I too am new to the M1, so I'm sure I'm missing something?
I am in the processing of setting one up too, and nearly connected the ground since it was there! What read the documentation ... but I believe there is a note about it in the manual somewhere.
Other than that and some fun getting the networking to the ethernet expander going (different subnets between my wired and wireless networks), it was a surprisingly painless process.
Why? Isn't that the purpose of that connection? I too am new to the M1, so I'm sure I'm missing something?
If there is a sign.... dont push this button .... do you?
Actually applying an earth ground is not recommended by ELK.
IVB
Senior Member
Well, this reply is a little late, but I finally found my "Self-install elk or get a pro thread with my comment about the "high density" of the manual.
Reading through that now, checking my "total lifetime spend" at AO (damn you martin), and how much my neighbors ask me now about this stuff, i wonder if I should have gone with plan B (spend my time in cooking class instead). Of course, that route would have ended with thousands in cooking stuff and my wife making me cook dinner every night, so I guess this was the better path.
Reading through that now, checking my "total lifetime spend" at AO (damn you martin), and how much my neighbors ask me now about this stuff, i wonder if I should have gone with plan B (spend my time in cooking class instead). Of course, that route would have ended with thousands in cooking stuff and my wife making me cook dinner every night, so I guess this was the better path.
Mike B, Hi
I had a small alarm install company for many years, Now All I do is very large card access and cctv. So for my first panel choice for myself(Several hundred for others in the past, most Napco) I chose Elk, I thought about Hai(Even took a pro class and got certifiied) but Elk won. Now to the point, It's not that hard. Being out of home security for many years and programming home panels, Elk made things very easy. And the many things that are a problem, I ask the nice people on this board. And all are willing and able to help. My advice to you is do as I am, Install it, & Enjoy it. It may seem tough at times, But remember the fun and exicitement you had setting it up when you are finished. Just take it one small section at a time and you will have fun...
Mike
I had a small alarm install company for many years, Now All I do is very large card access and cctv. So for my first panel choice for myself(Several hundred for others in the past, most Napco) I chose Elk, I thought about Hai(Even took a pro class and got certifiied) but Elk won. Now to the point, It's not that hard. Being out of home security for many years and programming home panels, Elk made things very easy. And the many things that are a problem, I ask the nice people on this board. And all are willing and able to help. My advice to you is do as I am, Install it, & Enjoy it. It may seem tough at times, But remember the fun and exicitement you had setting it up when you are finished. Just take it one small section at a time and you will have fun...
Mike
Hey guys -
It's been a couple of months, but today I finally spent some time on this project today. It may not have been the best of choices, but I never got to play with the Elk much on my bench. I wanted to free up some space in my office, so I tracked down and labeled all the wiring on my old DSC panel, pulled it, mounted the Elk, and wired everything up. Things are powered up, and I have my 2 keypads addressed and enrolled.
I have a few questions:
- Steve suggested earlier in this thread that I consider a retrofit hub for my keypads. I currently have them both wired directly into the Elk connecting block. Any reason to not do this?
- Is there a manual for ElkRP anywhere? I've registered and obviously downloaded/installed the software. The video tutorials are nice to get going, but they don't seem to go into detail about each option. Is there a full manual? I must be missing something...
- Steve also mentioned putting a resistor on Output 2. Can someone explain the reason in more detail? I currently have a siren in the attic (Ultratech IM SS30, 30 watt, 8 ohms, 6-12V DC) and a second interior siren in my basement (Ultratech IM SS36, 15 watt, 6-12V DC, not sure on ohms). Both of these are labeled Ultratech, but they look exactly like the ELK-SS30 and ELK-SS36. I currently have the SS36 wired to Output 2, and the SS30 wired to Output 1. Is this not correct? Sorry for the dumb question, but what does 'supervised' mean exactly?
- I also have the ELK-73 'compact echo speaker' that came with my kit. Where or why would I use this? What is the difference between a speaker and a siren, and why would I want to use one or another?
- I did not find any EOL resistors anywhere. So, how would the Elk be configured for my motions and door/window sensors?
- Is there any spot where the M1 should be grounded to the cabinet and/or earth ground?
Thanks again for the help, guys - and sorry for any dumb questions. I hope to wake up early tomorrow and get things at least half running by lunchtime.
It's been a couple of months, but today I finally spent some time on this project today. It may not have been the best of choices, but I never got to play with the Elk much on my bench. I wanted to free up some space in my office, so I tracked down and labeled all the wiring on my old DSC panel, pulled it, mounted the Elk, and wired everything up. Things are powered up, and I have my 2 keypads addressed and enrolled.
I have a few questions:
- Steve suggested earlier in this thread that I consider a retrofit hub for my keypads. I currently have them both wired directly into the Elk connecting block. Any reason to not do this?
- Is there a manual for ElkRP anywhere? I've registered and obviously downloaded/installed the software. The video tutorials are nice to get going, but they don't seem to go into detail about each option. Is there a full manual? I must be missing something...
- Steve also mentioned putting a resistor on Output 2. Can someone explain the reason in more detail? I currently have a siren in the attic (Ultratech IM SS30, 30 watt, 8 ohms, 6-12V DC) and a second interior siren in my basement (Ultratech IM SS36, 15 watt, 6-12V DC, not sure on ohms). Both of these are labeled Ultratech, but they look exactly like the ELK-SS30 and ELK-SS36. I currently have the SS36 wired to Output 2, and the SS30 wired to Output 1. Is this not correct? Sorry for the dumb question, but what does 'supervised' mean exactly?
- I also have the ELK-73 'compact echo speaker' that came with my kit. Where or why would I use this? What is the difference between a speaker and a siren, and why would I want to use one or another?
- I did not find any EOL resistors anywhere. So, how would the Elk be configured for my motions and door/window sensors?
- Is there any spot where the M1 should be grounded to the cabinet and/or earth ground?
Thanks again for the help, guys - and sorry for any dumb questions. I hope to wake up early tomorrow and get things at least half running by lunchtime.
1. You can wire both Keypads as homeruns to the panel but if you want to add anything else as home runs you will have to use the hub. Make sure your termination jumpers are correct.
2. IN RP go to help and click on contents for more information on how to use RP.
3 If you have sirens mounted on both outputs then you are fine for the supervision. Make sure if they are in fact sirens that you have the outputs configured for voltage. The ELK has a built in audio amp so if you want to hear the voice annoucements you need a speaker not a siren for the indoors and configure it for siren not voltage.
4. The EOL resistors should have been in a small plastic bag (17 rated 2.2K and one rated 820 ohms). You can buy them at RS etc if they are misplaced. Many people do not use them on burg zones and just configure those zones as NC. Fire zones require an EOL and may require an EOL Relay if you use 4 wire smokes. The 2 wire Zone (16) requires the 820 ohm resistor if used in that mode.
5. You can ground the can (not required by code if it only has Class 2 power in the box with the exception of the batteries)but do not ground the motherboard (the instructions state not to ground it). The M1 can handle transients a lot better if it is not connected to earth ground.
Update -
I've got my system running pretty much to the point it was with my old DSC system. Both keypads are fully functional, all zones are working OK, and my main outdoor (attic) siren is functional. Here are some thoughts/questions:
1 - Since I had/have no EOL resistors installed, all zones are set to 'Normally Closed'. I decided to test every door, motion, and window. My windows were wired in series so that, for example, every window in my living room was on 1 zone. I found, however, that my Living Room windows would usually not fault when opened. I ended up hooking each window up individually as a test and found that one window in particular did not perform reliably. I pulled the sensor out, and the screw terminals were extremely rusted. I can only assume that this sensor is bad, and will be searching for a replacement. Good thing I tested them all. I was kind of surprised that it seemed to affect other sensors wired in series, and that it never seemed to get stuck open (and trip the alarm) - it would only get stuck closed. Any suggestions on finding a suitable replacement? Sits flush against the bottom of the window pane. Top of the unit is white, bottom (where the wires protrude) is black, a magnet is mounted on the window itself.
2 - My IM SS36 interior siren is not working properly tied to Output 1 on the Elk. On alarm it will basically buzz for a few seconds, then stop, then start a muffled siren, then finally blare a proper siren. I hooked up my included ELK-73 speaker as a test, and it seems to work OK. It announces the alarm, then sirens at a lower volume, then finally starts blaring the full alarm. This is fairly cool, however I have no need for a speaker at this particular location because it's in my basement. I'd rather have a full blaring siren down here. So, is there any way for me to hook this interior siren into my system and have it work properly?
3 - I've configured the Elk to control my Insteon lighting through my ISY-99, and it seems to be working well - extremely fast response - especially considering commands go from my Elk, to my ISY, to the PLM, then on to my lighting controls. I plan on using the Elk as a 'bridge' to allow home automation packages (hopefully CQC) to control my lighting without going direct to the powerline. The reason being is that I use my ISY-99 for the majority of my lighting control, and I want to be sure it always knows the correct status of my lighting.
4 - In addition to my hardwired motions, I'm considering adding a wireless receiver (ELKM1XRF2G unless someone tells me otherwise) to add a few motion sensors and keyfobs, mostly for lighting control. Would this wire to the same location as my keypads, forcing me to purchase a hub? What is the response time of wireless motions compared to hardwired motions? What range are most people getting?
5 - My panel is pretty tight in there with the battery, and I remember reading somewhere that the battery should be a certain distance from the wiring in the enclosure. Is this correct? Should I consider locating the battery outside of the main panel? Any suggestions?
6 - Is there a longer ribbon cable available to connect between the M1 and ethernet module? Mine is a bit too short to locate the ethernet panel outside of the enclosure where I'd like it.
Thanks again for any help!
I've got my system running pretty much to the point it was with my old DSC system. Both keypads are fully functional, all zones are working OK, and my main outdoor (attic) siren is functional. Here are some thoughts/questions:
1 - Since I had/have no EOL resistors installed, all zones are set to 'Normally Closed'. I decided to test every door, motion, and window. My windows were wired in series so that, for example, every window in my living room was on 1 zone. I found, however, that my Living Room windows would usually not fault when opened. I ended up hooking each window up individually as a test and found that one window in particular did not perform reliably. I pulled the sensor out, and the screw terminals were extremely rusted. I can only assume that this sensor is bad, and will be searching for a replacement. Good thing I tested them all. I was kind of surprised that it seemed to affect other sensors wired in series, and that it never seemed to get stuck open (and trip the alarm) - it would only get stuck closed. Any suggestions on finding a suitable replacement? Sits flush against the bottom of the window pane. Top of the unit is white, bottom (where the wires protrude) is black, a magnet is mounted on the window itself.
2 - My IM SS36 interior siren is not working properly tied to Output 1 on the Elk. On alarm it will basically buzz for a few seconds, then stop, then start a muffled siren, then finally blare a proper siren. I hooked up my included ELK-73 speaker as a test, and it seems to work OK. It announces the alarm, then sirens at a lower volume, then finally starts blaring the full alarm. This is fairly cool, however I have no need for a speaker at this particular location because it's in my basement. I'd rather have a full blaring siren down here. So, is there any way for me to hook this interior siren into my system and have it work properly?
3 - I've configured the Elk to control my Insteon lighting through my ISY-99, and it seems to be working well - extremely fast response - especially considering commands go from my Elk, to my ISY, to the PLM, then on to my lighting controls. I plan on using the Elk as a 'bridge' to allow home automation packages (hopefully CQC) to control my lighting without going direct to the powerline. The reason being is that I use my ISY-99 for the majority of my lighting control, and I want to be sure it always knows the correct status of my lighting.
4 - In addition to my hardwired motions, I'm considering adding a wireless receiver (ELKM1XRF2G unless someone tells me otherwise) to add a few motion sensors and keyfobs, mostly for lighting control. Would this wire to the same location as my keypads, forcing me to purchase a hub? What is the response time of wireless motions compared to hardwired motions? What range are most people getting?
5 - My panel is pretty tight in there with the battery, and I remember reading somewhere that the battery should be a certain distance from the wiring in the enclosure. Is this correct? Should I consider locating the battery outside of the main panel? Any suggestions?
6 - Is there a longer ribbon cable available to connect between the M1 and ethernet module? Mine is a bit too short to locate the ethernet panel outside of the enclosure where I'd like it.
Thanks again for any help!
IVB
Senior Member
I'll answer what I know.
I use a regular serial cable hooked up. I bought a 6' one from RadioShack.
I only know the wiring bit. The M1XRF2G goes onto the bus. you can daisy chain devices to avoid purchasing a hub, just make sure you only put the terminating jumper on the ends. I personally think a hub is easier, but I understand everyone won't want to buy that.
I use a regular serial cable hooked up. I bought a 6' one from RadioShack.
If you want to use your old sirem you can but you have to put that output into voltage mode (see my previous post).
If you dont need to homerun the RF receiver you dont need the hub (also see my previous post).
By code (NEC) the battery leads should be 1/4 inch from all power limited wiring.
If you dont need to homerun the RF receiver you dont need the hub (also see my previous post).
By code (NEC) the battery leads should be 1/4 inch from all power limited wiring.
In RP Under Globals for Output 2 you can select for voltage or siren. You want siren for speakers and voltage for a siren with a built in siren driver. Verify what you have.
Per the NEC all Non Power Limited Wiring shall be 1/4 inch from all Power Limited Wiring. Wiring means the wire. I would not be to hung up on this since 90% of the residential installs out there (or more) probably dont comply with this. If you can route your wires to comply it cant hurt.
