ELK M1 Random System Starup

[hgupta1]

I struggled with this problem and have been able to make it happen much less frequently. According to Elk tech support one cause for reboot is a glitch or intermittent connection in a power supply line to a zone expander or keypad or maybe other device in the system. I never determined which device but in my case I think that it is the zone expander in the detached garage. I checked and double-checked all of the screw terminals with no help and then it occurred to me that I have a number of RJ-45 plugs in the system in the DBH hub that supplies the garage among other things.
 
Long story short I found that removing the RJ-45 connectors and spraying the plug and sockets with electronic cleaner got rid of the re-boots for months at a time. Now I clean them up now and then and I pull the plugs in and out a few times to clean them up any time I have the system powered off for any reason. I rarely have re-boots any more.
 
Look for any questionable connections in the system, especially12v  power supplies.
 
Mike.

 
Thank you.  This is certainly helpful.  I don't have any RJ45 connectors, but instead I use the Elk-M1DBHR (retrofit kit).   The run up to the second floor keypad is questionable.  I might disconnect that first and see if it goes away.  Also, the backlit main entry keypad also occasionally flickers a bit.  I suppose that could be an issue as well.  On top of all this, I have a long run out to the garage.
 
Is there an easy way to de-enroll a keypad?

 

[mikefamig]

To remove a keypad shut down the power to the system, disconnect the wires to the keypad and then power up and re-enroll all devices.It is best to disconnect the keypad at at the panel rather than at the keypad just in case there is a short in the wiring.
 
Mike.

 

[hgupta1]

Well, I I disconnected the upstairs keypad thinking that it was the most likely source of the problems as I had used wires that were already running to the keypad and wasn't sure of the age or quality of the wires.     Two hours later, I got the dreaded reboot.  The frequency seems to be increasing.  On Monday it rebooted three times.   Right now I only have the Elk m1DBHR connected directly to the ElkM1.  from there, one leg goes straight to the keypad, a second leg goes to the wireless receiver (Elk-M1XRF2H), a third leg  goes out to the garage to a wired input expander and output expander running on their own power supply.    The issue occurred prior to the garage, so I don't think they were the cause.   I did notice that there is a slight flicker on the my Elk keypad screen (model Elk-M1kpb LCD).  You can see the flicker in this video clip here. Is this normal?  It's almost like a slow refresh.   I am wondering if the Elk isn't outputting a good supply of 12V power, or that I have a bad keypad.  Is there a good way to monitor the power output from the Elk to see if it dips prior to each reboot for some reason?     Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[lanbrown]

A new power supply is not that expensive and while you're at it, how old is the battery for backup?

 

[hgupta1]

A new power supply is not that expensive and while you're at it, how old is the battery for backup?

 
are you talking about the elk m1 power supply or adding another 12v power supply?  I  already replaced the battery backup as well as the coin battery in the past month, but it did not resolve the issue.

 

[RAL]

Have you you checked the AC voltage output from the transformer that powers the M1?  It should be 16  to 19V.

Edit:

Oops, I see that you previously said it was 16 to 17.5V.

 

[hgupta1]

Have you you checked the AC voltage output from the transformer that powers the M1?  It should be 16  to 19V.

Edit:

Oops, I see that you previously said it was 16 to 17.5V.

 
Just to be sure,  I just swapped it out with a spare Elk TRG1640 that I had purchased that reads 17.9V.  
 
Does that flicker in the video of the keypad look abnormal, or are they all like that?

 

[hgupta1]

In an effort to chase down this irritating issue, I ended up completely replacing my Elk panel.  And then I nearly died when I still got the random reboots.  However, I think it is actually something wrong with my automation rules or the Elk's logic as the reboot only happens under a certain circumstance.  I have been using the Elk M1 to close my driveway gates automatically after a period of time.  Regular opening and closings work fine, but when I use my task to keep them open (for example, when I am expecting someone),  something wonky must be happening with my rules or the counter command occasionally, because it causes a crash and reboot.   
 
Does Elk offer any sort of programming assistance?   I am going to try to offload the nonessential rules to either ISY499i or to my home automation platform in case it is due to not enough memory, but I do want to keep the access control rules on the gates as I consider that essential.