Elk M1 worksheet please give input first install

PHJ424

Member
I will be installing an Elk M1 Gold system into an existing home with finished basement and ceiling is drywalled. There will be some pain in wiring the sensors to the panel but not too terrible.

Please give the list a once over and inform me if I have missed the boat with my parts list here. Either going overboard,
or missing something all together. If there are other parts you like over the ones I specd also let me know why and what you prefer over what I picked. Im a novice at this so far.

Im thinking a few expander cards are required the site I used to spec this out for $ didnt have them online?

Thanks in advance for any tips pointers on this setup



  1. Description Qty
    Elk M1 Gold System 4 1
    Ademco 945T-WH screw terminal contacts (Casement Windows) 60
    GE Interlogix SR-2315AL garage door contact (Overhead Doors) 2
    Ademco 947WH-1" Steel door magnet contact (Entry Doors) 3
    Honewell/Intellisense IS2535TC form C PIR Motion detectors 10
    Intellisense FG-162ST Glassbreak detector 10
    Intellisense CK- FG-701 Glassbreak tester 1
    Crow DD Outdoor Motion detector 3
    Elk siren ELK-45 4
    Elk indoor siren ELK-71 4
    Elk strobe Amber SL1-A 3
    Elk strobe wall mount ELK-WK1 3
    Elk 28" wiring box 2
    Elk Power Supply and charger 4 amp 12vdc ELK-P412 1
    Elk Alarm Output director 6
    Crow SM871 4 wire photo electric smoke detectors 10
    Elk M1 zone temperature interface 3
 
One thing I would like to do is add a key fob to open the garage door and turn on the other lights in the garage as well.

What is the best way to do this within the ELK realm without going 3rd party? I have seen a device forget the name that did the simple remote to rcvr and activated a few form C contacts in 6 relays but its a stand alone device not Elk?

Would you incorporate that unit or try and keep as much of the system sole source as possible?

Thanks again
 
What are you using an Elk Alarm Output director for?

You do not need an Elk Alarm Output director with an M1. The Elk Alarm Output director is for Controls that only have one siren or alarm output and they have a steady voltage output for burglar and pulsing for fire. It decodes the pulsing and steady output to give two separate relay outputs. The M1 has programmable outputs for most any application.

The M1 has the siren drivers built in for output 1 and output 2. Normally you only need speakers when using the built in siren drivers. Consider the ELK SP-12F Flush mount 32 ohm speaker for inside. You can place up to 8 of them in parallel without overloading the siren amp.
 
Thanks Spanky,

I thought I need them boards to run the inside alarms,outside strobes and sirens.

Can I run all the smokes in series or parallel not sure on if they are NO or NC contacts right now?

How many zones are typically required for a 3000 sq ft home?

I need to add a few expanders to the list as well

Thanks
 
I would consider a CO detector or two for life safety. Also water sensors can provide great property protection at very little additional cost.
 
I did a little research today between rounds of busting the ice off the driveway.

How far can the Elk Relay Board be mounted away from the control panel? Is the only limitation on this distance the total length allowed for the 485 network?

Also on the topic of 485 bus not really sure how this will be run in my home but I can see it can spider out of control and leave me with more than 2 eol terminations so it looks like the Data Hub is the easiest way to make sure this doesnt get out of control. Any input on this?

That would be nice that way I can run a few spots on that side of the house as well as the other loads I had intended on switching with the Elk M1.


I also got the bundle deal on the Grider 5 and Net Remote that JWilson posted so I will be working on home audio distribution and some touch screens when I start pulling all this LV cable in my home, the home is finished with a finished basement so Ill keep my fingers crossed and carefully plan out a route that works the best to pick all the rooms up with the least dust!
 
How far can the Elk Relay Board be mounted away from the control panel? Is the only limitation on this distance the total length allowed for the 485 network?
Yup, can go anywhere on the bus you want.

Also on the topic of 485 bus not really sure how this will be run in my home but I can see it can spider out of control and leave me with more than 2 eol terminations so it looks like the Data Hub is the easiest way to make sure this doesnt get out of control. Any input on this?
There are 2 data bus hubs, the regular DBH and the retrofit DBHR. If you intend to homerun all your devices to the same location then the DBH works well. If you need to run several 'branches' of the bus then the DBHR works well. The DBHR splits the 1 bus into 4 independent managed branches.
 
How far can the Elk Relay Board be mounted away from the control panel? Is the only limitation on this distance the total length allowed for the 485 network?

Also on the topic of 485 bus not really sure how this will be run in my home but I can see it can spider out of control and leave me with more than 2 eol terminations so it looks like the Data Hub is the easiest way to make sure this doesnt get out of control. Any input on this?
This tech note has some useful information:
http://www.national.com/an/AN/AN-1057.pdf
 
I can start off saying that sounds like a very elaborate setup... If you've got the money and want to cover every possible square inch against every type of attack, then I'm sure it makes sense - but it's definitely a lot of coverage. In contrast, my 2500 sq foot home has 32 zones (13 opening windows, some daisy chained to only use 1 zone and 5 entry doors, 2 garage doors, a single glass-break in the single most likely place someone would break a window to get in, and 4 motions (1 covers entry and livingroom, 1 covers family room and kitchen, 1 in the master BR, and 1 in the home office - technically you could be in the hallway undetected, but if you went for anything of value, you'd end up tripping a zone) then some miscellaneous other inputs. although with automation in mind, more motions can be better... that's all preference I think.

I definitely agree with Spanky on the use of speakers instead of Sirens - let the elk handle that - you pretty much have to for the interior speakers, and for the exterior, it just works better with the zone supervision, you don't have to worry about current draw, and all your sirens will be in sync which makes them more distinct over a distance. Although, many of us supplement that with the GE Screamers (I like the round ceiling mount ones) to really make their ears bleed - I have mine set to only come on after a trigger from away mode and with a short delay - but if they go off, you don't want to be in the house. Also I didn't see mention of extra keypads - but in my case I have 3 of the KP2's flushmounted - they don't have built-in speakers, so I used the SP12's behind there as well as a few others in key locations - you don't have to worry about the resistance (ohms) as much with them as the system will take 8 as spanky mentioned - and having more of them around the house enables more even distribution of sound. On alarm, they get loud enough to wake the family - and of course the screamers are still there if needed. And 4 outdoor sirens/strobes does seem like a bit much... 1 is enough to alert the neighbors; maybe 2 in a rural area.

I think for new installs pretty much everyone uses the DBH (or the retrofit if their installation requires it) - it makes the wiring much easier. And, you actually can put more than one device at the end of a leg if you need to - you just have to adjust the wiring at that end. And I'm using one leg to do exactly as you describe with a remote set of relays in the garage (the M1XOVR and the M1RB) to drive my 2 garage doors, pool fill, strobe and 10 sprinkler zones. I just mounted it all in the 14" can that came with the system (I used the 28" for my alarm, which is getting a little tight now). Also note, if you would prefer a single larger can, the Elk can fit into others like the Leviton, so you could get a single 48" can if you wanted.

For the keyfobs, if you're going with wireless anyway, then the GE one probably makes the most sense - but since it doesn't look like you're using wireless anywhere else, it may be more costly than necessary. Personally I use a clifford 3-channel remote setup... you can get similar ones for $60, but this has the added benefit of working with my car alarm remotes as well as the 2 remotes it comes with - so I don't need to carry a garage door opener in the cars and we always have a remote on our keychain. 2 channels cover the 2 doors independently, and the 3rd I fed into an input zone on the elk for future automation like lighting control.

others could comment better on the other stuff, but I'm not sure if you'd need the extra power supply above what the elk comes with unless you're really just looking for much longer run times... and it shouldn't be a problem running the 10 smokes off one zone. And I also agree with throwing in a few water detectors - under the fridge and in the laundry room especially... Lastly, there's a good thread around here on garage door contacts that I wish I'd seen before ordering mine - a simple search should turn it up... but it had a lot of great ideas for models and ways of mounting the sensors totally inconspicuously.
 
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