Elk m1G Over Current

[johnboy70_99]

Hi All,
 
I Have an M1G that is around 8 years old. There was a power spike and ever since the panel has shown "over current". 
Also I have an M1RB, the relays all seem to be stuck on except for 1 that is stuck off, and they do not respond to control changes anymore.
 
I have tried removing all devices that pull current from vsx pins, just left one keypad connected, etc and restarting, waiting for an hour or so with the power off to see if it is the PTC fuse, then powering on, and the behavior doesn't change.
 
I bought from automated outlet which now appears to be out of business.
 
ELK wont support users directly so they appear to be no help at all (boo). Contrast that with Netgear which is shipping me a new prosafe switch to replace the fried one which has a lifetime warranty (yay Netgear!)
 
At this point I am thinking I should just buy a new control board and swap it out. Any other suggestions? If not any other suggestions as to where I should buy my panel from?
 
 

 

[RAL]

It sounds like you've done the right things in trying to isolate what's causing the over current condition. If you still see that with just the M1 and one keypad connected, it's probably the M1 itself.
 
Since your trouble started after a power surge, it's possible that a component on the M1 board has shorted out. I would remove the cover and examine it closely with a magnifying glass to see if you can spot any signs of damage.  It might just be a MOV that shorted out as it tried to absorb the surge.
 
I've had good experiences with Elk  When I called for some help, they initially tried to push me back to the distributor I purchased the system from.  But when I explained that they were out of business, then Elk agreed to assist me.  
 
Since the M1 is able to show an over current message, it sounds like it isn't completely dead.  You may be able to send it back to Elk for repair.

Elk has a list of authorized retail distributors on their web site.  I've bought from both JMAC and Home Controls in the past. 

 

[42etus]

I, too have had good experiences with Elk. Netgear, on the other hand, not so much. While they did replace a 24 port switch, it took them just over 3 weeks to ship it after they issued the RMA. The whole time my network was dead. I hope you have better service from them.

 

[johnboy70_99]

Thanks for the reply RAL - I will put the board on the bench this weekend and see what I can see. it seems to be completely functioning other than the over current and the relays, it arms and disarms. Although I have not tested whether it triggers the siren yet. Given the issue with the outputs that might be an issue. I will try reaching out to ELK and see what I find. I had a Napco panel in my first house and went with ELK this time because they seemed more DIY Friendly, but from their website it appears they are not. 
 
42etus - Netgear may have improved their process - they issued an RMA yesterday when I called them the first time, I got the fedex tracking info a couple of hours later and its on track to get here today.
 
Also I didn't mention but Dell also came through. My poweredge Server onboard ethernet was fried and they sent a tech out the next day and swapped in a new motherboard, completely covered under warranty. So I am 2 for 3 for good vendor support. 
 
I am not expecting ELK to just swap out the board like everyone else, but it would be nice to have some sort of access to them. Dell and Netgear come through, but from ELK it would be nice to get more than a  "nope, no help from us, you are on your own"

 

[mikefamig]

Just a reminder to do an export of the M1 settings to disk if you haven't already done it.
 
Mike.

 

[johnboy70_99]

I took out the board, everything looks OK except D39 looks different then all the other diodes. Not sure if that is normal or if it got fried. Anyone have a M1G Board handy that they can compare to this image?
 
Sorry for the poor quality - max attachment size is 150K so I had to drop the resolution of the pic. Hope it still shows, it is very different then the other diodes. Others are all black with a white stripe - this one has copper showing.
 
 

 

[RAL]

D39 looks normal.  For some reason, that diode on all M1s is a different color than the others.

 

[Big517]

Any update?  I'm running into the exact same issue and ONLY my wireless zones are functioning... I read another thread where the person simply replaced the power supply even though it tested normal on the bench. I don't have anything with the 16.5 volts necessary

 

[johnboy70_99]

Any update?  I'm running into the exact same issue and ONLY my wireless zones are functioning... I read another thread where the person simply replaced the power supply even though it tested normal on the bench. I don't have anything with the 16.5 volts necessary

Sound like a different problem then mine. I would definitely try another psu first, they are relatively inexpensive.

Unfortunately elk said mine was dead and I had to buy a replacement panel from them.