I have recently discovered something odd, or perhaps unique, about the way the M1G displays system data on the LCD (KP/KP2) keypads. It appears that any real-time system status information (I.e. 8-6-1 DataBusErrors, 8-6-2 Sys Volt/Curr, 8-6-3 Zone volts…) will display on only one keypad at a time, and that keypad is the one with the lowest keypad address number.
I stumbled upon this initially when I added a third keypad (#3) to my system, and used it for system diagnosis - to display 8-6-1 DataBusErrors. It sometimes would show the error count, and then other times would display "00000" even though another keypad would be showing the error count. Likewise, when I pulled up 8-6-2 System voltage, sometimes it would update the display approx. every second with the current amp reading, and other times it would just display a static number and not update the reading. I went through all the typical troubleshooting with this keypad, including replacing the type of wiring, checking connections and terminations, swapping other keypads into this location, enrolling and un-enrolling, etc. I couldn't figure out why sometimes this keypad display would show the real-time data, and other times it would not show anything/not update the data. I was very close to yanking the #3 keypad as being defective, even though the other functions seemed otherwise to work perfectly fine and consistently. Then I got sidetracked with the installation of other components in the system.
Tonight, when I went to a different keypad (#2) and pulled up 8-6-1 to display data bus errors, I was surprised to see that this keypad also exhibited the same behavior of not showing data as the other keypad (#3). This was the first time for the #2 keypad to show "00000" when I know for sure that there is an error count by seeing it on another keypad. I also know that I have never experienced this no-error-count-display behavior on my #1 keypad - the status data always displayed in real-time on the #1 keypad. So I went about all my keypads (currently 3 installed/enrolled) to see if there is a pattern to this display behavior.
What I discovered is anytime more than one keypad is in the display mode of polling for some system diagnosis data, such as 8-6-1, only the lowest-addressed keypad will display the data. It's as if the lowest-addressed keypad receives the data stream first and prevents the stream from reaching the next or other keypads.
I conducted the following tests, repeatedly with the same results:
- On keypad #1, pull up 8-6-1. It displays the current error count, such as "00493." Leave it in this display mode.
- Then on keypad #2, pull up 8-6-1. It displays "00000." Leave it in this display mode.
- Then on keypad #3, pull up 8-6-1. It also displays "00000." Leave it in this display mode.
- Go back to keypad #1 and press "*" to clear out of this mode. This seems to release the data from keypad #1, so that on keypad #2 it then displays "00493." However keypad #3 still shows "00000."
- Go back to keypad #2 and press "*" to clear out of this mode. This releases the "data stream grab" from keypad #2, and then on keypad #3 it displays "00493."
- If I press "*" on KP#2 before pressing "*" on KP#1, KP#3 will receive the data stream and display "00493."
In another test:
- When no other keypad is in any system status display mode polling for the data, I can start with the highest-addressed keypad (KP#3) and pull up the 8-6-1 error count display "00493."
- Then on KP#2, when I pull up 8-6-1, it will display the fresh error count of say "00494." But KP#3 will have "lost" the data stream and the display will remain "stuck" at "00493." If I attempt to clear "*" it and go back in to 8-6-1 while KP#2 is still showing the data on its display, the KP#3 display will now show "00000."
- Likewise while KP#2 is displaying the error count in real-time, I go to KP#1 and pull up 8-6-1, KP#1 will then display the error count, and KP#2 will be stuck at the last reading. Clearing and re-entering 8-6-1 on KP#2 will then only show "00000."
This behavior is the same when displaying 8-6-2 System voltage: only the lowest-addressed KP will display the live (updating) reading of the current draw, while the other keypads will only display the "initial" reading they receive at the moment they poll for the data. The higher-addressed keypads will not update their displays with the real-time current draw data.
This would explain why my KP#1 never exhibited this odd problem or behavior - it always took priority. At first I thought the reliability of the keypad display was due to the physical proximity to the M1G (as my KP#1 is installed next to the panel). I thought the other keypads were having flaky problems with displaying the real-time system status data because of longer wire runs, although they were all within the limits of the RS 485 wiring length specifications. Yet, all the keypads never had problems concurrently displaying other real-time data such as time/data, zone status, custom text strings, temperature, etc.
I am wondering if anyone else can duplicate this sort of behavior on your system. If so, this may shed some light on the way system data is processed by the M1G and displayed by the keypads. I was always under the assumption that all keypads were "equal" with respect to each other, and as such, would operate and display all information concurrently in like-manner. The system status data display behavior I have experienced, however, would indicate that there is some sort of hierarchy in the keypads, and this makes me wonder what other functions may be subject to or limited by such hierarchy.
M1G firmware: 5.2.4
M1KP2 firmware: 2.1.48
M1KP firmware: 2.1.48
I stumbled upon this initially when I added a third keypad (#3) to my system, and used it for system diagnosis - to display 8-6-1 DataBusErrors. It sometimes would show the error count, and then other times would display "00000" even though another keypad would be showing the error count. Likewise, when I pulled up 8-6-2 System voltage, sometimes it would update the display approx. every second with the current amp reading, and other times it would just display a static number and not update the reading. I went through all the typical troubleshooting with this keypad, including replacing the type of wiring, checking connections and terminations, swapping other keypads into this location, enrolling and un-enrolling, etc. I couldn't figure out why sometimes this keypad display would show the real-time data, and other times it would not show anything/not update the data. I was very close to yanking the #3 keypad as being defective, even though the other functions seemed otherwise to work perfectly fine and consistently. Then I got sidetracked with the installation of other components in the system.
Tonight, when I went to a different keypad (#2) and pulled up 8-6-1 to display data bus errors, I was surprised to see that this keypad also exhibited the same behavior of not showing data as the other keypad (#3). This was the first time for the #2 keypad to show "00000" when I know for sure that there is an error count by seeing it on another keypad. I also know that I have never experienced this no-error-count-display behavior on my #1 keypad - the status data always displayed in real-time on the #1 keypad. So I went about all my keypads (currently 3 installed/enrolled) to see if there is a pattern to this display behavior.
What I discovered is anytime more than one keypad is in the display mode of polling for some system diagnosis data, such as 8-6-1, only the lowest-addressed keypad will display the data. It's as if the lowest-addressed keypad receives the data stream first and prevents the stream from reaching the next or other keypads.
I conducted the following tests, repeatedly with the same results:
- On keypad #1, pull up 8-6-1. It displays the current error count, such as "00493." Leave it in this display mode.
- Then on keypad #2, pull up 8-6-1. It displays "00000." Leave it in this display mode.
- Then on keypad #3, pull up 8-6-1. It also displays "00000." Leave it in this display mode.
- Go back to keypad #1 and press "*" to clear out of this mode. This seems to release the data from keypad #1, so that on keypad #2 it then displays "00493." However keypad #3 still shows "00000."
- Go back to keypad #2 and press "*" to clear out of this mode. This releases the "data stream grab" from keypad #2, and then on keypad #3 it displays "00493."
- If I press "*" on KP#2 before pressing "*" on KP#1, KP#3 will receive the data stream and display "00493."
In another test:
- When no other keypad is in any system status display mode polling for the data, I can start with the highest-addressed keypad (KP#3) and pull up the 8-6-1 error count display "00493."
- Then on KP#2, when I pull up 8-6-1, it will display the fresh error count of say "00494." But KP#3 will have "lost" the data stream and the display will remain "stuck" at "00493." If I attempt to clear "*" it and go back in to 8-6-1 while KP#2 is still showing the data on its display, the KP#3 display will now show "00000."
- Likewise while KP#2 is displaying the error count in real-time, I go to KP#1 and pull up 8-6-1, KP#1 will then display the error count, and KP#2 will be stuck at the last reading. Clearing and re-entering 8-6-1 on KP#2 will then only show "00000."
This behavior is the same when displaying 8-6-2 System voltage: only the lowest-addressed KP will display the live (updating) reading of the current draw, while the other keypads will only display the "initial" reading they receive at the moment they poll for the data. The higher-addressed keypads will not update their displays with the real-time current draw data.
This would explain why my KP#1 never exhibited this odd problem or behavior - it always took priority. At first I thought the reliability of the keypad display was due to the physical proximity to the M1G (as my KP#1 is installed next to the panel). I thought the other keypads were having flaky problems with displaying the real-time system status data because of longer wire runs, although they were all within the limits of the RS 485 wiring length specifications. Yet, all the keypads never had problems concurrently displaying other real-time data such as time/data, zone status, custom text strings, temperature, etc.
I am wondering if anyone else can duplicate this sort of behavior on your system. If so, this may shed some light on the way system data is processed by the M1G and displayed by the keypads. I was always under the assumption that all keypads were "equal" with respect to each other, and as such, would operate and display all information concurrently in like-manner. The system status data display behavior I have experienced, however, would indicate that there is some sort of hierarchy in the keypads, and this makes me wonder what other functions may be subject to or limited by such hierarchy.
M1G firmware: 5.2.4
M1KP2 firmware: 2.1.48
M1KP firmware: 2.1.48
