M&S DMC1 Intercom System

Smarty

Active Member
Getting ready to build a new house and will be looking to install an M&S
DMC1 intercom system in it.

For those of you that have one of these, how do you like it? Any
shortcomings you wish M&S would address? Should I have chosen something
different?

Also, has anyone tried to tie the audio of the Elk M1 alarm/automation
system into a DMC1 (for whole house announcements)? I'm gonna try.
 
On ELK's website there is information on how to pad the output down to a line level output. I beleive its under FAQ's or something like that. If I remember correctly it is something very simple.
 
I installed one of these in a customers house a few months ago. It was pretty easy to install and I really liked them. One of the outside speakers refused to work for me and needed to be replaced. So I can't speak for the quality of the intercoms.

Other then that I think they look nice and the sound that comes out of them is okay. I would not use it as my number one source for audio distribution but for casual music and voice its okay. I do believe that you can connect an external amp and speakers to the unit but don't quote me on that since I did not actually do it.
 
I installed the M&S intercoms in my home. Main unit, 11 room units, 1 patio unit and the front doorbell unit. The sound has been good. I have had problems with the AM tuner playing a local station on a overtop of the correct station. Poor AM tuners can have this problem - I read up about it at the time - but can't remember the explanation now.

I also have the ELK M1 Gold and been happy with it.

The downside of using the auxillary audio connection to connect the voice output of the ELK M1 to the intercoms is that you must set the power on and input set to aux. One night someone had turned the music off by changing the M&S source to AUX where nothing was connected. I heard a humming all night that was low but annoying. In the morning I realized that the hum was from the intercom and the power was on. So this is the downside of leaving it on AUX. I had the same problem in my previous home with the Nutone intercom.

I experimented with the push button for the push to talk and found that by shorting a couple of the poles on I could activate the talk feature on an intercom room unit. I have purchased an ELK relay and was going to try to have the M1 or my computer activate this spare unit on command that I would locate near a computer or M1 speaker so that the intercom could carry the voice output when needed. Haven't done it yet.

If successful, that would mean that it would transmit voice output over the intercoms even when I'm playing music over the intercom. It would also mean the unit's power doesn't have to be on all the time.

One other thing I've experimented with was trying to connected the front doorbell to an input on the M1 so my security system/homeseer would know when someone pressed the bell. I was unsuccessful finding a way to do this. As I recall the doorbell is lighted and the wires carry a voltage (24v??) that was higher than the M1 was rated for. I asked ELK if they had any suggestions and they didn't at that time.
 
When the doorbell is pushed it rings the bell. It could also trip a relay to trip a zone couldnt it?
 
Digger said:
When the doorbell is pushed it rings the bell. It could also trip a relay to trip a zone couldnt it?
The doorbell button is part of the M&S intercom system and sets off electronic chimes. It is not like the typical doorbell. I couldn't figure out how it would set off a relay. I looked at the ELK-930 doorbell detector. It is activated when a doorbell is pushed and draws 900ma or more. However, the M&S intercom is all electronic and I could not determine that there was a current draw through the doorbell wires when pushed. ELK was not sure it would work so I didn't try it. The ELK-930 is meant for typical doorbells where the push completes the circuit to a bell.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding it too. Wouldn't be the first time I've gotten it wrong.

If anybody has connected a zone input with the M&S intercom I would love to hear how.
 
Thanks for sharing this Frank.

Sorry to say that it is way over my head (I'm a mechanical guy and part time computer hack, I have a hard time speaking fluent micro-electronics).
 
Hi Smarty

Basically when someone pressed the front door unit a data stream appeared on the data line which i assumed informed the master that the front door button had been pressed...This data stream was unique to the front door unit....So i captured the data stream in my micro and then i could compare whenever a data stream appeared on the Data line as the other room units would also send their unique data stream...Whenever a match appeared i would turn on 2 relays for 3 seconds...;-)

HTH
Frank
 
I know this thread is OLD, but... Does any one know how to make the M & S alarm system play a custom chime? And ideas on where to check?
 
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