Omin Pro II motherboard stopped functioning

[Billfw]

Last night, I was awoken by a strange beep similar to an entry/exit.  So I got up to make sure all the doors were locked, etc.   The first sign of trouble was that the keypad located in my bedroom was blank with no power and no messages.  So I went to check the one other keypad and had the same result.  The security and fire alarm system was completely down.  I then tried to log via my network connection into the OmniPro  and it did not respond.  I next went upstairs to check the main panel and it smelled like some wiring had burned.  A red LED was not blinking as typical but I do have one solid red LED.  One suggestion I found was to unplug the power transformer to reset the unit.  I understand the idea of resetting but am not as sure about the exact procedure for unplugging the transformer.  I see wiring going to the transformer terminals but not a transformer that plugs into power.  Any other ideas what situation I have here and/or suggestions for troubleshooting?  Sure hope the motherboard is not fried.  I am concerned about what caused the problem in the first place. 
 
I appreciate your collective knowledge and wisdom on this. 
 

 

[pete_c]

Guessing you have removed power from the motherboard (battery and transformer) and checked the voltage from the PS already eh?
 
Have a look around capacitor marked C40 (?) adjacent to the power input.  It is the larger electrolytic.  Is it leaking?  See any burn marks around there.

 

[Billfw]

I unplugged the power and battery for about 20 minutes.  No change.  Still have one solid LED.  I check the capacitor and it looks okay - no burn marks etc.  But did not check the voltage I am calling the installer for a service call. He said its out of warranty.  It went into service Feb 2011.  I thought the motherboard has a 3 year warranty but the installer says 2 years.  

 

[pete_c]

The OmniPro II has a 3 year warranty.  February 2011-May 2014 is 3 years and 3 months.
 
The code and programming of the HAI OPII panel do not get lost if you remove the battery and power supply from a working panel.
 
I do not think its overly expensive to send the Leviton OmniProII board in for repairs. 
 
Relating to checking out your board; ideally you want to have an HAI installer make the diagnosis. 
 
Do you have a service contract with the company that installed the panel?
 
Meanwhile I would leave the power supply and battery disconnected as its already not functioning until it is granularly looked at.
 

next went upstairs to check the main panel and it smelled like some wiring had burned

 

[Billfw]

Thanks Pete_c.  I do not have a service agreement in place but the installer is still in business.  Looks like I will have to do some negotiating about what actions will be taken.  One drawback I see in sending the board back for repairs is the period of time I will be without security/fire protection.  But it would potentially save some money.  I wonder if HAI/Leviton would honor the warranty, being that it 3 months beyond and cover the repair/replacement? 

 

[pete_c]

Yup; call HAI with the serial number.  It sounds like you do not have any sort of security or fire protection right now. 
 
I have done a cross ship with new under warranty stuff with HAI but never anything out of warranty. 
 
Your installer might have a hot swap board around maybe?
 
Thing is; you have to figure out what caused the issue in the first place.  There is a possibility that you could damage a new replacement board.
 
The alarm panel board is easy to remove.  The terminal strips with the wires just lift out of the way. 

 

[Billfw]

Definitely have to find the cause of the issue.  Would not want to damage a new board.  So the panel can be removed without rewiring all the terminals?  That is nice. 
 
Still can't believe that the board burned out in just over 3 years. 

 

[pete_c]

So the panel can be removed without rewiring all the terminals?

 
Yup.  Have a close look and you will see little plastic clips on a set of terminals.  You just carefully push the clip a bit to the side and the whole terminal comes up.
 
To get the board out; remove any daughter boards (expansion).  You can leave all of the wires screwed in.  Remove the little terminal strips.  Unscrew the board screws off of the spaces and move the board under the terminals you just removed.  Go slow and make sure there is no power to the board when you are doing this.  It really only takes a few minutes and are careful.  You cannot break anything.
 
I had a board give me issues cuz of the power drain of the outdoor siren.  It was too high such that I replaced it with a little mini piezo siren.
 
It could be some shorted wire related thing.  I had a rabbit jump up to some POE Cat5E wire under the deck; chew the wire.  It was burnt when I saw it so I guessing the rabbit didn't like the taste after a bit.
 
BTW the boards are really well built.  I just recently helped a gentlemen update an OmniPro original serial only board installed in 1998.  It was working fine.  My personally owned oldest board is some 11-12 years old and the newest one is some 7 years old.  Both are functioning fine.

 

[Billfw]

You know...I am tempted to take this project on myself. Nice picture and instructions for how easy it would be.  BUT I need to nail down the cause of the problem (if possible).  My installer would charge me $350 for the job.  I am thinking peace of may be worth the charge with nearly a $1000 board at risk .

 

[pete_c]

Yup; best to move into the comfort zone of a professional here.  That is what they do and are proficient at their trade.  A new board is expensive. 
 
That is nice that the installer did commit to a price of a repair rather than a repair based on a rate per time frame thing.
 
Let us know what is found to be the issue and welcome to the Cocoontech forum Bill!

 

[Billfw]

Yes, when I got a quote for the job vs. by the hour, it helped me decide.  Plus the contractor is going to allow me to supply the Board which will save considerable money.  Nevertheless, this will be an expensive repair.  It will about a week before the board can be delivered.  With all that said, I will post once we get to the bottom of the problem. 
 
Thanks for the welcome, I have tinkered around the site over the past couple years.  I now have security, all exterior lighting and the HVAC on the system.  I use PC-Access to program.  Have considered the Haiku IPAD interface.    I have enjoyed learning about home automation and Coontech has been an excellent resource.  I appreciate your  help!

 

[Billfw]

While I await UPS to deliver the new board later this week, This was touched on earlier but I wanted confirm again the current status of my smoke and fire alarm system.  Is it correct that while the Omni Pro II motherboard is down, the fire and smoke detectors are also not functioning?  The repair can't come soon enough. 

 

[pete_c]

Is it correct that while the Omni Pro II motherboard is down, the fire and smoke detectors are also not functioning?

 
If they are connected to your panel; then yes.  (it is assumed that your panel is off with no battery or power supply right now)
 
I have two sets; one set is the originally installed contractor smokes and the other are the ones connected to the OPII panel.

 

[Billfw]

The new OmniPro motherboard arrived and installer replaced the old board without a problem.  It was an easy swap.  The old board apparently suffered from some type of defect or had a delayed reaction to a heavy thunderstorm that occurred about a week prior to the board going out.  I now have the power hooked up to a surge protector.   The installer visit was a dream sequence...they arrived exactly on time, were very knowledge and friendly, and help me sort out a few other minor issues I had with the system.  Now I am back up running stronger than ever.  I also decided to download the Haiku app for IPad and IPhone.  I find it a very easy to use program.  I wonder if the Iphone app works outside reach of my local home network?? 

 

[ano]

Yes, HAIku can work anywhere over the cellular network or over a remote WiFi network in a hotel, for example.  What you have to do is forward the port that the panel uses so its available from the outside world.  It is currently port 4369.  I would recommend that you change the port number that the outside world sees, and then set that port in HAIku as well.  This way hackers are going to be much less likely to try to get into your HAI system, although I have never heard a case of a hacker doing that, its just a bit of extra protection. 
 
So in your Wi-Fi router typically, look for a "port forward" feature.  You want port 4369 with IP address X.X.X.X (the local IP address of your HAI board) to be available to the outside as port XXXX.  (Pick a number here.)
 
So, the good news is that is the easy part, the bad news is that if you don't pay extra for a fixed IP address from your Internet provider, finding your IP address can be a pain since it may change over time.  In this case, I would recommend you pay the extra $5/month or so and get a fixed IP address  from your Internet provider. There are ways around this, but that is another discussion.