Wiring a New ELK-M1 with existing wiring - determining zones - Help

[Grayson5]

Hi,
 
I just purchased an ELK-M1 to replace the existing ADT security system in a home I recently purchased.  The challenge I have is that the current ADT system is not active and the labeling of the wiring in the ADT control board is poor at best. I am having difficulty determining which wires are for which zones in the house.
 
There are some fundamental descriptions of the zones written on the inside of the ADT box.  For example Zone1 - Front Door, Garage Door 2 & 3, Zone 2 - Other exterior doors, etc.
 
The wires have some labeling like 5-0-1, 5-0-2, or just 2, or 3-0-1.  I am not sure how to interpret this labeling.
 
Is there a recommended approach to determining which wires are connected to which zones?  I am a computer programmer by trade and a bit new to electrical wiring.  My initial thought was to hook up wires to Zone 1 on the M1, setup Area 1 and Zone 1 with RP or the keypad and then open each door to see if the zone triggers (not sure how this would work with the glass break detector).

Am I on the right track or totally off base?  I would appreciate any suggestions on how to proceed. I am excited about setting up and programming the M1, but I know I need to get the zone wiring correct first.
 
There are 3 garage doors, 8 exterior doors, 2 interior motion detectors and 2 glass break detectors.
 
Thanks!
 
John

 

[apostolakisl]

Assuming you are certain all the wires are zones, just hook them all up.  
 
Then with your laptop running rp2 and connected to the board, walk around the house and open each thing.  You will see what zone trips on the Elk.  Then label it.
 
Keep in mind that a single zone is likely to cover multiple things.  Like all the windows in one room might be on the same zone.  that sort of thing.

 

[Grayson5]

Assuming you are certain all the wires are zones, just hook them all up.  
 
Then with your laptop running rp2 and connected to the board, walk around the house and open each thing.  You will see what zone trips on the Elk.  Then label it.
 
Keep in mind that a single zone is likely to cover multiple things.  Like all the windows in one room might be on the same zone.  that sort of thing.

 
Lou,
 
Thanks for the response.  This may seem like a silly question, but when you say "you will see what zone trips on the Elk" where does this occur?  I am assuming you mean with the RP software.  Is there a specific screen or function where I can see when a zone trips?  Do I need to setup the zones within Area 1 before I do this?
 
Thanks for your help.

 

[jpmargis]

Click on the ELK RP2 "STATUS" icon after you have configured your test case.

 

[apostolakisl]

Lou,
 
Thanks for the response.  This may seem like a silly question, but when you say "you will see what zone trips on the Elk" where does this occur?  I am assuming you mean with the RP software.  Is there a specific screen or function where I can see when a zone trips?  Do I need to setup the zones within Area 1 before I do this?
 
Thanks for your help.

 
Yes as far as what jpmargis said.  But also yes for setting stuff up in area 1.  It is quite rare for a home owner to ever set up a security system with more than 1 area.  Unless you have an apartment or separate structure tied into the same system, it is unlikely you will have need for more than 1 area.
 
Alternatively you can run the "m1 to go" app and go to its status screen.
 
EDIT: Or you can enable the "chime" on all the zones and hit the "chime" button on a keypad to enable the voice chime, then it will announce the zone number you violate as you violate them (assuming you have a speaker hooked up)

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Everyone has their own level of 'comfort' factor; but if this were me and I was having to rely on someone's wiring (craftsmanship unknown) I would disconnect all the zones and test them at the panel with a multimeter with the sensors in their open and closed conditions.
 
You don't have that many zones where it would take up that much time and you would determine if the zone is normally open or closed, if you had EOL's in place (you need to know this in order to properly set up the zone), which zone went to which wire, and if the wiring bundle had any problems BEFORE hooking it to a new security panel.
 
Note that the motions and the glass breaks most likely have four wires in their bundle instead of just two as they need to be powered.
 
Refer to my How to Install a Home Security System for details.

 

[apostolakisl]

I think it is safe to say if the wires came off of zones on your ADT system, they will be safe to connect to zones on your Elk.
 
Hopefully they did not use EOL (end of line) resistors since I don't think their equipment uses 2200 ohms like Elk.  I think they use 5600, but not 100% on that.
 
As soon as you look at the Elk RP status screen you will see if they used them.  If the closed zones show "short" 0 volts and the open zones show "open" 13.x volts, then you are OK.  If it shows something in between, then hopefully it is well within the range of Elk's EOL resistor zone voltage (4.0-8.8v).  Ideally it is 7v.  If it is close to the edge, then you will risk false alarms/trouble conditions without modification.

 

[Grayson5]

Thanks so much for all the advice.  I will be back home this weekend and give the approaches a try!