I'm replacing a Napco Magnum Alert 2000 series panel with a new Ademco Vista 20PS panel. The Napco system is now about 10 years old and I've had two of the three keypads fail in the last two months, sending panic signals to the monitoring company with the police showing up at the front door unexpectedly--so I thought I'd take this opportunity to just replace the panel and keypads with a whole new system that has the features I really want. I have two of the graphic touch screen Keypads (6270), a 6150RF, and a 6160. I also have a 4204 relay module. I'm pretty good at home wiring projects but new to alarm systems. I'm looking forward to this project and have been preparing by reading the install manuals thoroughly.

My question is, I'm planning on using all of the existing sensors, including the Napco 4-wire smokes. The Ademco install manual is clear as mud on wiring 4 wire smoke detectors. The manual seems to illustrate 2 relays being involved. It says to wire 4 wire smoke detectors to Zone 2 or above. Can someone explain to me in simple English how to wire the 4-wire smoke circuit to the Ademco panel using one of the 4204 relays and Zone 2?

Many thanks in advance to anyone willing to help!

 

4-wire smokes and Ademco panels involve a bit more hoop jumping than some.

1: 12v power for the smokes must pass through a normally closed contact on your relay module. This will be set in system programmeing to open when the smoke detector reset command is keyed in.

2: the alarm contact pair is a normally open contact, so your supervision resistor must be at the true end of the line.

If properly installed, your existing smokes will be in a continuous line, with no "t-taps" The last one in line is where you must put your end of line resistor. Again, if properly installed originally, there will already be one in place (you need to change it to one for the ademco because the value the napco required is most likely different) from the original panel along with the power supervision relay. This is a normally energized relay that will remove the supervising resistor from the end of line on loss of power to the loop.

This is so that the panel will show a trouble should power be lost to the detector loop, because a 4-wire smoke is useless without 12v power.

Lastly you program the chosen zone as a fire zone. Always do this after you verify the circuit (make sure you can see the EOL resistor using an ohmmeter with power applied).

Look at the panel wiring diagram carefully: It's all there, but you may need to blow it up with a copier, because it's serious mouse-type.

 

Thanks for the info...what confused me was the supervising relay. I didn't realize that this was yet another Ademco part that I needed. I thought it was part of the relay expansion board (4204) as opposed to a separate relay. The Napco controller has all this stuff on the main board.

 

It's not really a "ademco" part. The relays are made by a number of makers (system sensor, ITI, and several others), Ademco just would like to sell you their model. You only have to get the correct voltage rated one (12v). As I said, if your smokes were put in right in the first place, there should already be one in place.

 

Thanks MrRon for the reply. The four wires for the existing smokes circuit were connected to a single relay in the old Napco panel--two wires went to the "smoke" zone terminals and two wires to relay terminals. Is it possible that the supervising relay is located remotely at the last smoke detector junction box? If this is likely, I'll go searching...

 

Yes, exactly! If properly installed, the end of line relay and resistor would be behind the last smoke in the loop.

 

Since the supervision relay is only required in UL installations - it's very possible you don't have one.

Most techs do not install them in residential fire applications.

On the same note, alarm connected smoke detectors are usually not considered the primary fire alarm system in most residential applications - and should not be unless they are installed by an NFPA certified technician and up to UL codes.

So, basically what I'm saying is, I seriously doubt you have a supervision relay installed - however, you should have an EOL resistor.

Good luck!

 

Good point. Our company is primarily a Fire and Life Safety installer, so we routinely install our smokes on our security panel installs by the book, plus we are in a region with pretty regimented fire safety and low voltage rules (Marion County, FL requires a permit with a layout drawing for security panel installations, for example.) So I answered with my reflex answer.

In short, yes, you may well not have that supervision relay ( and the realistic odds of losing your smoke detector power without the whole panel going dinkey-dow are pretty remote).

 

Thanks for your responses Mr Ron and Safewatch. I looked and looked and did not find any supervising relay (SR) or EOL on the smoke circuit. I did purchase an SR though, using the part number specified in the install manual. My question now is, should it be installed at the end of the line inside the control panel box or should it be installed in the junction box at the last smoke detector? Bear with me as I try to ultra simplify things...

My plan is to connect the SR at the last smoke detector's junction box--the way I read the schematic in the install manual, the relay is installed essentially in parallel with the smoke circuit...that is the red wire on the SR is connected to the plus power terminal on the last smoke, white wire on SR connected to minus terminal on smoke, violet wire (NO) of SR on plus side with 2000 ohm resistor in series to plus zone terminal of smoke, and other violet wire on negative side to minus zone terminal of smoke. Then I can reconnect the existing 4 conductor smoke alarm wire appropriately to the same terminals they were previously connected to on the smoke side and connect the other ends to the appropriate zone and relay/power terminals inside the control panel box.

Does this sound correct? Many thanks in advance for your response. The rest of my Ademco installation has gone well with everything working right so far so I don't want to blow the smoke alarm circuit!

 

Yup, it sounds like you have followed the diagram correctly. Heck, as many as I've installed or replaced, I usually have to cheat and look at the schematic to keep it straight in my head.