I have an alarm system I designed and built about 20 years ago. I designed it such that pressing the garage door transmitter to open either of my two garage doors also dearms the alarm. I'm now needing to replace the alarm with one of the new-fangled, programable alarms, and am looking at the DSC PC1555. I downloaded the Installation Manual. Problem is, I don't see a way to interface it to my garage door openers.

The way I implemented this with my current system was to disconnect the output of the garage door receivers from the motor units and route them directly to my alarm system. I then designed outputs from the alarm to the garage door motor units. Operating either one with the remote transmitters dearms the alarm.

Can I duplicate this functionality with the DSC PC1555? If not, are there other manufacturers that I should look at? I'm not opposed to building some external interfacing logic, if necessary. It would also be acceptable to purchase two alarm remotes which would serve their intended function of dearming the alarm but also opening one of the two garage doors.

Thanks for any recommendations you may have.

 

I think that your best bet would be to get a wireless reciever for the alarm, and use the programmable outputs on the panel to operate relays to control the door opener. It's a bit of fiddly programming for the outputs and the wireless keys, but it doesn't sound like you would have much of a problem.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I've since given up on the PC1555, as it seems to have the following restrictions:
1. It won't independently control two garage doors from key fobs.
2. With only two outputs, it won't control both garage doors AND a slave pizzo-electric sounder to follow the keypad buzzer, which I need.

I'm now looking at the Ademco Vista V15P with a couple of 5804BD wireless keys, 5800 TM transmitter, 5881 receiver and 4204 relay module. This system seems to provide the versatility I need to arm/disarm the system and operate either garage door from both 5804BDs. But its installation manual raised a couple of new questions:

1. My garage doors are currently sensed as entry/exit doors. The Owner's manual states "Before arming the system, all doors, windows and other protection zones must be closed or bypassed, otherwise the keypad will display a Not Ready message". Is this literally true, or can I arm it with my garage door open, as long as I get it closed before the end of the exit delay?

2. I have a pizzo-electric sounder mounted outside the garage door to "follow" the keypad buzzer, which I can hear from my car and use as confirmation that the garage door contacts close correctly. By this, I mean it starts beeping as soon as the system is armed, and stops as soon as the garage door closes securely. I don't see any way to program an output to "follow" the keypad buzzer. Is there a way to do this with the V15P?

Thanks again!

 

In the configurable zone type, there's a "vent" zone setting:So you can essentially create a zone to do what you want.

The output programming for these systems is pretty flexible. What you may want to do is download a 20p/15p (they use the same manual) installer manual and read over the configuration and setting process.

You want to create a pretty complex set of actions, and the panel will support it, but you will have to do a bit of configuring and programming to get what you want.

 

Yes, as I said, I had already downloaded the installation manual. I just didn't see the configurable zone option for vent zones. The vent zone option should do exactly what I need.

On the second point, a "house-open" relay output, I have studied the output programming section in depth, and I think this is the way to program it. I can program an Output Function to close the relay as follows:

Activated by = 2 = Zone Type
Event = 21 = Arming - Away
Output Action = 2 = Close and Stay Closed

And to program an Output Function to open the relay upon securing (closing) the garage door:

Ativated by = 3 = Zone Number
Zone Number = (insert garage door zone number)
Event = 0 = restore
Output Action = 0 = off

I will of course have to set Output Number to the correct relay for both Output Functions.

Will this do it?

Thanks again!

 

Yes, it should work. You may have to tweak this or the other setting, but it should do the trick.

 

Joan,

I was just browsing DIY.com and saw this old post and noticed that I never posted my results. I purchased the Vista 15P and it has provided great service for over a year so far. The programming was exactly as you said, and I was able to configure the inputs as desired. I also installed the remote receiver and transmitter, so I have a couple of remotes which control both the alarm and two garage door openers. A belated thanks for your excellent help.

Tall Texan

 

No problem, I'm glad I could help out. I'm mostly trying to help people around the jargon that each of the manufacturers use in their manuals (which is an attempt to "brand lock" installers).

By the way, it's Ron.

Joan Vinge is the writer whose quotation I am giving proper attribution to.

 

Ron,

Sorry about the name mixup.

Thanks again.