Aritech CS235 Low Voltage

[Guest]

I have installed an Artitech CS235 alarm system and after a period of time, I get a low voltage message, I can recharge the battery using a charger and when I replace it the message goes at it will last for a number of weeks before reoccuring. The output at the battery connectors is 12.4 volts even when I adjust the voltage potentiometer. Is there an internal fuse on the charging circuit, everything else works perfectly. Thanks

[Admin]

A bit of a strange one. You say you are getting 12.4 volts on the battery cables. I presume this is without the battery connected. To check the battery connections connect a fully charged battery to the system & remove the mains power. If the system remains powered then these connections are fine. If the system powers down when you remove the mains then it would seem that there is a problem with the battery leads or connections. If the connections are fine & there is a steady 12-13 volts on the battery leads it would indicate a more serious problem with the control panel itself. Possibly the rectifier is faulty. How old is the system? Have you tried a different battery?

[dougoh]

Hi,

I'm seeing 'similiar' symptoms to this on my Aritech CS 350.
Symptoms:
- Battery slowly dies over a period of 3-4 days. If I then replace with a freshly charged 7.2Ah battery all good for the next 3-4 days. This started the week before Christmas '09, with my wife about to have a child, so timing beautiful :-) Initially I thought that it was just the battery and so got a new one from Maplin, however 3-4 days later it started again.

Analysis:
-I trip the circuit breaker to the alarm to cut the mains power and I get a 'mains fault' on the control panel. So the system thinks it's getting power. ok, turn power back on. If I then check the AC voltage coming in to PL1 it appears to be within spec (16-20V AC). I also checked and replaced the F0 main fuse. The only thing I haven't done is checked to see that the transformer is capable of supplying an appropriate level of current at 16-20V AC.

- Voltage across terminals 2-3 starts at about 13V and then slowly falls over the course of 3-4 days to just below 11V at which point 'battery warning' appears on the control panel.

-Next I checked to see if there's a short-circuit somewhere but couldn't find one. The current drawn from various circuits(alarm deactivated, no bells ringing, mains power off etc):
-external bell(across F3)------------------------> 0-0.03A
-aux/internal bell(across F2)---- ----------------> .01A
-keypad(across F4)-----------------------------> .02A
-6 zones (didn't check each individually)
-total current drawn from battery (across F1)----> .08A

From the last line the total current drawn from the battery is only .08A, which seems to be within spec and certainly not in danger of draining the battery faster than the PSU is capable of supplying power.

So, I seem to have a situation where the alarm thinks it's getting power and appears to be working just fine but it's draining the battery and not recharging it.

ok, so the Alarm is 12 years old now and owes me nothing but I've spent time on it now and would like to get to the bottom of it.

Any ideas ? Is some of my analysis bogus ? (I'm an amateur after all...)

the best I can think of:

- maybe transfomer can't supply enough power anymore ?
- maybe the circuit board is fried (I forgot to mention that the F3 fuse blew the week before all this started happening - but replaced it and all appeared fine)

Any thoughts/ideas, greatfully received.

thanks,

Doug

[Admin]

Could be the rectifier, have you checked Aux voltage with mains on & battery disconnected?

[dougoh]

Thanks for the prompt assistance!

Just pulled the battery but left the mains connected. Voltage across pins 2&3 (Aux voltage I think) is 0.10 V. I guess the rectifier is broken, since it should be 13.8V right ?

Assuming the rectifier is broken, is this something fixable or requires a new circuit board for the CS350 ?

thanks,

Doug

[Admin]

Unless you are very comfortable replacing & soldering componants onto the board then A new PCB is the only way.

[dougoh]

I think you're right. I checked out the rectifier diodes and don't fancy the soldering work as I'd likely short something. It's been a few years since I let loose on a soldering iron.

Is there any supplier that you'd recommend for a replacement PCB. The best I can find on the Web is http://www.mphesl.ie (http://www.mphesl.ie/) but that'll mean replacing the full cs350 panel, which seems like overkill.

thanks,

Doug

[Admin]

I think you're right. I checked out the rectifier diodes and don't fancy the soldering work as I'd likely short something. It's been a few years since I let loose on a soldering iron.

Is there any supplier that you'd recommend for a replacement PCB. The best I can find on the Web is http://www.mphesl.ie (http://www.mphesl.ie/) but that'll mean replacing the full cs350 panel, which seems like overkill.

thanks,

Doug

Costwise there would be very little difference.
Where are you located?

[dougoh]

Costwise there would be very little difference.
Where are you located?

Donabate, north co Dublin.

I'm as happy to order online though if there's a good supplier you'd recommend too. At present I have a good workaround (swap out discharged battery, put in freshly charged battery, put discharged battery on charge...).

On reflection the new panel is probably the best way to go anyway. It's 12 years old, so who knows whether the transformer or something else is about to go next.

Doug

[Admin]

Here is handy enough for you.
http://www.rspl.ie/reliablesecurity/Main/Home.htm

[dougoh]

Admin, many thanks for your help. I made contact with the company you mentioned and they were very helpful. I think I'll probably go with a more modern panel though, given the age of the CS350.

thanks again,

Doug

[Admin]

If your looking for a good panel look at the Europlex SigNet

[dougoh]

Thanks alot for the tip. I was checking out the HKC 812 but I'll also check out the Signet too. So far I can see that the migration to the HKC would be very straightforward from the CS350 and would give me all functionality I need plus a reasonable upgrade path for the future if I want to add on extra bells/whistles. As you've said in other posts though it is older technology than the Signet.

Anyway, I'll pull down the Signet manuals from you just to make sure the migration effort isn't likely to be any more complex. if as straightforward as for the HKC I'll go with your suggestion.

You've been a tremendous help and this site is great. I've been recommending to others!

Doug

[Admin]

Thanks Doug, Regards installation the installation would not be very different from HKC. It would be well worth your while going for the SigNet.
And sure if you run into anything we're here to help..:)

[dougoh]

The fun continued with the Signet system, when I tried to find a supplier that would sell to the public. Basically I got 'strictly trade only', we only deal with installers or one big security company had just gone into liquidation :-( So, I figured the Signet isn't meant to be for me.

Anyway, I did a bit more research and the Astec Fusion looks to be modern (with lots of features that I could use in the future plus others I'll use right away), recommended by lots of folks and also quite straightforward to get hold of. In fact I was really impressed when I called the company directly and they pointed me at a local supplier and committed to selling it to me themselves if I had any difficulty at all :-)

My only question is:

Are there any gotchas if I do a straight swap of the Aritech CS350 panel to the Astec Fusion panel ? Will I need new sensors/PIRs or should my existing Aritech ones work ?

thanks,

Doug

[k1]

Are there any gotchas if I do a straight swap of the Aritech CS350 panel to the Astec Fusion panel ? Will I need new sensors/PIRs or should my existing Aritech ones work ?

thanks,

Doug

No , should be easy enough. Remember to configure EOL the same as the existing system.
You will get the SigNet panel here no problem
http://www.rspl.ie/reliablesecurity/Main/Home.htm

[dougoh]

Great K1, I just got the SigNet panel from Reliable security products plus a HKC bellbox to go with it. So I'm a happy camper. Looks like a very professional outfit by the way.

Wiring it looks just as straightforward as for the HKC812. I'm EXTREMELY impressed with the build quality of the Signet panel, it's price and the fact that for EUR20ish extra I've got the option of using wireless sensors in the future. The USB input means that I can program the thing using my laptop too, which is alot nicer than navigating menus on a keypad. So far, very impressed and I'll post a new thread on this forum with my install experience (as a DIYer) as I'm way off topic of original post now.

[k1]

Glad you got sorted. Please do start a thread letting us know how you get on.
It will be a geat help to others.