Repair of Moose Systems Z1100 Alarm Panel Board - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / repair

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2018, 12:31:48 pm
content: I haven't had anything to repair in a while because it's been slim picken's around here LOL, but my neighbor called me yesterday. He said a light was burned out on his alarm system and could I replace the "bulb". The alarm system does work properly.I went over to check it out and told him I didn't think they were bulbs but were LEDs, and that it would be surprising to me that one of the LEDs could be "burned out", although anything is possible. I did indeed observe one of them not lit whereas on the secondary board in the house it was lit - "System Ready". Anyway we powered off the system and proceeded to remove the panel from the wall. When I pulled the panel out we found behind it a bunch of mouse droppings. We concluded that the panel was nice and comfy in the winter and made a good place for a mouse to sleep. I took the board home and said I'd get back with him.I applied a small external voltage to each LED including the suspected one, but in all cases they lit up just fine. I have posted pics and will proceed to the next step but you are free to speculate on whatmightbe the problem ...

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 05, 2018, 03:20:57 pm
content: I'm not familiar with that particular system but the first thing I would do after cleaning up that board would be to swap the codepads around to verify that the codepad in question is in fact still faulty, if rodents are around then there is also a chance that one of the wires feeding that codepad could be damaged.On most systems the codepads or keypads are wired in parallel back to the control panel, a short across any of these wires will generally render all codepads offline but an open on one of the clock or data lines may result in a codepad appearing normal but not responding, also confirm that all input zones are definitely sealed when looking for a "system ready" indication.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2018, 10:21:32 pm
content: Quote from: Muttley Snickers on August 05, 2018, 03:20:57 pmThanks Muttley. I traced the positive line to the LED back to the IC which is a UCN5810 10 bit serial shift register with output drivers. However I could not get any conductivity from the IC pin to the LED. This was apparently due to the corrosion by little mousey peeing on the area.I tried to flux and reflow the solder but it wasn't having any of it. So, I bodged a wire from the IC pin directly back to the LED. I took it back to the neighbor's house and we verified it was working again. I told him that there could be more troubles in the years to come - might want to see if the company is still in business. That reminds me - I need to call back and tell him to inspect behind the other control board ...Anyways - another satisfied customer!

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 05, 2018, 11:09:23 pm
content: An excellent result.That system looks pretty old and probably overdue for an upgrade but if the neighbour needs to keep it going for a bit longer then perhaps some preventative maintenance might be in order.For instance, if the codepads are mounted on a cavity wall such as plaster board or drywall then perhaps you could keep the bugs and rodents out by placing a thin sheet of plastic between the rear of the codepad and wall, the only penetrations needed in the protective sheet would be those for the fixings and the cable entry.Another quick and easy method is to simply cover up all rear access to the codepad by placing masking tape on the wall and then re-mounting the codepad. As I always say, when in doubt keep them out.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2018, 12:09:48 am
content: Quote from: Muttley Snickers on August 05, 2018, 11:09:23 pmThanks.QuoteYep those are really good ideas and I will forward to them.And remember folksYOU TOcan be a hero in the 'hood, just apply your own electronics knowledge to help your friends and they will think you are a genius.