INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY CONTROL PANELS (CP)

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY The control panel is the heart of the intrusion alarm system, it coordinates and organizes all of the components in the system. The control panel includes the protective enclosure that can be outfitted with a lock set, and a punch out for mounting a keypad onto it. KEYPAD PUNCH OUT LOCK SET PUNCH OUT

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY The inside of the enclosure has mounting brackets to accept the circuit boards, round punch outs for routing conduit into it, space for the back up battery and a wiring diagram on the inside door.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY The control panel houses the circuitry and connection terminals for external devices, these screw terminals will coincide with the wiring diagram on the door.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY Before any installation can begin a site survey must first be done, we will cover some of the parameters to consider when designing an IDS. Commercial installs will be pre-planned and a set of blueprints with a legend and notes will be furnished for the placement of all equipment and devices.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY Small commercial and residential installs will require a site survey. The survey starts with the customer and a lot of questions. Most residential customers purchase a system because of a recent incident.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY The site survey should start with a survey of perimeter protection. This means all points of entry need to be identified. This includes basements, second and third stories as well as attics.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY Perimeter- all of the outer walls and ceilings surrounding an area to be protected. This can also include fences, walls and the grounds surrounding a building. In some cases it will also include tunnels under the building.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY Then the interior protection zones need to be addressed. Placement of the CP. Location of keypads. Location of sirens and bells. Location of interior sensors. Protection of safes, artwork etc. Location of smoke alarms (NFPA-72).

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY A hand drawn sketch should be made of every floor showing the location of everything. This drawing should include the type of device and what zone it is connected to. YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN LEGEND FOR YOUR NTS DRAWING.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY SOME BASIC CONSIDERATIONS

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY After the survey is done and all of the parts have been inventoried you will need to locate an appropriate place for the control panel. What factors need to be considered in the placement of the CP?

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY Is power available. Is it out of site. Will it be subjected to extremes. Is it readily accessible for service. Is the customer okay with the placement. A closet is the best bet, from a customer’s stand point it will be a utility closet and not a bedroom closet.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY Another consideration is to chose a location that provides a central point to keep cabling distances short. Once the location has been established and before the CP is actually installed the cabling needs to installed, this includes the earth ground.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY For residential installs a 3’ or 4’ flex bit is probably going to be required to get from floor to floor.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY Commercial installs are going to require EMT. This means that you will have to become acquainted with a conduit bender and bending techniques. This includes the use of conduit fittings: connectors, bushings, couplers, straps and LB’s.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY When installing the CP the panel door must be able to open 90 degrees by NEC code. NEC, article 110.26 (2), electrical installations. NEC, article 725 CL1, CL2 and CL3 remote-control, signaling and power limited circuits.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY When mounting a CP leave room for cabling to route around the circuit board. If routing cable in from behind the wall make sure to clear the IC board and leave space for the battery. It should be anchored to the wall with plastic anchors or equivalent hardware.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY the first connection to be considered and installed in an alarm panel. EARTH GROUND 12 TO 14 AWG HOME RUN TO METAL UNDERGROUND WATER PIPE ENTERING THE BUILDING.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY Primary power- class 2 power limited transformer. Typical voltages: 12vac, 14vac to 16.5vac, 20VA to 50VA, manufacturer’s specifications. THE POWER TRANSFORMER IS WIRED WITH LAMP CORD, 18 AWG.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY Keypad wiring is typically a (22/4), 22 AWG, 4 conductor and will have a designated spot on the terminal strip. A separate set of terminals is dedicated to the smoke alarms on the same circuit board. The siren may require a siren driver circuit to be installed (a small amplifier circuit).

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY The zone wiring is for the detection devices and each zone usually shares a common connection point on the CP for one leg of the device loop.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY Zones are usually grouped by what they protect, for instance; zone 1 windows, zone 2 doors, zone 3 1st floor PIRs etc. The Zones should be labeled as such on the panel door for easy troubleshooting later. Most systems provide at least 6 different zones, so the first floor and second floor can be completely separated.

INTRUSION ALARM TECHNOLOGY Control panels must be UL approved/listed, there is two different UL listings for control panels: GRADE A- 60 seconds of attack resistance, Supervision of power supplies, An auto daily sounder test, A separate bell mounting that is visible from the street. GRADE B- 45 seconds of attack resistance, Continuous metering of power supplies, A separate bell mounting that is visible from the street.