FTA and RLED terminals in PIR

[NerdNot]

I hope I've not submitted this twice in the last few minutes. I so my sincere apologies.

I’m fitting my first alarm. It is a Premier 24 with 8 zones, two LCD remote keypads and I’m using Texecom Prestige QD PIRs. I'm intending to use EOL wiring. I’m sorry if I’m asking stupid questions but I have searched the manuals, instruction sheets, the forum and the internet without getting any clear understanding and I’m keen to learn.

My problem is that the PIRs have terminals marked FTA and RLED which I don't understand.

I gather that FTA offers an option of :-
(i) either having no LEDs on when the alarm is set but constantly lighting a LED if that particular PIR has been triggered once the alarm is unset. Chosen by connecting the terminal to Set Positive or
(ii) Causing the first PIR triggered to flash a LED (but still only after the system has been unset) if it is triggered and any other triggered PIRs, activated after the first, to light a LED permanently. Chosen by connecting the terminal to Alarm Positive.

So I assume that the alarm goes off. I unset it and look at LEDs to find which PIR has triggered the alarm first or which PIRs have been triggered at all. But may I take it that the LEDs mentioned are in the PIRs and not somewhere else – like in the control panel? And where are these Set Positive and Alarm Positive connections, please. I can’t see any connections labelled such in the remote keypads (which I hope to use to provide extra zones) or the control panel.

I hope to maintain enough zones, including those of the keypads, to have one for each PIR in which case may I take it that I may leave the FTA terminal disconnected? I would like to understand how to use it in any case.

The RLED terminal appears to offer the option of turning a remote LED on (it says 0V/NC) or LED off (It says 12V). Are these voltages those on the RLED terminal when the PIR has been triggered or do I need to connect the terminal to 0V or 12V? Where would this remote LED be? Do I need to fit one somewhere and run a wire from the RLED terminal with an appropriate resistor connected to the 12V supply? Is the RLED terminal related to the FTA terminal? And lastly, even though I'd like to understand it may I ignore this RLED terminal?

I would be pleased to receive any advice. Again sorry if it is trivial to you.

 

[scott1980]

Bascially, the FTA (first to alarm) terminal is as you describe. You normally use it when connecting more than one PIR to the same zone, which I don't recommend. The FTA terminal connects to a programmable output on the control panel programmed as "Set Latch" or similar. Any detectors that trigger when the alarm has set will latch their red detection LED on for easy identification of the alarmed detector. However, if you're connecting each PIR to it's own zone as it should be, you can ignore this function. It's very rarely used these days, and there's no real excuse as you have a panel that is capable of zone expansion.

The RLED terminal can be connected to 0v in the control panel to enable the detection LEDs on the PIR, or 12v to disable them. This is normally achieved by connecting them to a programmable output programmed as "Walk Test" so that the LEDs only come on when the detectors are being tested. It's not for connecting an additional LED. Again, in your situation, it's better to just leave them enabled.

 

[NerdNot]

Right thanks for that Scott.
Looks like the FTA terminal is best left disconnected but that if I wanted to run two PIRs in the same zone and wanted information about which had triggered first I’d need to run a lead from one of the output terminal on the Premier 24 control panel to that terminal (and to the FTA terminals on all the other PIRs?) and program the output terminal as
“29 - Detector Latch This output type activates for 5 seconds when the exit mode is started then reactivates when the system arms. The output type deactivates when an Intruder alarm occurs or the system is disarmed.”
Or I could use the programmable output on the keypad connected to the relevant PIR to do the same thing. (Not quite sure how I could set the Keypads programmable output but I imagine that it would be clear once I’m running Wintex).

As for the RLED I shall need to program an output from either the control panel or use the single programmable output on the keypad as
"31 - Walk Test Active This output type activates when the ”Walk Test” procedure is started, and deactivates when the “Walk Test” procedure is finished."
And this will cause the LEDs on the PIRs to illuminate when they are being tested but otherwise stay off. I assume here that when they say “activates” they mean holds at 0V.
If I were to wish to use the FTA and the RLED I can’t see how I could use the single terminal in the keypad to control both. Presumably I’d have to use one of the other programmable output terminals on the control panel instead?
If I wanted the LEDs in the PIR to be active all the time may I assume that I could simply run a link from the 0V terminal in the PIR to the RLED terminal?
Again many thanks for your help.

 

[Alarm]

1, Why use two detectors on one zone? Even we "pros" avoid it like the plague. If you have to use TDM.
2, Why do you want the leds active? Most hate it, we dont use for security reasons hence the option in walk test.
Ever seen a womans wrath in action when she is in bed and the led winks at her whilst she is doing the shopping list

 

[scott1980]

Yep, just connect all the FTA terminals of the detectors on the same zone together, then at the panel end to an output programmed as detector latch. As Alarm says though, it's a bodge up at best. It comes from the days when control panels only had a handful of zones, so it was very common to find anything up to 10 detectors on a single zone. There's no excuse for it nowadays, in my opinion, but it's your alarm!

Yes, you'll have to use another output in the panel if you want both features. If you want the LEDs to stay on, just leave the detector as it comes out of the box. No need to fit any link wires etc. We only control the LEDs on Grade 3 systems, but that's another kettle of fish...

 

[NerdNot]

Thanks Scott and Alarm. I shall leave the FTA terminal alone and use only one PIR per zone. I've got eight zones from the panel and two each from the two keypads so with five PIRs and three Magnetic Door contacts there shouldn't be any trouble. I'd imagined that folk used several PIRs on one zone for reasons of economy - maybe more relevant to the DIYer than the pro, but I could be wrong.
Likewise I will program the relevant output terminals as Walk Test, connect these to the RLED terminal and only have them winking when I'm testing. In fact I wasn't planning to have a PIR in the bedroom but if I ever change my mind I will, after Alarm's advice, keep it discreet and not flashy!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge, Scott and Alarm. I'm now beginning to get to grips with how the system works. Just one thing to further my knowledge, Alarm - TDM? Time Delay Module? Time Division Multiplexing?