What does series wired mean

[Bucks]

I am just starting to install an alarm system in our house, the instructions state that the tamper should be series wired.

My understanding is if I have say two sensors with tampers, would I wire in the control panel say green from sensor 1, white from sensor 2 then join the spare green & white together so on for other sensors.

I would be greatfull if someone could confirm that this is correct, or if not please explain the correct way.

Thanks in anticipation

 

[Atilla]

correct - do it easier though and join the same colors

 

[Paul_C]

My understanding is if I have say two sensors with tampers, would I wire in the control panel say green from sensor 1, white from sensor 2 then join the spare green & white together so on for other sensors.

Yes, so if you had, say, four sensors each with green & white used for the tamper loop, you could end up with something like this:

Sensor 1 green to panel.
Sensor 1 white to sensor 2 green.
Sensor 2 white to sensor 3 green.
Sensor 3 white to sensor 4 green.
Sensor 4 white to panel.

It doesn't actually matter which way round you use the white/green wires, or in which order you series wire the sensor tamper loops.

The idea is just that the loop between the two tamper terminals on the panel passes through every cable & sensor, so that a break at any point triggers the tamper alarm.

 

[Atilla]

My understanding is if I have say two sensors with tampers, would I wire in the control panel say green from sensor 1, white from sensor 2 then join the spare green & white together so on for other sensors.

Yes, so if you had, say, four sensors each with green & white used for the tamper loop, you could end up with something like this:

Sensor 1 green to panel.
Sensor 1 white to sensor 2 green.
Sensor 2 white to sensor 3 green.
Sensor 3 white to sensor 4 green.
Sensor 4 white to panel.

It doesn't actually matter which way round you use the white/green wires, or in which order you series wire the sensor tamper loops.

The idea is just that the loop between the two tamper terminals on the panel passes through every cable & sensor, so that a break at any point triggers the tamper alarm.

but you can short one out by accident doing it that way, instead stick to

wht - wht

grn - grn


etc, etc.

 

[Bucks]

Thanks for the clarification guys, I maybe sound a bit thick but I can't quite get my thinking head round to exactly how i would wire it joining the same colours together.
Edit: That definitely sounds thick, I know how to wire green to green, I just cant get my head round to it making the circuit if you get what I mean.

 

[Bucks]

Also I am having to wire all three bedrooms & the landing PIRs all on the same zone, so do I wire the sensors in series just like the tamper.

I have also noticed that the old (optima) alarm panel had a seperate tamper circuit for each zone, now the new (accenta) has only one tamper circuit for all 8 zones, so if ever there is a problem it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

 

[Paul_C]

I can't quite get my thinking head round to exactly how i would wire it joining the same colours together.

To rework my four-sensor example above, you could end up with something like this:

Sensor 1 green to panel.
Sensor 1 white to sensor 2 white.
Sensor 2 green to sensor 3 green.
Sensor 3 white to sensor 4 white.
Sensor 4 green to panel.

As the order of the sensors doesn't matter, you can just join any two white wires together, then any two green wires together and so on. Eventually you'll be left with just two whites or two greens, which you connect to the two tamper terminals on the board.

The tamper circuit is just two wires running to the switch on the sensor which opens when you remove the cover, so it doesn't matter which way around the wires from each individual sensor are connected.

Atilla's point was that by using green-to-white there's a chance of accidentally connecting green & white from the same sensor together, thereby excluding that sensor from the tamper loop.

I have also noticed that the old (optima) alarm panel had a seperate tamper circuit for each zone, now the new (accenta) has only one tamper circuit for all 8 zones, so if ever there is a problem it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

If a tamper alarm ever occurs in a situation like that, I'd go to the panel and use a meter to isolate on which sensor(s) the tamper loop was broken. Quicker in the long run than going around every sensor (and, inevitably, it turning out to be the last one you check!).

Also I am having to wire all three bedrooms & the landing PIRs all on the same zone, so do I wire the sensors in series just like the tamper.

Yes, if you need to have multiple sensors on the same zone then they should be series-wired as well. Same principle as for the tamper loop. (The power connections should be parallel.)

 

[Bucks]

Thanks for the info Paul its much appreciated.
I am having second thoughts now on this panel, I'm sure you will have seen the other post I have just started.

 

[Europlex]

Also I am having to wire all three bedrooms & the landing PIRs all on the same zone, so do I wire the sensors in series just like the tamper.

I have also noticed that the old (optima) alarm panel had a seperate tamper circuit for each zone, now the new (accenta) has only one tamper circuit for all 8 zones, so if ever there is a problem it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

4 detectors on one Zone, you're going to install nothing but a problem alarm system, and you've just realised what a problem a universal tamper circuit could be.

Keep up your internet subscription, you're going to be here a lot.

 

[Bucks]

4 detectors on one Zone, you're going to install nothing but a problem alarm system, and you've just realised what a problem a universal tamper circuit could be.

Keep up your internet subscription, you're going to be here a lot.

I take it you haven't seen the post I started this morning then

 

[Europlex]

4 detectors on one Zone, you're going to install nothing but a problem alarm system, and you've just realised what a problem a universal tamper circuit could be.

Keep up your internet subscription, you're going to be here a lot.

I take it you haven't seen the post I started this morning then

Not when I wrote this, no.