Problems of and Solutions



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The Home Electronics Handbook for Better Living by 3C Systems



WHAT TO DO IF YOUR TROUBLE LIGHT IS ON The following is a brief overview of what to do if your trouble light comes on, how to identify the problem and how to clear it.

If the power to your security system has been off for more then twenty-four hours, you need to disconnect the battery in the alarm control cabinet and remove the transformer from the receptacle. This will protect your security system from the power surges when power is restored. You will need the key to the alarm control panel and a common screwdriver for this. The transformer is a small, cube shaped, box plugged into the receptacle just below the alarm control panel. It is secured to the receptacle with a screw. Remove the screw and unplug the transformer. Open up the alarm control cabinet. On the left side is a battery with red and black wires connecting the battery to the circuit board for the alarm system. The wires are push on/pull off connectors. There is some resistance. Pull one of the wires off from the battery. With the transformer removed and a wire disconnected from the battery, the system is powered down. Reverse this process when the power has been restored. When the system is powered back up, a trouble signal will occur at the keypad. To do is identify the trouble signal go to a keypad:

Press *,2 - This will show the trouble condition

Shows 'Loss of Clock'
Shows 'Communication'
Shows 'Phone'
Shows 'Door Chime'



If the trouble is identified as “Loss of Clock”, do the following:
1. Press # to exit View Trouble
2. Press *,6
3. Enter your master code
4. Use the right arrow key to scroll through the menu until you come to “Date & Time”
5. Press the * key
6. Enter the time of day (This is a twenty-four hour clock i.e 1:00PM is 13:00)
7. Enter the correct date (mm/dd/yy)
8. Press the # key
9. It will take a few minutes for the time and date to appear on the panel
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If the trouble is identified as “Communication”, do the following:
1. Press # to exit View Trouble
2. Call your central station and put your system on test.
3. Press the 2 buttons corresponding to the “medical panic symbol” on your keypad.
4. Hold down for a second until you hear three beeps from the keypad.
5. The keypad will beep again when the call has been completed to the central station.
6. Put in your code to turnoff the system.
7. Call your central station, confirm the test signal was received and have them take you off test.
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If the trouble is identified as “Phone ”, do the following:
1. The system is not detecting dial tone on your phone line. Check for dial tone at other phone extensions.
2. If you do not have dial tone at the other extensions, then take a standard telephone and a common screwdriver to the telephone demarcation outside near the electric meter.
3. Use the screwdriver to open the box. On the right side are the wires coming from your house connected to screw terminals?
4. To the left of the terminals is a phone cord plugged into a port. Disconnect the cord and plug your telephone into the port. If you do not have dial tone then you do not have service to your house.
5. If you do have dial tone then the problem is in the house. Please do the following:
6. Reconnect the short cord from the terminal block. Disconnect all phones, fax and modem connections from all outlets in the house. Plug the phone you used outside into an outlet. Do you have dial tone? Yes. The problem is caused by one of the phone devices you unplugged.
7. Still no dial tone? Then the problem is either in the telephone distribution center or the phone jack on the alarm control panel. Call 3C for additional steps.
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Reactivating “Door Chime”
1. For most systems press and hold down the “Chime” button on the front center of the keypad. The keypad will beep four times. Release the button.
2. The older DSC systems require the following steps:
3. Press *,6
4. Enter your master code
5. Use the right arrow key to scroll through the menu until you come to “CHIME ON/OFF”. Stop scrolling and wait.
6. The keypad will then instruct you to press a number. Follow the instructions. The keypad will beep four times to indicate chime has been activated and one long beep to indicate chime is turned off.
7. Press # to exit.
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These are the most common trouble conditions. If a different problem shows up when you view trouble please call us, and we will work with you to resolve the problem.
We hope this note will be of use to you. Please store this letter in your alarm control panel, and also take the time to find the key we left with you when we activated your security system.
As a free service to our Security Monitoring customers, 3C has reserved you a copy of our new e-book called “The Home Electronics Handbook for Better Living.” This 30+ page e-book has been selected as the Editor’s Choice of CE Pro magazine. It was written to help you make intelligent choices in the ever-changing world of home electronics.
The Home Electronics Handbook for Better Living. Back To Home Security