Troubleshooting guide

1
Introduction
About this Guide
This guide was originally created to assist DMP Technical Service Technicians help DMP dealers troubleshoot
and fix any problems they may have with DMP equipment. We now offer this guide to DMP dealers and
technicians.
This is an initial release of the troubleshooting course and covers System Monitor and other system trouble
messages.
Any text in this guide that is inside a pair of brackets indicates keypad display text.
Example: [ ENTER CODE:- ]
There are TECHNICAL NOTES that provide you with important information about the topic. Technical notes
are indicated by RED text.
The Art of Troubleshooting
Any technician will tell you that troubleshooting a system is “more art than science”, and it's easy to overlook
the obvious. Whatever your problem is, the cause is usually something simple.
Perhaps something was overlooked in programming, or maybe something is physically incorrect, such as a
panel-jumper placed in the wrong position or an unplugged transformer.
When you're troubleshooting at an installation site or on a service-call, your job is to get the equipment
working properly as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Time is ALWAYS a factor.
When working with ANY manufacturer's equipment, the key to troubleshooting is to know what questions to
ask first.
For example, let's say you have a 'dead' keypad. It has no display and does not respond when keys are
pressed.
What's the first thing to check?
• DC voltage at the keypad harness? (Is the keypad getting power?)
• DC output on panel terminals 7 & 10? (Is the panel supplying power?)
• Wire connections at panel terminals 7 & 10? (Is the keypad connected to the panel correctly?)
• AC input on panel terminals 1 & 2? (Is the panel getting AC power?)
These are all correct troubleshooting steps for a 'dead' keypad. But the order in which these steps are taken
can change, depending on the layout of your system.
If the keypad is in the same room as the panel, it may be easier to check terminals 7 & 10 for DC output first.
If the keypad is 1000' away, you may
save yourself a trip back to the panel by checking the keypad's wire
harness for proper DC voltage. It just depends.