Honeywell 6280 keypad

[Clifford55]

The other day I disconnected my motion sensor at the panel because I could not fix the fault that the 6280 keypad kept displaying. Then the keypads kept displaying "open ckt". Saturday we had an outage caused by TP Barry. Two of my 3 keypads went blank. As though there was no power. Checked the panel. Saw no problem. Last night I reconnected the motion sensor and everything was fine, except, now the keypads display "panel busy programming ". As of this morning they still display such. Is there anything I can do?

 

[ChosunOne]

Okay, just to be sure we're speaking the same language----there's nothing wrong with calling a 6280 Touchscreen a "keypad" in normal non-technical conversation, but among alarm techs, we make the distinction between Touchscreens (a.k.a. Touchpads, where "keys" are virtual and pressed on a screen) and Keypads (where keys are physical). We make the distinction because Touchscreens behave differently and are treated differently than Keypads.

The other day I disconnected my motion sensor at the panel because I could not fix the fault that the 6280 keypad kept displaying.

We can get back to that problem if you want to, after we handle the issue with your Touchpads. There's probably some simple reason the motion sensor's zone kept Faulting/stayed Faulted.

Then the keypads kept displaying "open ckt".

When a Touchpad/Keypad displays "Open Ckt", it means that it isn't seeing data flow from/to the Panel, nearly always because one of the data wires is loose. I'm going to assume that you have a Vista-15P, Vista-20P, or Vista-21iP Control Panel because those are the most likely Panels to find in a home; in which case, the data wires are connected at Panel Terminals 6 &7 (T6 & T7). Those terminals tend to get over loaded with too many wires under one screw terminal, because so many peripheral devices (Keypads, Touchpads, RF Receiver, Zone Expander, etc) get connected there.

If you have some other Panel than one of the ones I named, this would be the time to mention it.

(When posting for help on a DIY forum, it's ALWAYS a good idea to name the model of your Control Panel, as well as your Touch Pad/Screen.)

Back to T6 & T7, you may have had a loosely connected wire for a Touch/Key Pad and brushed it loose when you were disconnecting the motion sensor. I assume you disconnected power from the motion at Terminals 4 & 5. Look at T6 & T7 and tug on each individual wire to be sure it's connected solidly. Don't just pull on the wire bunch; a loose wire can hide in a bunch, and this is a common problem. You don't have to pull like a gorilla, just give each wire a firm tug to make sure it's not loose.

While you're at it, check the wires on Terminals 4 & 5 too---they also tend to be crowded and should be checked for loose wires hiding in the bunches.

Saturday we had an outage caused by TP Barry. Two of my 3 keypads went blank. As though there was no power. Checked the panel. Saw no problem. Last night I reconnected the motion sensor and everything was fine, except, now the keypads display "panel busy programming ". As of this morning they still display such. Is there anything I can do?

Here's where we get to one of the main differences between Touchpads and Keypads: Touchpads are power hogs! They're stylish and cool to use---but they're power hogs. The two Keypads commonly used with Vista Panels, 6150 & 6160, each draw 40 mA current in standby and 70 mA (6150) and 150 mA (6160) in alarm with display lighted and sounder going. Each 6280 draws 140 mA in standby and a whopping 350 mA in alarm state.


Your Control Panel's T4 & T5 provides a 12VDC aux. power output for peripheral devices (Keypads, RF Receivers [for wireless devices], motion and glass break sensors, etc, etc) that is limited to 600 mA continual draw. That's usually sufficient for most homes because most peripheral devices typically draw from 25 to 40 mA.


But when you add a Touchscreen, the system almost always has to have an independent power supply to keep it powered, which entails a separate transformer (usually 16.5VAC, 40VA) to power the power supply, and a separate battery. It sounds a lot like your independent power supply's battery has gone weak/dead. A dead battery drawing down the PS will cause unpredictable results--- look for an independent Power Supply in or near the Control Panel. Both Panel and independent Power Supply batteries should be changed every 3 to 5 years. Longer than that and they're living on borrowed time.


Chances are that your blank Touchpads were powered from the independent PS and the Touch/Key pad that still worked was powered from T4 &T5 of the Vista Panel. For the perpetually programming TPs, if you haven't already done this, power down the system---including the independent power supply---by unplugging, first batteries; then transformers, wait 30 seconds, and then plugging back in: Transformers first then batteries. Give the TPs a few minutes to settle out. (Another big difference between TPs and KPs).


Question: Do you have a physical-button Keypad in your system, or only Touchpads? I strongly recommend having at least one Keypad integrated in the system.

 

[Clifford55]

Okay, just to be sure we're speaking the same language----there's nothing wrong with calling a 6280 Touchscreen a "keypad" in normal non-technical conversation, but among alarm techs, we make the distinction between Touchscreens (a.k.a. Touchpads, where "keys" are virtual and pressed on a screen) and Keypads (where keys are physical). We make the distinction because Touchscreens behave differently and are treated differently than Keypads.





We can get back to that problem if you want to, after we handle the issue with your Touchpads. There's probably some simple reason the motion sensor's zone kept Faulting/stayed Faulted.





When a Touchpad/Keypad displays "Open Ckt", it means that it isn't seeing data flow from/to the Panel, nearly always because one of the data wires is loose. I'm going to assume that you have a Vista-15P, Vista-20P, or Vista-21iP Control Panel because those are the most likely Panels to find in a home; in which case, the data wires are connected at Panel Terminals 6 &7 (T6 & T7). Those terminals tend to get over loaded with too many wires under one screw terminal, because so many peripheral devices (Keypads, Touchpads, RF Receiver, Zone Expander, etc) get connected there.

If you have some other Panel than one of the ones I named, this would be the time to mention it.

(When posting for help on a DIY forum, it's ALWAYS a good idea to name the model of your Control Panel, as well as your Touch Pad/Screen.)

Back to T6 & T7, you may have had a loosely connected wire for a Touch/Key Pad and brushed it loose when you were disconnecting the motion sensor. I assume you disconnected power from the motion at Terminals 4 & 5. Look at T6 & T7 and tug on each individual wire to be sure it's connected solidly. Don't just pull on the wire bunch; a loose wire can hide in a bunch, and this is a common problem. You don't have to pull like a gorilla, just give each wire a firm tug to make sure it's not loose.

While you're at it, check the wires on Terminals 4 & 5 too---they also tend to be crowded and should be checked for loose wires hiding in the bunches.





Here's where we get to one of the main differences between Touchpads and Keypads: Touchpads are power hogs! They're stylish and cool to use---but they're power hogs. The two Keypads commonly used with Vista Panels, 6150 & 6160, each draw 40 mA current in standby and 70 mA (6150) and 150 mA (6160) in alarm with display lighted and sounder going. Each 6280 draws 140 mA in standby and a whopping 350 mA in alarm state.


Your Control Panel's T4 & T5 provides a 12VDC aux. power output for peripheral devices (Keypads, RF Receivers [for wireless devices], motion and glass break sensors, etc, etc) that is limited to 600 mA continual draw. That's usually sufficient for most homes because most peripheral devices typically draw from 25 to 40 mA.


But when you add a Touchscreen, the system almost always has to have an independent power supply to keep it powered, which entails a separate transformer (usually 16.5VAC, 40VA) to power the power supply, and a separate battery. It sounds a lot like your independent power supply's battery has gone weak/dead. A dead battery drawing down the PS will cause unpredictable results--- look for an independent Power Supply in or near the Control Panel. Both Panel and independent Power Supply batteries should be changed every 3 to 5 years. Longer than that and they're living on borrowed time.


Chances are that your blank Touchpads were powered from the independent PS and the Touch/Key pad that still worked was powered from T4 &T5 of the Vista Panel. For the perpetually programming TPs, if you haven't already done this, power down the system---including the independent power supply---by unplugging, first batteries; then transformers, wait 30 seconds, and then plugging back in: Transformers first then batteries. Give the TPs a few minutes to settle out. (Another big difference between TPs and KPs).


Question: Do you have a physical-button Keypad in your system, or only Touchpads? I strongly recommend having at least one Keypad integrated in the system.

I have only touchpads. I disconnected the batteries, the panel has 2. I looked for the transformer. The panel is in the master closet. There are no wall outlets in that closet. In the master bedroom I saw a small, vanilla colored box, labeled power supply. It was not even plugged in. Before I disconnected the batteries, a red and green light was on. These 2 lights appear on a smaller board inside the panel labeled power/supply /charger. After I disconnected the batteries those two lights remained on. I then plugged in what I believe is the transformer and reconnected the batteries. "Panel busy programming " still appears on the touchpads.

 

[ChosunOne]

On your Control Panel, probably to the right of the large aluminum heat sink, there is a square microchip, the CPU (Central Processing Unit) with a sticker on it that carries the model and version numbers. It will read something like "WA20PSIA-9.12" on the top line of the sticker. Please tell me what is printed on your sticker, so I'm not guessing at what we're working with.

The smaller board labeled "Power/supply/charger" is probably powering the two touchpads that went blank. Please look closer at that board and see if you can find a manufacturer name and model number. Please tell me what those are. There is a wide variety of power supplies out there, and I'd like to know if yours is rated for 500 mA or 5A or (probably) somewhere between.

If you trace the wires from the 2 batteries in the Panel cabinet, you'll probably find that one is connected to the Panel and the other is connected to the PS, the smaller board with the lights. If your Panel battery is low, the Panel will tell you that it has a low battery; but the PS battery usually doesn't have any such provision and can be dead or weak for years before a line power outage (or an unplugged power transformer) causes symptoms like yours to show up.

Hopefully, with 3 Touchpads in your system, both batteries are rated at 7 Ah (some batteries are 7.5 or 8, same physical size). Some installers try to get away with a 4 Ah battery on the PS, but with your power demands, you need 7 Ah for both batteries. Have you replaced those batteries in the last 3 to 5 years? In any case, it sounds like the independent PS battery is low/dead, and I recommend replacing both batteries before you go any further in your troubleshooting. Hopefully you have some kind of battery store near you. You need two 12V, 7Ah (sometimes 7.5 or 8 Ah) SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) batteries.

The "small, vanilla colored box, labeled power supply" sounds like it was a/the transformer for your system. What else is printed on that transformer? Aside from what may be labeled with a magic marker or sticker, there is usually something printed permanently on the same side as the prongs. It should be something like 16.5VAC 40VA, among other things. What's the rating of your transformer?

What we don't know is whether your PS has a separate transformer, or if it shares the same transformer as the control panel. I've seen it done both ways. The transformer for the Panel connects to the first two screw terminals of your control panel, terminal 1 and terminal 2 (T1 & T2). Look at those 2 terminals and see if you can trace a wire from there to the PS's AC input terminals. If there is such a wire, then the Panel and PS share the same transformer. If not, i.e., if the PS's AC terminals are connected to a wire that disappears into the wall, then they each have their own transformer and I advise you to look for another one. It's usually close by, maybe the next room or a room in the floor below; but I've found transformers 3 floors away in a basement. But there are only so many electrical outlets in your house---if there's another transformer, you can find it.

Hopefully fixing the power supply to your Touchpads will clear up the problem. If not, let us know and we'll go from there.