dsc 5010 control panel replacement smoke detectors

[intwoit]

Noobe here

I have a dsc 5010 control panel and looking for replacement smoke detectors 2 wire, with sounders. I have looked for some and they require a polarity reversal can a 5010 panel support this, and can it accept CO detectors

 

[ChosunOne]

(1) The DSC PC5010 Control Panel supports pretty much any 2-wire smoke sensor that is made for alarm systems. I happen to favor the System Sensor brand, whose 2-wire model with built-in sounder is model # 2WTA-B:
https://www.systemsensor.com/en-us/Pages/2WTA-B.aspx
It requires no polarity reversal module, which is mostly used with smoke detectors that are not part of an alarm system. The function of the polarity reversal module is to trigger all the sounders in the fire circuit whenever one detector is tripped---the smoke sensors used in alarm systems don't all need to sound, because the system sounding device (usually a loud siren) alerts all parts of the premises.

Be aware that on a 2-wire smoke circuit, all smoke sensors need to be the same model. See "2-Wire Smoke Detectors" on PC5010 CP-01 wiring diagram:
file:///home/chronos/u-08f56d63679244a13e9ca1666460403ed20c96b8/MyFiles/Downloads/Power832_CP-01_v3-2_IM_EN_NA-UL_29034674_R001.PDF

Usually users do best to replace a smoke sensor with the same model, but if you need to replace one or more with a different model, you need to replace all of the 2-wire sensors on a given circuit with the same model: DON'T mix different model sensors on a 2-wire smoke circuit.

(2) The DSC PC5010 can use CO sensors, but they should NOT be mixed on the same zone as smoke sensors: Smoke/fire alarms and CO alarms are different things and need separate zones to be distinguished, so that you and responding agencies (fire/medical/police) know which emergency you/they are responding to. If your local fire dep't responds to a fire alarm and finds it's actually a CO alarm, they might get miffed.

So if you don't already have CO sensor/detectors on your system, you'll need to set up (program) a separate zone. CO sensors are wired the same as 4-wire smoke sensors/detectors, so you can use the wiring diagram in the Installation Manual as a guide.

 

[intwoit]

Thanks very much for the information, it is very helpful. Will have to change 10 smokes is there a good place to buy them? I like the idea of all smokes beeping, since I have my92 yr mother in law living with us and she is kind of deaf, any thoughts of how to handle.

Again I really appreciate al the info. I did the install of the system 20 years ago and still works great.
Best,
Al

 

[ChosunOne]

@intwolt, my apologies for taking so long to reply, but I was involved in traveling. Now that I've arrived, I can catch my breath and answer questions.

I'd just suggest searching online for the model number I mentioned. I'd recommend finding an actual alarm systems parts dealer, and not eBay. Do NOT buy used smoke sensors: they have a definite lifespan after they're unpacked from their sealed packaging, even if they aren't connected up and "working".

If your existing smoke sensors are the originals from 20 years ago, they're long overdue to be changed. Maximum lifespan they can be considered reliable is about 10 years.

I think you can wire a reversing relay into the loop--TBH, I've never done it, because for a home system, if you can't hear the siren sounding, it's probably because you have an external siren and not internal, and a home big enough that you don't hear the external siren that well at one end of the house.

A better internal noisemaker in the vast majority of homes is to add an internal siren, centrally located, that will get a hearing-impaired person's attention even better than all smokes sounding, no matter where she is in the house. The wiring's a lot simpler too. Depending on how deaf she is, you might also think about adding an internal strobe light to the same "Bell" output as the siren.

One caveat: You need to make sure you know if you have (a) Siren(s) or (a) Speaker(s) as your sounder(s). A siren is a combination of a driver and a speaker. Some systems have self-contained sirens, which are just speakers with the drivers built into the same housing. Other systems use a driver module in the control box, that drives the speaker(s) mounted outside or wherever you've put the sounders.

If you're currently using self-contained siren(s), then as long as you don't exceed 700 mA total current, you can just add another internal siren to the "Bell" output: Observe polarity.
If you're currently using an independent driver to drive speaker(s), then you need to add any new speaker to the output of your driver (no polarity). BUT, be sure the total resistance of all the speakers isn't less than what the driver is rated for. Most drivers are rated for a minimum of 4Ω, so f8or example if you have two 8Ω speakers, you can wire them into parallel to the driver output, giving a total resistance of 4Ω.
And that's as far as I'm going to go into that IF-THEN tree until I know more about what you're working with, and how you want to go about it.

 

[intwoit]

@intwolt, my apologies for taking so long to reply, but I was involved in traveling. Now that I've arrived, I can catch my breath and answer questions.

I'd just suggest searching online for the model number I mentioned. I'd recommend finding an actual alarm systems parts dealer, and not eBay. Do NOT buy used smoke sensors: they have a definite lifespan after they're unpacked from their sealed packaging, even if they aren't connected up and "working".

If your existing smoke sensors are the originals from 20 years ago, they're long overdue to be changed. Maximum lifespan they can be considered reliable is about 10 years.

I think you can wire a reversing relay into the loop--TBH, I've never done it, because for a home system, if you can't hear the siren sounding, it's probably because you have an external siren and not internal, and a home big enough that you don't hear the external siren that well at one end of the house.

A better internal noisemaker in the vast majority of homes is to add an internal siren, centrally located, that will get a hearing-impaired person's attention even better than all smokes sounding, no matter where she is in the house. The wiring's a lot simpler too. Depending on how deaf she is, you might also think about adding an internal strobe light to the same "Bell" output as the siren.

One caveat: You need to make sure you know if you have (a) Siren(s) or (a) Speaker(s) as your sounder(s). A siren is a combination of a driver and a speaker. Some systems have self-contained sirens, which are just speakers with the drivers built into the same housing. Other systems use a driver module in the control box, that drives the speaker(s) mounted outside or wherever you've put the sounders.

If you're currently using self-contained siren(s), then as long as you don't exceed 700 mA total current, you can just add another internal siren to the "Bell" output: Observe polarity.
If you're currently using an independent driver to drive speaker(s), then you need to add any new speaker to the output of your driver (no polarity). BUT, be sure the total resistance of all the speakers isn't less than what the driver is rated for. Most drivers are rated for a minimum of 4Ω, so f8or example if you have two 8Ω speakers, you can wire them into parallel to the driver output, giving a total resistance of 4Ω.
And that's as far as I'm going to go into that IF-THEN tree until I know more about what you're working with, and how you want to go about it.

Thanks for the info, you make some excellent suggestions. The system I have is a DSC 1510 with 3 Alpha pads, 19 zones, smokes which are ESl. I like the idea of a strobe and sounder, do they make a combo unit?
I am in California, Los Angeles to be exact
Again thanks for your information and help.
Best Al

 

[ChosunOne]

Somebody probably makes a combo unit, but you might want to locate sound and strobe in different places. You generally want the interior siren to be in an inconspicuous location, but the strobe needs to be line-of-sight to a given area.
https://www.alarmsystemstore.com

 

[Harald Kapp]

Hijack of old thread from 2019 -> moved to new, separate thread.