Comfort Automation/ Security System Forums

I’ve recently had a situation where a particular zone went into trouble mode. So I disabled it via Comfigurator.

My Comfort installer took a look yesterday but we couldn’t find any problems. He thinks it’s the LEM03 Local Expansion Module because the failing zone was on that board. The testing, refitting connectors, touching it, etc, seemed to ‘fix’ the problem, until a few hours later when three more zones (also on the LEM03) went into continuous trouble mode, despite Comfort being in Security Off mode as I was home.

At this point the internal and external sirens are going. If I typed in my code the sirens would stop only momentarily before picking up again. Scenes! Absolute chaos inside!! It’s hard to think with Comfort screaming at me from every source - keypad, phone, sirens, etc.

I tried to enter the engineer menu so that I could got into security test mode, hoping that would calm all the sirens. But I simply could not manage it. I’d enter my user code, then try to enter the engineer menu before the sirens kicked off again and Comfort keypad would just beep at me. I could not hear what it was saying over the noise of the sirens. It was hopeless, and I gave up trying to access the engineer menu at this point.

Eventually I got Comfigurator up - I had to sit through Windows updates, what a horrifically timed nightmare! - and was eventually able to DISable the zone inputs by changing the zone type to blank, then upload a new configuration. We’re going to change the LEM03 board next.

But my question is: how should I have handled this zone trouble situation? What can I do immediately from the keypad to calm Comfort down? So that I know how to better cope next time around.

By default, Zone troubles do not cause the external siren (the 12V siren) to turn on. Check in Alarm Types  > Zone Trouble which is alarm Type 5. The siren type is Short Trouble which means it beeps for 10 seconds on the keypads and speaker Output in Comfort
The Speaker sound level should be Low level . check  in Siren Type no 7 - Short Trouble - High level should be NO. When speaker level is LOW, the volume can be adjusted by a trimmer near the siren connector on the main board. So trouble alarms shouyld not be thnat loud

That sounds like the eol may have become oxidised also the heat could have caused problem if the cabinet got hot! tempreture has a habit of knocking out my UCM-PI ect, if the alarm was going off the likelihood is that the tamper may have caused the issue!
Just food for thought......

Thanks for that information, slychiu. I can see how it’s all linked together now.

I just checked my configuration and some of the Zone Types have Trouble set to an Intruder siren type (24HrNC, PIRNightAway).

It appears as though the LEM03 board has failed or is in the process of failing, because many zones have been reporting trouble and they’re all on that board. When one of the 24HrNC zones used for a tamper joined the set of failures, the Intruder alarm triggered.

And because the zone troubles were firing constantly, I couldn’t get into the Engineer menu.

Hot temperatures may well have been a factor, Swiss-Toni.

Quote:I just checked my configuration and some of the Zone Types have Trouble set to an Intruder siren type (24HrNC, PIRNightAway).

Zone troubles will cause Intruder alarm when armed. If the system is not armed they will cause zone trouble only ie beeping on keypads for 10 seconds without siren etc

That simply was not my experience.

I was home, the doors were open, Security was OFF. And I had the full siren bell going while I struggled to get my computer through Windows updates so I could turn the trouble zones off. A neighbour emailed to complain about the noise.

Most of the zone troubles have indeed been the trouble alarm, but because the zone troubles were occuring continuously the sirens kept being triggered. This went on for minutes at a time while I brought up a computer and got a new configuration uploaded.

I’ll take a screenshot of my Comfigurator settings next time I have that computer on. More on this later.

My installer has replaced the failed LEM03 and so far we’re all good again - devices are working once more. He’s also shown me how to turn Comfort off in case I cannot get Comfigurator up and running.

I am glad there is a good installer somewhere in Buckinghamshire