Fire alarm strange parts

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

I had to look at a fault on a 2 zone fire alarm panel today. No makers name on the panel.

I could not find the fault as there was no access to parts of the building but , why was there a 100Uf capacitor in the panel on each zone ?

Definitely a cap. End of line resistors fitted on both sounder and detection circuits. Cap connected across zone with the circuit cables ?

EDIT

i know some panels use end of line caps, but this panel had the instructions stuck in the back which stated end of line resistors and their values.

 

[Andy™]

maybe the caps were the fault?

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

Tried that

 

[sparkytim]

Maybe a modification on system to upgrade to Diode type bases from old system with just spring clip in bases.

Seem to remember old Firesafe Panel from CEF could be modified using new end of line part and part across Zone terminals.

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

A mate mentioned something similar, although he thought it was for converting older un-polarised bells to a newer panel, but i will look further at your suggestion when i return

 

[aaron-lee]

Sounds like a c-tec panel, im sure the older panels used capacitors and new use resistors for both zone and bell line.. In c-tec instructions if i remember correctly it doesn't show capacitors for EOL device it shows resistors, just to confuse matters! If you had access to the EOL would have been worth replacing it with a resistor and seeing what you read down the line (checking for o/s or s/c)... Ref the converting of non-polarised bells I think that may be something to do with fitting a diode inline with the +? Hope this may provide some help?!

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

The fault was traced to a dodgy call point & rectified. I never found the end of line 'devices' but just out of interest i did remove the capacitors from the panel which made no difference to the system (these were replaced before i left).