optima xm6 prob with internal sounder going off.

[john102956]

optima xm6 alarm internal sounder has gone off and highlights tamper on the control panel. I have tested the battery with a multimeter which shows an output of 12v dc but i also tested the battery +ve and -ve leads off the board and that gave a reading of approx 11.08 volts dc. Is the battery (which is now 5 years old)on the way out or is the boards output not enough to cause a tamper fault on the board?
Thank you for your help

 

[Darkwood]

A few point to consider here:-

Your multimeter may not be as accurate as you think, I will assume been a DIY that you haven't splashed out a few hundred quid on it and get it regularly calibrated however.. for the response we will assume the multimeter is accurate as well as its batteries are not low.

A fully charged healthy battery would show around 12.6v +, if you are seeing 12v it would suggest your battery is on its way out or the charging circuit is failing, a fault on the panel or wiring also could drag the voltage down too so take that into consideration.
You definitely should replace the battery as a precaution and you'll be looking around 10-20 quid depending on its size, this may not resolve the issue but from experience some panels do go into tamper fault when the battery is duff so try it, batteries in alarms should be replaced every 4 yrs, it is a good idea to date the battery when you replace it so in future you can recall exactly when it was fitted.

 

[DPG]

As per darkwood.

Also, if this doesn't cure it then short out the tamper loop connections. If this cures it then you may have a fault with the tamper loop. Your multimeter, set to Ohms, will help find where it is.

Bell box tamper switches sometimes give issues.

 

[john102956]

A few point to consider here:-

Your multimeter may not be as accurate as you think, I will assume been a DIY that you haven't splashed out a few hundred quid on it and get it regularly calibrated however.. for the response we will assume the multimeter is accurate as well as its batteries are not low.

A fully charged healthy battery would show around 12.6v +, if you are seeing 12v it would suggest your battery is on its way out or the charging circuit is failing, a fault on the panel or wiring also could drag the voltage down too so take that into consideration.
You definitely should replace the battery as a precaution and you'll be looking around 10-20 quid depending on its size, this may not resolve the issue but from experience some panels do go into tamper fault when the battery is duff so try it, batteries in alarms should be replaced every 4 yrs, it is a good idea to date the battery when you replace it so in future you can recall exactly when it was fitted.

Thank you for the reply. I will start by changing the battery which is nearly 5 years old.