I hooked up an elan z100 to a zantech conecting block an the keypad was recieving power for about a half an hour, Then went dead. I then replaced the power supply and the keypad was receiving power again. But then after a half hour or so it went dead again. I tried useing a SpeakerCraft conecting block and it was the same problem. I brought the keypad, conecting block, and both power supplies back to the office. When I tried the power suplies here they still didn't work. But a third power supply lasted all weekend. The block at the office didn't have any emmiters conected but I'm going to put them on now to see if that is the problem. Has anyone run into a similar problem?

What Poser Supply are you using? ANd what is connected to the network?

Sound like you Under-powering the system.

Xantech and Speakercraft both make 1-2amp power suppplies.

It sounds to me more like a short than a weak supply. check for continuity accross the lines before you try another supply.

I do have other devices hooked into the same outlet as the power supply, useing a power strip, and they have not had any problems. How would I check for continuity across the lines?

I think a short is highly unlikey since the system worked for a period of time before breaking.

But I think He means a short on the Power supply lead, not the A/C....

are you uing a regulated power supply?
and how many ir emitters are you using? if 4 or less( according to elan though i've used 5), you don't need thhe connnecting block. wiire them in series.

wire + to - of the next ir emitter(up to 4 emitters).
tie the positive lead to the wh/bl(pin#2) of the keypad.
tie the negative lead to the brown(pin#8) of the keypad ~and~ the negative of the REGULATED power supply.
tie the positive lead of the power supply to wh/gn(pin#6) of the keypad

This message was edited by Arctic on 07/28/03 23:50.

It is a 12V-DC 200mA regulated power supply. I don't think that it is a short of the power supply lead because after the problem happened the first time I used another power supply. It worked for a 1/2 hour then had the same problem. Also it couldn't be a short in the keypad wire because I use the same wire at every job so I can program in front of the system. This was the wire I used when I came back to the office.

something goofy for sure. I'd use a bigger fused supply or just check the draw off of the current supply to make sure you aren't above 200ma on site. I don't know what else to do.

When connecting IR emittters to a 'stand alone' Elan keypad, you must wire the emitters in ~series~. You said in your original post that you were using a xantech connecting block. I may be wrong but, as far as I know all of there connecting blocks put the emitters in parallel. See my above post for wiring without a connecting block.

You definitely should measure the current drawn by the power supply at the job site. If there is a short in the wire, this will become obvious with a current measurement.

The Elan web site says the Z100 requires 50 mA at 12 volts. Your 200 mA supply should work perfectly, although I personally would be on the conservative side and use at least a 300 mA supply.

The Xantech blocks do indeed put the LEDs in parallel, but I think the LEDs draw about 15 mA each, maybe less. Also, since the signal is pulsed, and they are only drawing 15 mA when the pulse is high, the average current they will draw will be much less. That should rule out the Xantech approach as a problem.

You mention that the wire you used at home was the same as the wire you use on the job. I am a bit at a loss about this -- are you saying that you removed the piece of wire from the wall and took it home? If you mean you simply used the same type at home, you should have no problems as that piece at home has not had the opportunity to be a staple target, has not been pulled around corners (which can strip insulation if done very roughly)...in short :) you need to consider the actual length of wire connected at the job site.

Hey, while you are at the site with the voltmeter measuring the current draw, maybe you should FIRST measure the resistance across the wires in place. With your LEDs and keypad disconnected, all conductors should have infinite resistance from one to another. You may read a resistance in the tens or hundreds of thousands of ohms, which is the resistance from finger to finger if you are touching the metal of the wires and the probes.

Please let us know what you find.

Call 1-877-289-3526. They will have your answers or at least a good starting point. Tech Support is your friend.

I put in a regulated 12V DC 1.2 Amp power supply and everything is now working. The 200ma supply wasn't powerfull enough. I don't know why it wasn't powerfull enough at the house but it was at the office since everything was the same. Thanks everyone for your help.

OK, Everybody in unison....

Impaqt was Right...........


How long is the run between the PS and the Keypad and what kind of wire is it? You sad you always use the same, but never told us what wire it was.....

You can have serious voltage drop on long runs. Especially with Cat-5 (Which is commonly run for Keypads)