How Can I Safely Remove an iControl from My Existing System?

You can safely remove an iControl from your existing system by powering down your alarm control panel and disconnecting the wires attached to the iControl PIM. Then reconnect the wires that go from the keypad to the alarm control panel. Finally, restore power to the security system.

The iControl Panel Interface Module (PIM) is a system accessory that allows a third-party touchscreen to control a system. Once you remove the iControl PIM, the third-party touchscreen keypad can no longer be used with the panel. When removing an iControl PIM, you must follow steps in a very specific order. Failure to do so could cause damage to the system, or it could prevent the system from working properly. After successfully removing the iControl PIM, you can then connect the keypad that originally came with the panel and/or a completely new keypad to the panel's ECP bus.

Complete the following steps to safely remove an iControl PIM from a Honeywell VISTA System:

1. Power down the system. You must power down the system completely before attempting to remove the iControl device. Failing to do this could result in system damage. To power down the system, disconnect the backup battery, and then unplug the transformer. Make sure the system is completely powered down before continuing.

2. Disconnect the iControl. The iControl PIM connects to both the keypad and the panel board. At the panel board, disconnect the wires that lead to the iControl PIM. The PIM wires should be the only ones connected to these terminals. On a VISTA System, these are the keypad terminals 4, 5, 6 and 7. Then at the keypad, disconnect the outgoing wires that lead to the iControl PIM. If you have crimped the wires that lead from the keypad to the iControl PIM, you can just remove the crimps and leave the wire connected to the keypad. You will be connecting the other end of the keypad wires to the panel in the next step anyway. You can then pull the iControl PIM and its wires out and away from the VISTA System. The iControl PIM will no longer be needed.

3. Connect the keypad. Connect the keypad to the panel. If you are using a new wire, you will want a four-conductor cable (red, black, green and yellow inner wires). Make the appropriate connections on the back of the keypad. Remember, red goes to positive (+), and black goes to negative (-). Green and yellow are for data, and they will be marked (G) and (Y) respectively on the keypad terminals.

If you simply removed wire crimps in Step 2, then the connection should still be good for use. You will be connecting to the keypad terminals on the VISTA System. These are terminals 4, 5, 6 and 7. These are the same terminals where the iControl PIM was previously connected. Terminals 4 and 5 are for power. Terminals 6 and 7 are for keypad data. From the four-conductor wire, black will go to terminal 4, red will go to terminal 5, green will go to terminal 6, and yellow will go to terminal 7. Make sure that each connection is nice and snug.

4. Power on the system. Plug in the AC transformer to power the system back on. Then reconnect the backup battery to finish. The system keypads should begin to work, and any touchscreen used with the iControl will no longer work.