How do I re-attach bad wires to my alarm's keypad?

How do I re-attach bad wires to my alarm keypad?

Re-attaching wires to an alarm keypad is an easy repair that can resolve many issues. Lets use the 6160 keypad as an example. This keypad is a wired alphanumeric keypad that can be used on many different Vista Wired alarm systems. The keypad has 4 terminals for wiring - Power Positive, Power Negative, Green Data In to the panel, and Yellow Data Out from the panel. These terminals connect the wiring from the panel, and each one corresponds to a specific terminal. The Power Positive and Negative will connect to the Aux power Positive and Negative. The data in and out connect to the corresponding data in and data out on the panel. The data terminal connections are what is know as the “ECB (Enhanced Console Protocol) Bus”.

If a wire or wires connected to a keypad have gone bad, its operation will be affected. The operation of the keypad can give clues as to what is going wrong. If the keypad isn’t powering up, the power wires would be the first area to check. If the keypad is displaying “Open CKT” then there is potentially an issue with the wires feeding the data connection. To check these cables at the keypad, you’ll want to open the keypad up from its wall mounted bracket. Typically there are openings with locking tabs on the bottom of the keypad where you can insert a screwdriver to pop off the front of the unit. After opening the keypad, there should be wires coming from the wall and landing on the terminals mentioned above. If there is no wire , and assuming it is a wired keypad, then the wire feeding the keypad will need to be found. It may have come loose and fallen down in the wall. If it’s not possible to find the existing wire, it may need to be rerun from the panel.

The wires going into the terminals need to have their ends stripped to create a proper connection under the set screws. If any of the wires are loose, not properly stripped or broken, simply re-strip the wire and re-insert it to the proper terminal. Loosen the set screw on the desired terminal, removed the old wire, insert the newly prepared stripped wire tip and tighten the set screw to hold the wire firmly in place. Also check to make sure that the correct wires are going to the correct terminal. Panel Aux Positive (usually Red) should go to Keypad Power Positive, Panel Power Negative (usually Black) should go to Keypad Power Negative, Panel Data In (usually Green) should go to Keypad G, or Data In, and Panel Data Out, (usually Yellow or sometimes White) should go to Keypad Y or Data Out. After confirming wire integrity at the panel and the keypad, and checking that all the wires properly land on their required terminals, the keypads operation should resume to normal. If you still find that the keypad isn’t functioning correctly, there could be a break in the wire within the wall, where it is difficult to check, the keypad could be damaged or otherwise bad, the panel could be damaged or otherwise bad, the keypad address could have gotten changed or disabled.