What is a CKT Error on My 6160?

The 'Open CKT' (aka open circuit) trouble on the display screen of the 6160 keypad specifically means that the keypad is not receiving data from the control panel, therefore it can't display system status, and displays Open CKT instead. Open CKT can be caused by an addressing problem, a wiring problem, or, in some cases, by either a bad keypad or a bad alarm panel, or some other bad device on the keypad bus.

The Honeywell 6160 keypad is an alphanumeric keypad which is compatible with the Vista series control panels. The 6160 keypad is not only used to arm and disarm the alarm system, it is used for programming the vista panel as well. The 6160 has a built in speaker and will display zones and system events in English.

Addressable panels require that each device connected to the keypad bus have a unique address. In most cases, these devices are enabled, and sometimes supervised, based on the address. For example, the Vista 20P Series panels allow 6160 style keypads to be addressed to anything from 16 - 23. In older panels, by default, only address 16 was enabled, so once you added a 2nd keypad, the keypad address had to be set correctly, and the address had to be enabled in the panel (programming location *190 in this case, address 17). Now, in panel revision 10 and higher of the Vista-20P, all keypad addresses are enabled by default. So, to recap, having a keypad set to an address that is not enabled in the panel, or having a keypad set to a duplicate address can cause an 'Open CKT'. If you rule out an addressing issue, the next thing to check is wiring.

The keypad bus on all Vista panels is a 4 wire bus, 2 for power, 2 for data. The colors used for this are usually Black for Power Negative, Red for Power Positive, Green for Panel Data In, and Yellow (or sometimes White) for Panel Data Out. In particular, a break, or a short on Panel Data Out, or Yellow/White can cause an 'Open CKT' error. To troubleshoot, first, check the connections at the keypad, especially if the keypad has recently been taken down for any reason. Next, check the data wires individually in the control panel by giving each one a tug to be sure it’s connected securely to the terminal. It is very easy for a loose wire to hide in a wire bunch so individual checking is essential. If the control panel wires are all secure, go back to the keypad and take it off the wall. Check the plug connections and make sure they are secure and also check any splices. If the problem still exists, remove the keypad from the wall and connect it directly to the control panel with all other devices removed to see if it clears the problem (hooking the keypad directly to the control panel will let one know for sure if it is a wire issue). Also, note, are there other keypads on the system, and are they also showing an 'Open CKT'? Is this a new installation, or a panel that was working and is now having issues?

If addressing has been ruled out as a possible cause, and the keypad has been moved directly to the panel with all other keypad bus wiring removed (when doing this test, use address 16 for the keypad, as it is always enabled in all versions of the panel) and the 'Open CKT' persists the issue is a bad device. If you have other keypads that are still working on the panel, you know the panel is good, and you need to replace the keypad. If this is the only keypad on the system, you can get a new keypad and try it, to be sure the panel is not the issue. If you happen to have a volt meter, you can check the keypad bus. With all devices removed from terminals 4, 5, 6, and 7 on the Vista-20P, and your volt meter set to check Volts DC (20 scale, if your meter needs the scale to be set) put the negative lead on terminal 4 (aux power negative) and your positive lead on terminal 7 (Panel Data Out). If the panel is powered up, you should get some pulsing voltage here, usually around 10 - 13 volts, pulsing. If the voltage is there, the panel is most likely good, and it's definitely worth trying a new keypad. If the voltage is not there, get in touch with tech support for further testing.

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For the chime, when you go in and out of programming or power cycle your vista system the chime disabled. If you enter your master code followed by 9. For example if your code is '1234', you'd enter '12349' on the keypad.
I'm having similar issues with my 6162RF. The programming is fairly simple and straight forward (even though the manufacturers make no attempt to simplify the programming process), but with so many people complaining about similar problems, my belief is that they are flakey devices in general. I'd like to know how many keypads, controllers, RF transmitters, etc get tossed to side during installation. Those companies have several on hand and probably just send them back to their vendor and leave the good ones installed. My 6162RF wont chime when the door is opened, but it chimes during testing. I know its setup properly, so it appears to be one of the defective ones.
What alarm system are you using with the 6160RF? The check message can mean a few different things but in your case, it sounds like an RF supervision issue. Did you properly enable the wireless receiver in the 6160RF and set it to address 00?
I installed the Honeywell 6160RF keypad to have wireless capability. Our home was not hardwired for glass breaks. I did not have any issues with the installation of the keypad or wireless devices (Honeywell 5853). The current configuration of the system is 5 hardwired zones and 2 wireless zones. The wireless zones were programed as follows. ZN ZT P RC IN L 09 03 1 10 RF 1 10 03 1 10 RF 1 About 8 hrs after the install I started getting a check 09 & 10 message. When the system is armed there is a beep with the message.
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