UltraTech IM-1250F1

The Ultratech IM-1250F1 is a battery backup that can be used in all wired alarm control panels to provide up to (24) hours of standby power in the event of a power outage. The IM-1250F1 is a 12V 5.0Ah sealed lead acid battery. It will help keep your panel and connected sensors running until power is restored.

The F1 in IM-1250F1 refers to the battery terminal type. Each battery has two tabs that stick up from the positive and negative poles of the battery. These are called Faston F1 or Faston F2 style connectors. F1 connectors are also referred to as No. 187 because they are 0.187" wide. F2 style connectors are also referred to as No. 250 because they are .25" wide. The F1 size connector is the most commonly used connector in alarm control panels. Whatever the battery is meant to supply power for is connected with a push-on female spade connector.

Many alarm panels have a pre-connected battery wire that is soldered to the main panel board with the positive and negative female spade connectors already crimped on at the battery end. Other panels may have a pre-made battery wiring harness with pre-crimped connectors that must be connected at both the panel end and the battery end.

You can use the UltraTech IM-1250F1 with a Honeywell residential alarm control panel such as the VISTA-10P, VISTA-15P, VISTA-20P, or VISTA-21iP. It can also be used in DSC wired control panels. Depending on how many devices are hooked up to the auxiliary power circuit of the alarm control panel, you may even be able to use the IM-1250F1 battery with the higher-end commercial alarm control panels such as the VISTA-128BPT or VISTA-250BPT.

The Honeywell installation guides for the listed alarm control panels call for a Yuasa model battery backup, but we have found the UltraTech to be a less expensive functional equivalent. These batteries are also used in other products such as Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) and also in scooters for the mobility challenged.

When wiring the UltraTech IM-1250F1 battery backup to your alarm control panel’s circuit board, make sure that all control panel wiring is complete and that AC power is present before connecting the battery leads unless panel documentation instructs otherwise. The IM-1250F1 will usually fit within your metal alarm cabinet and should sit flat on the bottom ledge.

The alarm panel will have wire leads marked red and black with a spade connector at the end of each lead. Use the red spade connector lead to connect to the UT IM-1250F1 battery terminal marked in red and use the black lead to connect to the battery terminal marked in black. If you ever need to remove battery power to the alarm control panel during troubleshooting or installation, simply remove the red spade lead from the UltraTech IM-1250F1 battery. Make sure to always connect the battery after applying AC power to avoid troublesome low battery signals.

With the Honeywell residential alarm control panels (VISTA-10P/15P/20P/21iP), the system conducts a battery test every few minutes to see that a battery backup is connected. A low battery trouble message will be displayed if the battery test does not detect a battery. If your VISTA Series control panel is monitored, a low battery trouble signal may also be sent to your central station. In addition, the alarm control panel has a battery load test that runs for (2) minutes every (4) hours to measure the voltage and current of the connected battery.

The battery capacity test begins (4) hours after any power cycle of the panel or after you exit from the panel programming mode. As with the other battery test, if the battery capacity test fails, a low battery message will be displayed and a low battery trouble signal will be sent to the central station if enabled. With the Honeywell commercial alarm control panels (VISTA-128BPT/250BPT), the simple battery test runs every (60) seconds to ensure a battery is connected. The more advanced battery load test runs every (4) hours. If the voltage of the IM-1250F1 battery backup drops below 11.5V, a “SYSTEM LOBAT” will be displayed and the keypad will beep rapidly. You can expect to require a UltraTech IM-1250F1 battery replacement every 4-7 years.

In many cases, the additional current required by the alarm panel's siren is provided by the backup battery. So for this reason, among others, you want to be sure that the battery being used provides sufficient current. Each panel will have a section in the installation instructions with instructions on how to perform a proper battery calculation. For the sake of simplicity, if we assume the alarm panel draws one (1) Amp of current while in standby mode, then an UltraTech IM-1250F1 with 5.0 Amp Hours of current available will power the panel for 5 hours. Each device will have both a standby current draw and an alarm current draw (which will usually be higher) that you can use for performing the battery calculations. If you calculate based on the alarm current draw for each device, you should have ample current available in the event of a power outage.

Note: The dimensions for the UltraTech IM-1250F1 Battery are 4.21"H (w/terminals) x 3.54"W x 2.76"D (107mm x 90mm x 70mm)