Hello,
I’m rather new to this forum (and the hobby in general) so I apologize if this has been posted before, but I am encountering an issue with my newly obtained Simplex 4005 control panel.
I bought it on ebay this October. The day it arrived, I connected a standard power cord (spliced to expose the two AC lines and the one ground line), made the connection to the three-terminal power input, plugged it into my wall outlet and the LCD screen backlit, but showed nothing, and the piezo kept beeping on and off. the power switch inside was switched to 115vac, and I was told my wall outlets are 120vac. Did I just fry my panel? I did everything the seller said. Could it be I don’t have batteries yet?
Thank you and it’s nice to be on here,
SimplexSys2230
Welcome to the forums. 110 VAC, 115 VAC, and 120 VAC are interchangeable. Fire alarm panels are required to work in a range of +10% to -15% of their rated voltage. There is a small switch (SW2) next to the switch that shows the voltage selection. Be sure it is set to the correct position (ON for 120 VAC). I think it sets the brownout circuit. See the drawing below.
Not having batteries will not prevent the system from starting. It should come up and show that the batteries are disconnected.
If the panel is fried it was damaged before you received it. Try removing the I/O cards so there is just the power supply, right distribution board and the CPU board. Then see if the panel will start up. If it does there is a damaged I/O card. If not we will have to investigate some more.
If it is possible to do that it would be my recommendation. The last person I helped with a 4005 it would boot up but not communicate with any of the I/O boards. We found a chip on the distribution board swelled up, cracked, and with its insides spewed out. There was another one just like it on the CPU board. He had to replace both boards to get the panel working. Your panel seems to be in worse condition since it will not boot up.
Seems like 4005s are really difficult to find in good condition. Should I perhaps go for a different model this time around? 4004 maybe since I hear that’s a good beginner panel?
A 4004 is a good small starter panel. It has enough programming options to be flexible. And there are no passcodes to figure out to program it. Be aware that a 4004R is a completely different panel that is specific to agent release.
In my years at Simplex many of the 4005 panels I saw damaged was from lightning. Usually lightning would get into the panel through improper post indicator valve wiring.
Shocking! :lol:
4004 uses a dipswitch system to program, correct? For example, to walk test it, you’d have to put the dipswitches to the proper setting, reset the panel, get the trouble because of the walk test and you’re all set right?
Most of the programming is done using the ACK and SYSTEM RESET buttons and the two 7 segment LED displays on the front panel. There are 3 single position DIP switches on the bottom edge of the main board. Those are PROGRAM MODE, WALK TEST, and ALARM OUTPUT DISABLE. Each IDC has a bypass switch too. The instructions and several other documents are available here: https://firealarmresources.com/simplex-4004-installation-and-operating-manual-rev-c/