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False alarms
Most ‘false alarms’ do not originate from the alarm itself, but are because the system reacting quite correctly to an
external stimulus.
All the S4 range contain diagnostic systems to assist you in fault diagnosis. The first and simplest is each time the alarm
is disarmed it will give a long tone followed by a number of short beeps if it has been triggered. The table below details
the trigger type against the number of beeps:
Number of
Flashes/Beeps
Cause of trigger
1
Loss of main power or earths (Fuse blown, Wires cut, etc)
2
Machine ‘hot-wired’ (Ignition turned on)
3
Movement trigger (The machine has been moved)(S4 Red and Green only)
4
Nudge trigger (The machine has been knocked repeatedly)
(Please note: On S4 Red and Green this only works if the nudge sensor is set to ‘fully
active’)
5
Trigger circuit 1 has been activated (Alarm protection switch)
6
Trigger circuit 2 has been activated (Side stand, Accessory loop, etc)(S4 Red and Green
only)
Should a customer experience false alarms they can assist you greatly by counting the number of beeps the next time the
alarm triggers ‘falsely’ and telling you. This should guide you to the area creating the problem and in most cases the root
cause of the problem can then be quickly established and corrected.
However if the customer brings the machine into you and has not counted (or is not willing to count) the beeps, the alarm
retains the last five triggers within its memory (unless it has been placed in winter mode). Details of how to access this
memory are contained on page 38 and annex 2/3 of this manual. You will require the customer’s PIN to enter the
transmitter learn procedure before entering the software switches. If the customer has not entered a PIN (or has forgotten
it) you can overwrite the PIN with a new one, but you MUST inform the customer you have done this. Details on initial
PIN entry are on page 32 and annex 1
of this manual.
The table below will assist you in some of the more common things to check and adjust/repair once you have established
the area you are dealing with.
In many cases the use of the installation test box will aid in the rapid identification of any issues because you will be able
to see defects within the harness or switch arrangements by simply looking at the LED indicators on the test box whilst
carrying out the test. To use the box let the alarm immobilise only, then disconnect it from the alarm harness and
substitute the alarm with the test box. (You can place the alarm in winter mode to disconnect, but do not do this if you
wish to retain the trigger memories,
placing the alarm in winter mode deletes them
).
