DSC Power832 KeyBus/PC Interface

[John Argentati]

Since it's unlikely that Digital Security Controls (DSC) is ever going
to do it,
I've decided to at least try to build a Power832 KeyBus/PC interface.

If anyone out there has any suggestions on how one might
go about doing this, please share your ideas and knowledge.

ANY technical details on how the Power832 keybus works would be very
helpful.

Might the four pins on the PC5010 panel where you plug in the PC-Link
be a toe hold? One could use a serial port sniffer to watch the
communications between the panel and the PC. I'm sure it would be
interesting. The only problem is that you have to put the system in a
special download mode (which disables all keypads) in order to get it
to work. And you can't leave the system in download mode all the
time...

What I'd really like to do build an interface that would allow me to
run a vitual keypad on a PC and interact with the Power832 just like a
real keypad. Something like that would be a real breakthough. If
something like this existed, one could read the status of any zone and
arm and disarm the alarm the system from the PC or via the internet.

Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

John Argentati
Raleigh, NC

[Robert L Bass]

Hi John,

It sounds like a fun project. Have you considered sniffing the keypad data
buss? It, too, is a serial port. You might have better luck there than via
the PC port.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
The Online DIY Alarm Store
http://www.Bass-Home.com
2291 Pine View Circle
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=============================>

"John Argentati" <john_ar...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:199123c0.02032...@posting.google.com...

[Eric Cashin]

For this project to work you would have to connect to the keybus. The
Keybus in an RS485. It seems to me that you would have to make your
emulator be able to be enrolled just as a regular keypad would be.

"Robert L Bass" <rober...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:RA4p8.469308$pN4.32...@bin8.nnrp.aus1.giganews.com...

[m..leuck]

Street Smart has done it, the Code Encryptor appears as a PC5132 RF Receiver
to the panel, it appears as a keypad in address 4 on standard systems or 17
on the Vista-15/20P and as a keypad on Napco, I think it also does the same
thing on Caddx NX panels

"Eric Cashin" <eca...@charter.net> wrote in message
news:uacnah4...@corp.supernews.com...

[Robert L Bass]

The emulator would need to be enrolled, true. But the sniffer should be
able to log data as it passes by without being set up as a keypad.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
The Online DIY Alarm Store
http://www.Bass-Home.com
2291 Pine View Circle
Sarasota, FL 34231
877-722-8900 Sales & Tech Support
941-925-9747 Fax
rober...@comcast.net
=============================>

"Eric Cashin" <eca...@charter.net> wrote in message
news:uacnah4...@corp.supernews.com...

[John Argentati]

Are you sure the keybus is a RS485?

John Argentati

"Eric Cashin" <eca...@charter.net> wrote in message news:<uacnah4...@corp.supernews.com>...

[Dan Lanciani]

In article <199123c0.02040...@posting.google.com>, john_ar...@yahoo.com (John Argentati) writes:
| Are you sure the keybus is a RS485?

I don't know about the 832, but the MAXSYS definitely uses RS485 driver chips
for its bus (the other two wires are power). A casual glance a few years ago
did not make it obvious what kind of serial protocol they were using. Activity
was not constant, so the panel is not polling the modules. The modules can
(obviously?) convey state changes to the panel whenever they need to. That
combination on a shared bus suggests that they are doing something fairly
clever, e.g., slotted Aloha (like the Enerzone Statnet thermostats) or a true
contention protocol.

Dan Lanciani
ddl@danlan.*com

[GF]

No, power832 uses clock and data communication.

"Dan Lanciani" <ddl@danlan.*com> wrote in message
news:105...@news1.IPSWITCHS.CMM...