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    DIY Electric Shocking Mouse/Rat Trap

    I recently had occasion to browse around the Web, looking for the same low-tech DIY solutions for catching mice. There are a number of funny YouTube vids demonstrating the use the kind of trap in your picture. I have to admit I didn't get as far as trying one myself, but the YT videos look...
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    Radionics D5200 Programmer

    The last time I worked with one of those was about 25 years ago, and I'm pretty sure I never had occasion to change its password. I seem to remember those programmers were designed to enforce a "vendor lock-out", i.e., keep one vendor from poaching another vendor's accounts/systems. Radionics...
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    First alert security camera power source

    Take a close look at one of your other wall warts--I assume if you bought them as a set, that all the wall warts are the same. They should have specs printed on them, something like "24 VAC" and "40VA" or whatever the specs are. Chances are good that they're simple Class II transformers between...
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    Power source for smoke detector

    And I've been in some attic crawlspaces where squirrels visit because they find wire insulation tasty. Which is why I had to crawl up there. My solution was to fill a few old socks with (well-) used kitty litter and leave them scattered around. But I'm not sure how relevant this is to smoke...
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    Use an ignition coil to charge an electric fence.

    I'm out of touch with what modern cars use, but last I checked, automotive ignition coils aren't powered by 12VDC on the primary side--they use an already-reduced voltage: 6VDC or less, I think. You might check up on that before you start.
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    Power source for smoke detector

    First and foremost, any solutions you may come up with here may be moot, because of Fire Code. What you are allowed to do with smoke detectors is strictly regulated, at least in my part of the country. Before you do anything other than change the detectors, you might want to check with your...
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    Designing a Battery Backup for a security system

    I'd still like an answer about the make and model of your control unit, but I see a potential problem with your design: Back in the 1950s, maybe as late as the '60's, professional-grade alarm equipment manufacturers used a similar "switch-over" power-failure protocol. I.e., when 120V line...
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    Ademco Vista 20P, 6160 keypad: incoming phone calls end after 1 ring OR give fax tone

    During those heavy rains, was there perchance some lightning? The symptoms you describe sound kind of like the panel is seizing the phone line for remote programming via downloader, except that the protocol is wrong. It shouldn't ever seize the phone line after one ring unless an immediately...
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    Designing a Battery Backup for a security system

    What's the manufacturer and model of your security system control panel?
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    Cellular dialer

    I did a quick google search and couldn't find a "fg7s tellguard". Closest I could find seems to be TG-7FS Telguard cellular dialer? Could you be a little more descriptive about what you mean by "going off hook"? If it were a landline phone, I could guess what you mean; but since there's no...
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    Scopetronic Vista 5 Alarm

    Glad I could help. Thanks for posting back to let us know the outcome. Feedback always helps. :)
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    Ademco 4120 alarm frozen?

    Glad I was able to help. :) Thanks for posting back and letting me know the outcome. I always appreciate feedback.
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    Scopetronic Vista 5 Alarm

    I'm not familiar with the Scopetronic Vista 5 Alarm system in particular, but I have a lot of experience with alarm systems in general. This User Manual I found seems to fit your description, even though it doesn't name the model of your system: http://altor.ie/doc/HG_UserOperation.pdf See...
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    Rewiring Garage Door Opener

    Just a thought: If you have a leftover working alarm control panel, you might think of saving it to use in future electronics projects, rather than using it for a parts scrap pile . Assuming it's a commercial-grade panel, it will probably have at least a 120VAC -to- 12VDC power supply...
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    Ademco 4120 alarm frozen?

    Had a belated thought: In case you haven't already, be sure to download the Installation Manual: http://www.info-techs.com/ademco/files/controls/installation/4120xmii.pdf It's been so long since I worked on a 4120XM, I had to download this myself to check some of the programming. I have a...
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    Ademco 4120 alarm frozen?

    Okay, just to check: When you "followed the instructions to reset the Master Code", you changed it in programming field *01, right? After powering up and hitting *# simultaneously, the panel comes up in Panel Programming Mode, and the 1st programming field that comes up ready to be programmed...
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    Ademco 4120 alarm frozen?

    We need to get our terminology straight so we're speaking the same language. You arm or disarm the system; or silence the alarm (sounder wailing) at the keypad with a User Code (including Master Code). You don't "disable" the alarm except by physically removing power from the panel (or...
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    Ademco 4120 alarm frozen?

    I suspect that you reprogrammed the master code through one of the keypads? If so, then your panel and at least one keypad seems to be working to some extent, not "frozen". Also, it sounds like like it's not really armed and the keypads are lying to you, maybe getting their data fouled. It...
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    Conversion of decimal to binary

    I'm surprised nobody else bothered to correct this in your sample example: 0=0 1=1 2=10 3=11 4=100 5=101 6=110 7=111 8=1000 There are 10 kinds of people: Those who understand binary and those who don't. There are 10 other kinds of people: Those who understand trinary, those who don't, and...
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    Home alarm speaker wiring

    Paul, I can give you the technical answer, at least in part, but my experience is almost completely in North America and whatever part of the UK you're in may have standardized color code and codified wiring requirements that I'm not aware of. I know that home alarm system peripherals are...
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