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sgjava

13 Messages

Tuesday, January 4th, 2022 2:44 PM

Keypad acted dead, but was showing OK to base station

SSKP3 started acting dead, but would start up after pulling battery and placing it back in. I thought this was due to 2.5.0 upgrade, but it wasn't. See my responses below.

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3 years ago

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davey_d

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

3 years ago

Hi sgjava,

Lithium batteries are best for low-drain devices. So you should really be using alkalines - you'll get better performance out of them with the Keypad.

But in terms of the rapid draining - this might be caused by interference, which is forcing the Keypad to work harder than it needs to, to maintain a connection with the Base Station. That would be why it's using way more power than before.

Interference can be caused by physical objects, like brick walls or heavy appliances, directly getting in the way between the Base Station and your Keypad. So if you just recently moved either component, there might be something now in the way that's blocking the signal.

The other cause could be another wireless signal that is drowning out the one between the Base and Keypad. Since our system uses a very low frequency for communication, you're looking for simpler devices like remote controlled garage door openers or older baby monitors, etc. Did you happen to get a new wireless device over the holiday that could be causing the issue?

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sgjava

13 Messages

3 years ago

I tried both and Lithium has worked fine for a couple years. What I noticed now is the keypad becomes unresponsive to key presses (but no offline message). I removed one battery and it started working again. This all started after 2.5.0 upgrade. Nothing changed as far as objects between station and keypad. I'll call for a replacement keypad.

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davey_d

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

Ah, in that case then yes, a replacement would be the next thing I would suggest. I'm not sure if anything in the latest update would have caused what you're experiencing, but something might have gone wrong during the process. A new unit altogether might be the right resolution here.

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3 years ago

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gv8001

8 Messages

@sgjava​ This post somehow <wink> disappeared. No notice from admins so must be a site issue, right? Posting again with increased skepticism:

This may sound strange but, if you/someone can manage it, try putting the base station and keypad in an isolated enclosure. Like, maybe, an old microwave oven, non-working freezer or other metallic "box." (Up to you to get the base station's power cord in there!) That should lessen the possibility of interference. (Of course, I know, the alarm system will not work like that! Ah, the cost of science is high. Just ask Tony Fony!) Then, when the batteries die AGAIN, after a week, you can let everyone know - IT AIN'T INTERFERENCE!

Sure, it could be interference, I guess. But, suddenly, after a firmware update, people have battery-life issues? I mean, it couldn't possibly be the update, could it? Nah. No way. Well, unless someone proves otherwise. Any way to revert back to 2.3.0 or whatever? 

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3 years ago

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davey_d

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

@gv8001​ not quite sure what you mean. We haven't made any changes to this post, apart from my last reply.

And no, if there really was a firmware issue, then we'd have more widespread and confirmed reports. And confirming means eliminating other possible factors - interference being just one of them.

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3 years ago

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sgjava

13 Messages

I received a new keypad and it's working fine now with the same batteries. Lithium rechargeables are fine and put out true 1.5 V unlike NiMH 1.2V. I had been recharging them about every 6 months or so (for over 2 years). I thought the old keypad was draining the batteries, but what was actually happening is the keypad acted dead, but still showed OK to the base station. Maybe the PIR or whatever lights up the keypad was defective. I could pull a battery and it would start working again.

I guess the moral of the story is check the connection status if the keypad acts dead. Also, I've used Lithium batteries in ESP8266 projects, so I know they are reliable.

BTW the new keypad was updated to 2.5.0 firmware as well, so that can probably be ruled out as the root cause.

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3 years ago

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sgjava

13 Messages

@davey_d​ I believe I ruled out the firmware update above. Maybe it was just bad timing. It just so happened that it was upgraded when I noticed the issue.

(edited)

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3 years ago

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