RIO Function for triggering floodlights (Honeywell Galaxy Dimension)

lsprx · 12 Sep 2021

Good evening,
Could someone tell me what the best function to use to trigger floodlights on a Dimension via RIO?
I have a working relay set up, and is triggered fine by the panel and does cause the floodlights to turn on and off.

I had the RIO output set to trigger if the BELLS were on - since it'd cover all of the possibilities (FIRE,TAMPER,INTRUDER,24H,etc), but as I unset the alarm via a PART ENTRY from PART SET earlier (while it was dark), I saw that both the front and rear floodlights were on, and went off simultaneously.
Obviously I can't be 100% sure that the relay had been triggered, and it wasn't just a coincidence (it's definitely possible), but I think that the BELLS function had been triggered by unsetting the alarm. The BELLS didn't go off though.

Am I using the right function for this? Should I use STROBE or HORN instead?
I'm just trying to make sure the floodlights go on for any alarm-activation.

Many thanks!
lsprx

GalaxyGuy · 13 Sep 2021

If your intention is to have the lights on when the bell is sounding, then the BELL output function will do that. If you use the STROBE, then the light and strobe will remain on after the bell timer has expired. When testing, you could program as STROBE, as it's less likely to annoy your neighbours. So, program as STROBE, then use the test menu to test the strobe output. Your relay will be connected to +12V and the output you have chosen.

Ensure that the relay is not exceeding the current output capability of the RIO you are using (can be 100mA depending on RIO) and depending on the relay, you may need a diode to protect from reverse EMF. Many of the small opto-isolated relays include all of this protection ob-board and sink very little current.

lsprx · 13 Sep 2021

GalaxyGuy said:
If your intention is to have the lights on when the bell is sounding, then the BELL output function will do that. If you use the STROBE, then the light and strobe will remain on after the bell timer has expired. When testing, you could program as STROBE, as it's less likely to annoy your neighbours. So, program as STROBE, then use the test menu to test the strobe output. Your relay will be connected to +12V and the output you have chosen.

Ensure that the relay is not exceeding the current output capability of the RIO you are using (can be 100mA depending on RIO) and depending on the relay, you may need a diode to protect from reverse EMF. Many of the small opto-isolated relays include all of this protection ob-board and sink very little current.

Hi GalaxyGuy! Thanks for your reply.
In that case, I’ll use BELLS, that should work fine. Glad to infer that I’ve done it right. The relay is supposedly optoisolated, but good to know about the power draw.
Didn’t think of testing by setting it to STROBES and using test menu, as I set it up via the software -- when I tried via keypad it gave me “NO ACCESS - GROUPS SET” (all groups were unset), so instead I just changed the RIO between NEG/POS and uploaded to see if it worked.

Cheers!