Advice about turning off mapping feature in EST3?

[fatjoez]

Hello

We have an EST3 system in a building with approx 120 addressable smoke detectors + 40 room address modules + some conventional non addressable devices.

The building is approx 15 years old
The EST3 system is approx 3 years old and replaced an EST2 system
The EST3 system is the only part that was replaced, the smoke detectors, wiring are all original 15 years old.

We are getting "map faults" every 3-6 months without clear understanding why.

A few times we found smoke detectors replaced had not been programmed properly.
However we still get them every 3-6 months after checking the map / rewriting it to the panel.

The manufacturer of EST in Australia advised us we should just turn off mapping.
They told us the system will still work, if devices fail we will still get notifications, the system will just not check the resistance of the wiring and that this is not an essential feature.

Any advice from other technicians about what we would sacrifice by turning off mapping and whether we should proceed with this option?

[gmcorreia]

Hello,

I have the same case in Brazil....an EST-2 system was upgraded to an EST-3 and received a fault map messages after comissioning all system.
To resolve, we use a SIGA-MFT, to verify the loop, and found too many devices with in/out inversion. The SDU can not show this inversion, but a SIGA-MFT or SIGA-HDT can help you.

For technical services, a disable mapping can difficulty the job. If you need to change any device , like a smoke detector, and mapping is disable, i think you need the 3-SDU to do this change, because the mapping is disable, and the EST-3 system use this feature to proceed an automatic change without 3-SDU.

[ESTrr]

To turn off mapping you need the SDU software, and with mapping off every-time you change a device you will need the SDU software to program in any changed device.
If you have the SDU software all you need to do is uncheck the mapping box on the SSDC or SDDC card page, then supress the message for mapping disabled in the objects tab

Hope this helps

[fatjoez]

Thanks for the info.

So main disadvantage of mapping off = not able to quickly replace detectors without laptop/programming.

We don't currently have the SDU software (we have the database file but not the software to edit it or the panel) and in New Zealand country there are just 1 or 2 company who have the software + dongle + training to do this panel so it's quite expensive.

I'm not sure how we can resolve this problem. Because we keep getting map fault every 6 months.
Last time 6 months ago technician came and accept the map resistances values and the panel was OK and then now again same problem map fault.

It just keeps repeating and I don't know why it's always every few months.

[ESTrr]

If the wiring is old or has loose connections or any of the in/outs are backwards you will continue to get map faults.
Unfortunately this is what EST systems do, If your building is not large and does not have voice evac you might want to consider
an IO panel (don't need a hasp to use the software) and it can use all the same devices in the field max points are 1000
and it is limited on what it can do (just does basic alarm functions)

Hope this helps
ESTrr

[fatjoez]

Unfortunately our building is wired using proprietary modules to address each apartment so retrofitting a different panel would prove difficult.

we have the EST3 but the system was original EST2 and with that in each residential house inside the building there was a proprietary module fitted to act as an address / ID for the conventional non addressed heat detectors.

Retrofit / panel swap cost would be significant I would estimate.

Considering whether we need to invest in an EST license to edit software etc ourselves and accept the programming / resistance values every few months?
Hard to find a local technician who can do it ad-hoc without charging a fortune (approximately $500 each time)

[Leo]

what ESTrr said is the IO is a est panel.
and a very good panel cost around $1,200
just download the software from this site
get the EST3 panel and Ebay it.

[fatjoez]

I see however the question is how difficult is transferring mapping from EST3 to IO panel
And also whether the propietary addressing modules we have in the panel would work with IO system

I think I should take a photo and show you the panel?

[ESTrr]

The modulus will work on an IO system (they use the same modulus) IO is an EST system
Transferring the data is time consuming but very easy, The IO does not use rules it uses
correlations (this input triggers this output) very easy to program and you do not need a
special hasp to use the program. However the IO is a simple system it does not do voice,
smoke control, or any special functions.