DSC TL280 Driver

Victor

Supported Systems
This driver is designed to work with the following DSC security panels:
PowerSeries NEO: HS2016, HS2032, HS2064, HS2128
The driver has been tested at Control4 with the following:
PowerSeries NEO: HS2128
In addition, a communication board must be installed and configured with the security panel.  This driver is designed to work with the following DSC communication boards:
PowerSeries NEO: TL280, TL280R, TL2803G, TL2803GR
Recognize that there are varying versions of the above products and not all versions are compatible with each other.  Consult with a licensed and certified DSC security installer to ensure that you have a correct and compatible configuration.
In addition, software/firmware installed on the above products may also need to be updated.  For example, when the TL280 series communication boards are used with the PowerSeries NEO panels, version 4.1 or later software/firmware must be installed on the TL280 to enable integration.  
Furthermore, security panel settings may need to be set to enable integration, beyond the settings below.  The information below regarding DSC is provided as convenience and is not intended to be comprehensive.

Note:  Recently we found that TL-280 communication boards with firmware 5.01 are not reporting zones state changes properly. See the note at the end of this file.

Initial Setup
Panel Configuration
Note: Beginning with NEO firmware version 5.01 for the TL-280, some of the subsections to set up communication changed. If your system uses this later firmware, use the subsection numbers in red.
Before the DSC panel using the ITv2 communication module will be able to communicate with the Control4 system, the panel will need to be properly configured and some information will need to be retrieved from the panel.  It will be necessary to know the installer’s code for the panel.  After all the communication values have been set, it may be necessary to power cycle the panel to have it start in the right mode.
To look at the communication information on the panel, using the keypad press “*” then “8” the installer’s code. Then enter “851”. The screen will say “enter subsection.”  (If “851” is invalid, make sure that option 5 is set on subsection “382” and retry.)
Enter “651” (“422”).  The screen will show a 12-digit number (6 digits at a time, use the arrow keys to scroll to see the other digits).  This is the unique code that identifies this particular unit.  This number is not editable.  Make note of the first 8 digits as they will be used as the “peer key” for communication encryption.  Press “#” to go back to the subsection screen.
Enter “652” (“423”).  The screen will show an 8-digit number (4 digits at a time).  This number is editable and can be set to anything desired.  It will be used as the “own key” for communication encryption. Make a note of the number. Press “#” to go back to the subsection screen.
Note: If the “652” (“423”) subsection doesn’t work, then this unit won’t communicate with encrypted data so two encryption keys will not be needed.
For serial communication:
Enter “663” (“425”).  Bits 1 and 5 need to be on for serial communication.  Bits can be toggled by pressing the number for that bit.  The screen should read “1 - - - 5 - - -“.  Press the “#” to go back to the subsection screen.  Press “#” again to return to the selection screen and once more to return to the main screen.
For IP communication:
Enter “663” (“425”).  Bits 3 and 5 need to be on for Ethernet communication.  Bits can be toggled by pressing the number for that bit.  The screen should read “- - 3 - 5 - - -“. Press “#” to go back to the subsection screen.
Enter “664” (“426”).  Bit 3 needs to be on for TCP communications. The screen should read “- - 3 - - - - -“.  Press “#” to go back to the subsection screen.
Enter “693” (“428”).  Enter the IP address of the controller running Director.  The panel will initiate the communication and needs to know what address to target.  The address will be displayed 3 digits at a time, so use the arrow keys to get to the next session.  For example, if Director’s IP address were 192.168.0.123 then enter 192 > 168 > 000 > 123.  Press “#” to go back to the subsection screen.
Enter “694” (“429”).  By default, this number is “0C00”.  This is the port number used for the communications. (This is a hexadecimal number. It is equivalent to 3072dec). This number can be changed if desired. The ‘IP Communication Port’ field on the properties page of the driver will need to match this number. Press “#” to go back to the subsection screen.
Enter “711”.  Make sure this is “0078”.  This is another 8-digit number that only shows 4 digits at a time.  Initially this will show 0000, but scroll right to see the other digits. This is the number seconds for the TCP timeout. If the panel hasn’t received any communication in this period of time, the communications will reset and attempt to connect again. (This is a hexadecimal number 78hex is the same as 120dec, so this actually means 120 seconds, or 2 minutes.)  Press “#” to go back to the subsection screen.
Enter “992”.  This is the IP address of the panel’s communication module.  We won’t need to know it for our setup, but make sure it’s valid.  Press “#” to go back to the subsection screen.  Press “#” again to return to the selection screen and once more to return to the main screen.

Control4 Project Configuration
Open Composer and add the DSC TL280 security panel driver to your project.
Before Director can communicate with the ITv2 module, it needs to have settings entered.
In System Design mode in Composer select the Security Panel device to go to its properties page.
In the “Advanced Properties” section, click on the “Actions” tab.
Click on the “Enter Installation Info” button.  Enter a valid user code, your installer code, the Peer Key (read from location 651 on the keypad), and the Own Key (read from location 652 on the keypad).  If the panel doesn’t support encryption, i.e. location 651 and/or 652 was invalid, then just leave these slots blank.
Click “OK” to close the dialog box.

For serial communication:
Check on the “Properties” tab of the “Advanced Properties” and make sure that “Communication Method” is set to “Serial”.
Change to connections mode and bind the serial connection of the security panel to the appropriate serial connection on the controller or other device.  This will start the communication process.
Note: make sure that the panel is using a straight-through serial cable connected to a Control4 controller or other device that supports serial connections.

For IP communication:
Go to the “Properties” tab of the “Advanced Properties” and change “Communication Method” to “IP”.  This will start the port listening for communication from the security panel.  It may take 3 or 4 minutes, so be patient.

Serial communication wiring
Note: The 5.x versions of the NEO communication card will directly support RS-232.  No converter is required.
When using serial communication, it will be necessary to convert the RS-422 connections on the NEO communication board to RS-232 with a DB9 connection for a Control4 serial port.
We used a straight-through serial cable and 4WSD9TB – Universal Converter from B+B Electronics.
The 4 switches are set to RS-422, Echo Off, 4 Wire, and 4 Wire.
The wiring from the NEO Board to the converter:
Neo Board                4WSD9TB Converter
TX +        ------------------        RD B+
TX -        ------------------        RD A-
RX +        ------------------        TD B+
RX -        ------------------        TD A-
GND        ------------------        GND
Image
NOTE:
Recently we found that TL-280 communication boards with firmware 5.01 are not reporting zones state changes properly. If your TL-280 is using this firmware you will need to update to 5.02 or later.
The following links provide an overview of the process for updating the firmware. There is the ability to perform the update either locally (with cables) or remotely if that is an option.
Remote Update:
http://dlshelp.dsc.com/index.php ... te_Firmware_Upgrade
Local Update:
http://dlshelp.dsc.com/index.php?title=Neo_Local_Firmware_Upgrade





Change Log:
Version 49
Addressed a problem where invalid messages would sometimes come back from the panel which would cause the decryption to fail which would take down all the message handling.
Version 46
Addressed a problem where multiple partitions were not showing up on the Navigator 3.0 Security landing page after Director restarted.

Driver Version: 43
⦁        We have added a new property to change the IP communication port in the driver to match the one configured on the TL-280. This change will give support for more than one security panel in a project.
⦁        Added this change log.