I finally got a tricky keypad to work after a long day in a big office building

I was at the new medical center on Elm Street last Thursday, trying to put in a system for a whole floor. The main keypad just would not talk to the panel, no matter what I did. After about five hours of checking wires and codes, I found a tiny bit of paint in the terminal block from when they painted the walls. Cleaned it out with a small pick from my kit and it powered right up. Has anyone else run into paint causing a short like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

blakeharris8d ago

Grab a can of air for that dust too.

kellyfoster26d ago

Paint in the terminals is a classic. Seen it more times than I can count, especially in new builds where they rush the finish work. That conductive dust gets everywhere and causes all sorts of phantom faults. Good call on having a pick handy, a regular screwdriver won't always get it. Always check the simple stuff first, saves you chasing your tail for hours.

nathan54525d ago

Forget the pick sometimes, I keep a small wire brush in my kit just for that. Scrapes out the paint dust and any corrosion in one go. Those rushed jobs always leave metal shavings in the boxes too, which can short things out just as bad.