Wall Wart Redundancy?

Hello,
I’m putting together a parts list for a DSC PowerSeries Neo system, and DSC is calling for the following power transformer:
Primary: 120VAC/60Hz/0.33A
Secondary: 16.5VAC/40VA DSC PTD1640U or PTC1640U Class 2 transformer

Apparently, DSC is no longer manufacturing PTD1640U or PTC1640U, but it looks like the differences are as follows:
PTD1640U, UL approved, two-prong plug, two output terminals.
PTC1640U, CSA + UL approved, three-prong plug, three output terminals.
I believe the three-prong/terminal device is only necessary if you can’t run a dedicated ground wire for the panel, and of course only possible if the outlet you are using is correctly grounded.

There are quite a few transformers out there to choose from, so I went to amazon to see what people are saying about them. Even the Honeywell and ELK transformers have reviews from a few people who had the unit quit on them after a month or so, which could happen at a time when I’m half-way around the world.

  • Is there a safe way to get redundancy by running two transformers at once?
  • If not, is there a product designed for this, with built-in redundancy?
  • or, is there an extra-nice transformer out there that is least likely to fail?

thanks!
Bill

Happy to address concerns!

The power requirements for most major manufacturer wired alarm panel (the traditional metal can systems) are for the most part universal. 16.5 VAC, 40VA transformers are available from a variety of vendors. You would just need one with matching specs - 120VAC input, 16.5VAC output, 40VA.

There are quite a few transformers out there to choose from, so I went to amazon to see what people are saying about them. Even the Honeywell and ELK transformers have reviews from a few people who had the unit quit on them after a month or so, which could happen at a time when I’m half-way around the world.

I won’t comment on the quality of individual Amazon reviews, but I would stress that a faulty device is possible with any transformer, but is very rare. Rare enough to the point where I could not make a statistically relevant recommendation based on objective experience. I would avoid the cheapest generic options and anything used, there is certainly a higher risk in those cases.

Typically a transformer is going to fail due to either straight-forward power loss to the receptacle, or damage. The standard culprits of storms/power surges apply. These events are more frequent than internal failure.

Typically, the transformer is plugged into a dedicated receptacle next to the house electrical panel on a dedicated circuit. This eliminates additional wiring, other devices, or receptacles on the circuit from causing a short, etc.

Is there a safe way to get redundancy by running two transformers at once?

I do not believe so.

If not, is there a product designed for this, with built-in redundancy?

I’m not aware of any. I’m envisioning an enclosed set of parallel transformers?

or, is there an extra-nice transformer out there that is least likely to fail?

I have typically either used just the manufacturer included/recommended transformer, or Universal or Altronix models. I don’t really know of one I could definitively call any better than the rest unfortunately.

Thanks Jason!
I’ve seen one transformer online labeled “Universal” and I didn’t know that was an actual brand name - that gives me a little more confidence in it! :slight_smile:

Here at home, at the alarm company’s request, I had my electrician put a two-gang handy box for outlets next to where their cabinets were going, and there are now two transformers screwed to that box for the alarm system. I suspect the second one is for the communicator up in the attic which has its own battery. If these fail it’s no big deal, as I’m around often enough and it would be easy to get someone to deal with it if I’m not.

In the new, remote house, I’m now considering if the transformer should be on a surge protector, as any repair to that system could be expensive in terms of time, money and/or favors. Unfortunately, a surge protector would make the connection less physically secure, as I probably couldn’t screw the transformer to the surge protector, or the surge protector to the outlet box.

With alarm.com, when a transformer dies, will I learn that system lost AC power while the system is still running on battery, or will I not know anything until the battery runs out of power? A dead transformer would just look like a power outage when nobody is there, but once I check to be sure we’ve been paying our bills I can call the electric company to try and narrow things down :slight_smile:
thanks!
Bill

With alarm.com, when a transformer dies, will I learn that system lost AC power while the system is still running on battery, or will I not know anything until the battery runs out of power? A dead transformer would just look like a power outage when nobody is there, but once I check to be sure we’ve been paying our bills I can call the electric company to try and narrow things down

Yes, this is dependent on the panel programming but you would receive AC power loss reports long before full system failure with a functional battery. Alarm.com notifications for this are configurable under the system actions notification.