Hey guys, I purchased a home that has a wired alarm system installed. I think the control keypad says it's a Honeywell, but I'm not certain. The circuit board (brains) of the system no longer exists. It was ripped out at some time in the past, but I have access to all the wire runs. I know that we have magnetic switches on all the windows, a motion detector in the living room, and a siren/horn located in the attic.
What I'd like to do is wire any of the above to a computer I have serving as my digital video recorder. I am handy with a soldering iron and am not afraid to hack around with software. What I really need to know is what do I need to do to get feedback from the switches and motion detector. I'm assuming that I will need to apply 5V dc and detect if the switch is open/closed . What kind of amperage do I need to use? Will the long wires be a source of resistance? What of the motion detector? How does it 'work'? Any ideas on what kind of power I need to energize the siren/horn? Is there any software out there to do what I'm looking to do (ie detect changes in switch states)?
I'm thinking that the parrallel port would be the easiest to wire together, but perhaps a PIC micocontroller would be better suited?
Thanks for the help....
What I'd like to do is wire any of the above to a computer I have serving as my digital video recorder. I am handy with a soldering iron and am not afraid to hack around with software. What I really need to know is what do I need to do to get feedback from the switches and motion detector. I'm assuming that I will need to apply 5V dc and detect if the switch is open/closed . What kind of amperage do I need to use? Will the long wires be a source of resistance? What of the motion detector? How does it 'work'? Any ideas on what kind of power I need to energize the siren/horn? Is there any software out there to do what I'm looking to do (ie detect changes in switch states)?
I'm thinking that the parrallel port would be the easiest to wire together, but perhaps a PIC micocontroller would be better suited?
Thanks for the help....