Page 1 of 1

benefit to pull-up resistors?

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2025 9:34 am
by anuaimi
I've replaced an old DSC with an UNO board and everything works, which is great. One thing I had to do was turn off the need to have pull-up resistors on each zone as my old system didn't have them.

My question is whether there is any benefit to adding a pull-up resistor to each zone? If not, why is the default to assume they are there. Also, if there is a benefit, should I add them to all zone types (motion, door sensors, water, etc) or only certain ones. I think the key issue is I don't understand when one is needed.

thanks

Re: benefit to pull-up resistors?

Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2025 10:13 pm
by GrandWizard
They are not "pull-up" resistors, they are called end-of-line (EOL) resistors. They allow a security system to monitor the zone for tamper and/or fault.

They are installed in parallel with the NC or NO zone and allow the panel to detect if the zone wire is cut. They are obviously placed at the far-end of the circuit to provide this supervision.

They are the default as they are required for ULC installations but in reality, almost nobody uses them.

Re: benefit to pull-up resistors?

Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2025 11:15 am
by anuaimi
ah, very helpful. thanks