|
TW-400 Security
System
FAQ
General
Questions
1)
How long has the TW-400 been on the market and how
many have you sold? The
TW-400 has been shipping for almost three years,
quantity sold is company confidential.
2)
What is so important about FCC certification?
FCC certification
assures that the device meets certain requirements
set up by the United States Government, it is the
law on commercial devices that transmit any substantial
RF power like Paging alarms. It prevents things like
changing your TV channel when arming your alarm. If
it does not have FCC approval or certification chances
are it is not a very good device because it could
not pass the stringent requirements set up by the
FCC.
3)
What type of Motorcycles
does the TW-400 work on? The
TW-400 Security System is for all 12VDC motorcycles
and Scooters with a negative ground which is all makes
sold in the USA. We have installations on virtually
every make and model motorcycle ranging from a Yamaha
Vino125 to Honda Gold Wings.
4)
Why don't you provide an optional
wiring plug/harness for different types of
motorcycles, like some other manufactures do, so I
do not have to mess with my wiring?
We do not feel it is necessary and here is the reasoning:
To wire the basic system, their
are 3 wires, one to frame ground, one to battery negative,
one to battery positive. With these 3 wires connected
the alarm will function with the following features,
shock and vibration sensor, perimeter sensor and paging
the remote. No wires on the motorcycle were disturbed.
The
system has 5 additional wires that at your option
are connected into the motorcycle wiring. One brown
wire that is connected to the ACC or any point on
the motorcycle that gets 12VDC when the ignition is
in the on position. This wire is for the verbal reminding
and ignition switch protection. Two wires (the yellow)
can be connected to the directional signal wiring,
if you want the directional signals to blink when
the system is alarming .These
wires are installed using posi-taps (http://www.positap.com)
connectors so no wires will be need to be cut or spliced.
Finally,the other two wires (the pink and Gray) are
used for the ignition disable. Note: Optional wiring
harnesses do not generally support ignition disable
functions. We are trying to keep the system as simple
as possible and the cost on the system as low as possible.
The cost of the harness might be better spent in a
service manual with the motorcycle wiring diagram.
5)
Your on line shopping cart only gives me a choice
between PayPal and a check, I
want to pay with my credit card, how can I
do it?
The PayPal choice
costs you nothing and allows you to pay by a credit
card. If you do not wish to create a PayPal account,
you can call us during normal business hours 9:00AM
EST to 5:00EST and we can accept VISA or Master Card.
To expedite Your order you may want to go to the shopping
cart and fill out a customer profile.
6)
Will an Alarm installed on my Motorcycle save me any
money on my insurance premium? Some
Insurance companies will give up to a 20% discount
and some give nothing, it depends on the company.
Worst case you should be able to get something off
your comprehensive. If you do not ask you will not
get anything.
7)
Why don't you mount all your components like the speaker
and antenna in the control unit, like some other companies?
Every company tries
to make the best decision to make the customer happy,
but we all have our own ideas as to what this is.
We feel that having the siren, antenna and speaker
as individual components, the customer has more flexibility
in mounting the components. The control unit can be
smaller, it can be mounted in areas that are confined
that if the siren were internal it couldn't be heard.
Same with the antenna, it can be positioned for greatest
range. On a motorcycle with limited space having several
small components that can be mounted in different
nooks and crannies can be an advantage.
8)
I checked the distance on my TW-400 by arming and
disarming it, and only got about 150 Yards, what would
you suggest I do to increase the distance. Many
factors enter into the distance the alarm will communicate
with the remote such as where the antenna is mounted,
surrounding terrain and where you are with the remote.
You need to be aware that by
design the distance from the remote to the bike is
less than the distance from the bike to the remote,
therefore your check was not really checking the distance
your motorcycle is protected at. The remote
is powered by a 'AAA' battery and transmit power has
been limited to conserve the battery. The motorcycle
has almost unlimited power with it's battery and can
transmit considerably farther.
9)
Are you planning on offering a GPS type alarm in the
near future. No, there
are plenty of companies out there that provide a good
GPS system for the person that believes they need
it. We feel that in most circumstances the TW-400
provides adequate protection. A professional thief
with GPS and/or cell phone jamming equipment, knowledge
of the limited space available for mounting a GPS
system on a motorcycle knows he can disable the GPS
system as easy as a traditional alarm.
Technical
Questions
1)
How difficult is it to wire the TW-400 on my motorcycle?
The
easiest way to answer this question is to look at
three different levels of wiring the alarm. The first
requires no skill and consists of connecting 3 wires,
one to the battery positive(+), one to the battery
negative(-) and on to the motorcycle frame. Of course
you will have to plug in the antenna, siren, speaker,
LED and perimeter sensor. With these 3 wires connected
the alarm has all the features, with the exception
of the ignition switch protection, voice reminding,
ignition disable and flashing directional's. Second,
to add the voice reminding and ignition switch protection,
one additional wire has to be wired to the ACC terminal
on your ignition switch or to any point that receives
+12VDC when the ignition switch is on and no power
when the ignition switch is off. (see Getting Familiar
with the TW-400 for further explanation). Third, two
wires can be added to the directional signal wires
to cause the directional signals to blink when the
alarm is alarming or changing functions. Finally,
two wires can be added to disable he ignition. (Note:
wiring to your directional's and the ignition disable
require some knowledge of your motorcycle and some
basic wiring ability)
2)
Where is the best place to wire the ignition
disable feature, and will it hurt the alarm
if I do not use it?
Second question first, it will
not hurt the alarm if you do not connect the ignition
disable. If you are not comfortable working with your
bike's wiring, have a professional install it, the
cost should be minimal for them to connect two wires.
As far as the best place to wire the ignition disable
function, that depends on your bike and your preference.
Any circuit that disables the bike from starting (no
do not use the high current side of the starter circuit)
when opened. When thinking about the alarms ignition
disable feature, think of the control unit as an on/off
switch connected to the Pink and Gray wires. When
the alarm is off or armed the switch is closed, when
the bike has been violated and is alarming the switch
is opened. With this in mind you want to insert these
wires in series with any circuit that when opened
will not allow the motorcycle to run. The manual has
a few suggestions but again it depends on your motorcycle,
in the ignition kill switch circuit, power to the
ignition module and the coil. Another example may
be with interlocks if your bike is so equipped. Some
bikes will not start if the kickstand is not up, it
may be possible to connect the pink and gray wire
in series with the interlock. If in doubt, you may
want to check with you dealer for a suggestion. When
using the ignition disable function, be careful not
to press the arm button while riding the motorcycle,
this could cause the alarm to arm and disable the
ignition. See helpful hints below for alternative
connections.
3)
I think a talking motorcycle is hokey, do I have to
use the speaker ?
No, the system works without
it. The speaker gives a verbal warning when the alarm
is triggered and also reminds the rider to arm the
system when the ignition is turned off.
4)
What if my Bike doesn't have
an ACC on the ignition switch where do I connect
the brown wire?
If your bike does not have an
ACC on the ignition switch the brown wire can be connected
to any circuit that gets 12VDC when the ignition switch
is in the on position, and no voltage when the ignition
switch is in the off position, the most oblivious
place would be the post
on the ignition switch that gets 12VDC when the ignition
is in the on position.The brown wire provides several
functions to the control unit. First, if you need
to program your LCD remote the brown wire requires
eight pulses of +12VDC to program the learning code
into the system. The most common way to achieve this
is to attach it to the ACC post that gets 12VDC when
the key switch is turned to the ACC position (see
manual on programming remote).
The
brown wire also initiates two alarm conditions, when
the motorcycle is running, +12VDC is applied to the
brown wire , when the ignition is turned off, the
12VDC is dropped and the alarm initiates the "arm
alarm" verbal reminder. When the motorcycle is
off and the alarm is armed, if the ignition key is
turned on by any means, the brown wire receives +12VDC
and instantly goes into alarm condition.
5)
The specifications say the alarm draws 20ma. static
current, how long can I keep the security system armed
without running down my battery?
Motorcycle batteries are normally
rated by their amp/hour (AH) capacity, or cold-cranking
amps. First you have to know your battery AH rating,
generally this is around 12 or 15 for a motorcycle
battery. The number shows the total number of amps
that can be discharged (used) at a consistent, even
rate from a fully charged battery over 10 hours and
still leave the battery with 10 volts of power. Figure
that a12AH battery can produce one amp of current
flow for 12 hours, or two amps for six hours, or 12
amps for one hour, etc. So we can calculate 12AH/.02(20ma)
= 600 hrs/24 = 25 days. So, aprox. 25 Days for a 12AH
battery. Note: that the alarm also draws current when
it is not armed, the alarm requires power to the unit
specifically the receiver, so when you push the lock
button the it can arm. If leaving the motorcycle for
an extended time, use a trickle charger or pull the
alarm fuse.
6)
Programming the Remote and adding a second Remote.
Assuming that you
have the brown wire connected to the ACC position
on the ignition switch. Turn the key switch from Off
to ACC eight times, on the eighth time the LED will
light, leave the switch in the ACC position and press
any button on the LCD Remote. The siren will sound
once indicating the code was learned. Turn the key
switch to the off position.To
program a second remote, make sure the alarm is not
armed, have both remotes, turn
the key switch from Off to ACC eight times, on the
eighth time the LED will light, leave the switch in
the ACC position and press any button on the SECOND
LCD Remote. The
siren will sound once indicating the code was learned,
and the first remote will also learn the new code.
7)
I am not comfortable soldering
wires on my motorcycle, have you got any suggestions?
You do not have to solder any
wires we now include Posi-Taps (http://positap.com)
and connectors for the battery.
8)
I wired up my alarm system and and it worked without
programming the LCD remote, since it is working do
I still have to re-program the LCD remote?
For quality assurance, all of
our products have a final test before shipping. During
this final test the TW-400 control unit and the remote
are programmed, so the system will arrive already
programmed. You do not have to re-program the remote
unless you want to.
9)
Is there any way to disable the "reminder feature"
on the alarm? Late at night when I turn off my motorcycle
I would prefer not to have it remind me. The
reminder feature is not only to remind you, but to
warn anybody watching that your motorcycle is protected
by an alarm. This feature can be disabled by not connecting
the brown wire. However if it is not connected the
"Ignition switch protection function" will
also be disabled and if you need to program a remote,
it will have to be done manually by touching the battery
8 times with the brown wire. An option would be to
put a miniature SPST toggle switch in series with
the brown wire, this would allow you to disable this
feature at will. (Note: the brown wire is hot when
the ignition is on, so make sure it is insulated from
ground)
10)
The vibration sensor on my alarm is a little too sensitive
can I change it. Yes
you can. The default sensitivity is good for 99% of
the motorcycles. However, it is based on a standard
installation of mounting the control unit using the
foam tape. If the bare control unit case is tight
against the motorcycle or you just want decreased
sensitivity all you have to do is cut the green loop
wire , this will decrease the sensitivity by about
one third.
11)
I have read on a forum that connecting an ignition
disable can damage your ECM, is this true?
It should not have
any effect on the ECM, the ignition disable function
is just a set of normally closed relay contacts that
open up when the alarm is alarming. Think of it as
an automatic switch. See below for suggestions on
where to hook up the disable feature.
Getting
Familiar with the TW-400
All our systems are tested and programmed before shipping.
However, you might want to familiarize yourself with
the alarm before you start the actual installation.
You can check the basic functions
of the alarm by connecting 3 wires. The red
wire with the fuse to (+)12VDC and the two black wires
(one with the connector, and one in the harness) to
(- )Negative (ground). Plug in the speaker, siren,LED,
antenna and perimeter sensor (be careful plugging
and unplugging the perimeter sensor.)
Insert
the AAA battery in the remote, with the (+) to the
left looking at the back of the remote. When the battery
is inserted the remote will play a tune and the icons
on the LCD will be displayed. Refer to the instruction
manual for more detailed information. Pressing the
lock button once will arm the alarm and cause the
alarm to chirp once and the remote to play three notes.
Pressing the lock button a second time will activate
the perimeter sensor causing the siren to chirp and
the remote to beep 3 times. Pressing the unlock button
disengages the alarm.
Now,
the brown wire will be connected to a point on the
motorcycle that receives +12vdc when the ignition
switch is in the on position (such as the ACC), and
receives no voltage when the ignition switch is in
the off position. The brown wire performs 3 functions,
1) to program the remote to the control unit. This
was already done for you before shipping. 2) To activate
the voice reminder function. With the alarm in an
unarmed condition, touch the brown wire to the (+)
and then remove it, this simulates the ignition going
from the On position to the off position and will
activate the voice reminder. 3) when the alarm is
armed turning the ignition to the On position will
place the alarm in panic mode, this can be simulated
by pressing the lock button to arm the alarm and then
touching the brown wire to (+) 12VDC.
Helpful
Hints
#1
The most common call we get from customers is that the
perimeter sensor does not work.
Unlike many other alarms the perimeter sensor is not
always on, it has to be turned on. When your motorcycle
is in a high traffic area you do not want the alarm
going off every time somebody walks past the motorcycle.
When you press the lock button the first time the shock
and vibration sensor is on and the alarm becomes active
in 5 seconds. When you press the lock button a second
time, it turns on the perimeter sensor ( the shock and
vibration will also be on) , you will hear 3 beeps on
the remote to let you know the perimeter sensor is on.
Press it a third time and it is off, it toggles on and
off each time you press the lock button. When you press
the lock button the second time and hear the 3 beeps
on the remote, if you watch the perimeter sensor in
about 5 seconds the red LED on the top of the perimeter
sensor will go on for a second and then go off. This
is the microprocessor going out to test if there is
a perimeter sensor connected. After the LED goes out
as you move your hand around and the sensor senses movement
the LED will go on as it senses the movement and set
off the alarm. The sensitivity can be set by adjusting
the potentiometer on the top of the unit as you move
your hand around. The sensor is very high frequency
and will pass through the seat if mounted underneath.
It is best to mount the sensor horizontal, since the
signal spread is balloon shaped.
#2
The Ignition Disable uses the Pink and Gray wires.
Think of them as two wires connected to a switch,
when the alarm is off or armed the pink and Gray wire
act as a short or closed switch. When the alarm is
in the alarming mode the pink and Gray wire act as
open switch. They are actually connected to the contacts
of a normally closed relay that is closed in the off
or armed condition and opened when alarming. When
connecting the ignition disable, any wire that when
disconnected that causes the bike not to run will
usually work. Some suggestions are the interlocks
such as the kick stand or neutral interlock switch,
kill switch, power to the ignition module and so on.
If in doubt, consult with your motorcycle dealer.
When using the Ignition disable
function, be careful that you do not press the arm
button while riding, as this could cause the alarm
to arm and kill the ignition. See next item for an
alternative connection.
#3
On most motorcycles there is a starter relay, this
is generally where your starter switch goes to and
it is on the low current side of the switch. Since
the ignition disable function is just connected to
a normally closed set of relay contacts ( 20 Amp rating)
that open when the alarm goes off, if
you were to put the pink and gray wire between the
starter switch and the starter relay the motorcycle
could not be started when the alarm is alarming, and
this should have no effect on the motorcycle shutting
down if you accidentally press the buttons on the
remote while riding. I would still use the
male and female connectors as mentioned in the FAQ
in the case I want to remove the alarm. It will be
very difficult for somebody to steal the bike if it
will not start. Now as far as the anti hijack, or
knocking you off the bike and taking it, it will not
disable the bike that is running but it the thief
might find it quite annoying riding a bike with a
125DB alarm blaring away and it might draw some attention.
#4
Installing the Ignition disable on the kick stand
switch. If you elect to use the ignition disable feature,
and your motorcycle is equipped with a kick stand
switch that does not allow the motorcycle to run when
in gear with the kick stand down this is an easy place
to install the ignition disable. First, remove one
of the wires from the kick stand switch, or cut it.
Place a male connector on one side and a female on
the other. If you were to plug these together you
would be exactly where you started but with a connector
on the wire. On the pink wire put a male connector
and on the gray wire put a female connector (or vice
versa, polarity is not important). Now plug the male
connector from the alarm to the female connector on
the kick stand switch wire and female connector from
the alarm to the male connector on the kickstand switch
wire. Now the kickstand switch is routed through the
alarm and when the alarm is alarming the motorcycle
thinks the kick stand is down and kills the engine.
To disconnect this feature just plug the original
male and female connectors on the kickstand switch
wire back together. You can use the same wiring scheme
with the male and female connectors on other choices
like the coil or kill switch.
#5
When installing the antenna make sure that the connector
between the antenna and the Control unit is in all
the way, be careful there is only one way that it
can plug in. Tape the connection with electrical tape,
or secure with RTV. This assures that the connector
will not loosen from the motorcycles vibration. Also
make sure the whip part of the antenna is not touching
any bare metal that will ground out the signal. If
necessary slip some small tubing over the antenna
or insulate with electrical tape.
#6
We get many calls from customers asking for wiring
diagrams of their motorcycle, unfortunately, due to
the number of manufactures, models and different years
we do not have this available. The service manual
for your motorcycle which everybody should have generally
has the wiring diagrams. Another resource is forums
for you make of motorcycle.
#7
Checking that you have the correct wires to attach
the directional signal blinking feature to (yellow
wires).
Once you believe that you have the correct wires to
connect the yellow wires to you may want to do this
simple check. Install the Posi-Tap on the wire that
you believe is for the directional signal, put a temporary
short piece of wire on the positap (where the yellow
wire would go) and attach the other end to a 10A fuse.
Now touch the fuse end to the +12VDC on your battery,
each time you touch the battery, the directional should
light. Test both sides. The two yellow wires simply
pulse 12VDC to make the directionals light.
|
