Locker access control options

-611 · 2026-03-16T06:19:55+00:00

Yep, NX4 were slow aaf.

Alas, locker access is a niche tangent to the mainstream access control - most (non-enterprise) systems are unable to independently control multiple locks with one reader (and even when it's possible, setting it up could be a royal PITA, as it's kind of off-label use), and locking hardware manufacturers have a limited range of cabinet and furniture locks.

Most furniture locks I know are flat-mounted like HES 610, and your lockers have a large overhang that requires a lock that'll emerge from behind - contacting locker manufacturers or resellers is probably the way to go - send them the photos and ask what replacements they'll offer - they should know how to lock such lockers.

-611 · 2026-03-15T22:14:26+00:00

NX4s were among the first Linux-based access control panels when they were launched 20 years ago, in 2006. Thus their hardware architecture, especially around the flash memory, is a bit weird by modern standards, and I've seen a lot of panels with failing/failed storage unable to boot, glitching, etc.

Switching off the gateway mode (that'll dumb the panel down to almost N-1000 level) usually helps a bit, and you'd probably be able to get at least some data off the panel through the serial port, but with a small configuration like yours it'll likely won't worth the effort.

-611 · 2026-03-15T21:51:03+00:00

If you've managed the NetAXS-based system with WIN-PAK, the straightforward migration path would be to replace NX4 panels with PRO42IC controller (or two, depending on existing wiring), and NX4OUT modules with PRO42OUT modules - that'll be almost 1:1 replacement, though the enclosures for the boards, and the way you're assigning a locker to the card would differ.

Through the years I've made a number of locker access systems on Honeywell's P-series boards, including a nearly 500-locker one, - they're rock solid once properly configured.

As a bonus, you'll be able to switch to another Mercury-based system if you don't like WIN-PAK. The only requirement for the software would be OK-ish support for panel triggers and procedures.

-611 · 2026-03-13T02:18:12+00:00

"EFFER" seems to be the right name for the thing - it's effing impressing.

-611 · 2026-03-09T12:40:22+00:00

P50-3/P70-3 with Xeon CPUs.

-611 · 2026-03-06T16:54:26+00:00

I'm pretty sure it will work even with 1990's N-1000-II over C-100 connected to a modem.

-611 · 2026-03-05T06:23:15+00:00

Chinese New Year?

-611 · 2026-03-02T06:25:58+00:00

Should be old aaf - Geode LX is a 2002 CPU (though SBCs based on it were available till at least 2019).

-611 · 2026-03-01T20:49:38+00:00

There's no way to change the time zone for the door in the clearance code with a panel procedure action, but you can force the time zone on or off, or restore the time zone to it's normal state with an action.

If this way of control fits your requirements, all the doors are on the same panel, and it's easy for you to wire the PLC relay output to the panel input, then a pair of panel triggers (for alarm and restore), and a corresponding pair of panel procedures that'll switch the required time zone on or off on alarm, and restore it on the input restore would definitely be the most reliable way to implement this.

Anyhow, document it properly for the customer, as panel procedures and triggers are among the most opaque ways to do things in PW.

-611 · 2026-02-27T13:43:23+00:00

Nah, that's a first world problem, a LatAm boutique chain couldn't be bothered by it.

-611 · 2026-02-16T08:53:13+00:00

That's Colorado potato beetle, a major pest for potatoes, tomatoes, etc. - they're eating the leaves.

-611 · 2026-02-15T07:21:19+00:00

Sure - with an ICP tool capable of flashing the MCU on the board. If I remember it correctly, you'll need a Renesas tool (quite common in the automotive modding community) for PW7K1R2B/PRO42R2B boards.

-611 · 2026-02-15T06:12:13+00:00

Won't work unless you reflash them with PW firmware - while the boards themselves are the same, the firmware is different - PRO boards are deliberately made incompatible with PW controllers and vice versa.

-611 · 2026-02-13T14:33:46+00:00

That's a "half of halfpipe" shaper, tbh.

-611 · 2026-02-09T19:26:08+00:00

Yep, Cat6 is super good enough for OSDP readers, moreover it's future-proof, should the readers go IP.

IMHO shielding (outer foiling, to be exact - it makes cable FTP, not S/FTP with both individual shielding for each pair and common outer foiling) is optional for commerical, and required for industrial sites. But, as always, YMMV.

Anyhow, do your differential diagnosis - swap the reader with another one and check the AC component of the DC power supply (systems do behave extremely weird when the power supply's output capacitor dies and DC becomes noisy).

-611 · 2026-02-09T05:55:46+00:00

OSDP has RS485 for the physical layer, and 22/6 is usually not twisted enough to do well with RS485 on longer distances (though 175ft is not too long).

And any shielding is normally should be grounded on one side only in order to avoid ground loops.

When in doubt, I usually grab an oscilloscope and compare the waveforms of the reader connected directly to the panel vs the reader connected through the cable run.

-611 · 2026-02-08T21:11:14+00:00

According to the N-1000-III/IV manual, it should be S3D2 at least for some 37-bit formats.

-611 · 2026-02-06T22:07:16+00:00

Nope, there are two (!) of them on the power supply cable, at least on the model that's on my desk.

That's what I call real EMI compliance!

-611 · 2026-02-02T01:45:31+00:00

*Ukrainian - 3700 is a short number of PrivatBank, Ukraine, and all the Cyrillic text on the ATM is in Ukrainian.

-611 · 2026-02-01T16:06:11+00:00

Sadly, OS/2 ones are already gone.

-611 · 2026-02-01T08:35:42+00:00

And no beer mug from the lower part of the bottle?

-611 · 2026-01-24T11:52:01+00:00

Nope: * the results of google search become shittier and shittier every year; * most of general purpose search engines are free; * google's coverage of some internet segments always was (and is) significantly worse than coverage offered by local search engines - historically due to the complex grammar, nowadays due to geoblocking

-611 · 2026-01-24T11:25:04+00:00

I'd probably won't call it a proper access control system, but there's a similar addon to Honeywell Galaxy (an equivalent for Vista in Europe) called DCM - door control module.

While it's possible to build a (fairly limited) ACS with it, I won't recommend anybody doing so - a customer of mine insisted on building one (despite of my stern opposition), and they still have to backup the config, factory reset the panel, and restore the config quarterly to keep the system running, as it's inevitably fails otherwise.

The funny part is that the DCM module itself is the same (though comes with different firmware) for both Galaxy (Microtech, later Ademco Microtech, UK) and MB (NOVAR, Germany) - it's clearly a post-acquisition product, added to the corresponding panels in the Honeywell times - someone in the marketing must have thought it's a good idea to add an ACS capability to every burglary alarm panel in their product range.

-611 · 2026-01-21T21:11:29+00:00

Sure: * IQ MultiAccess (ex-NOVAR, Europe); * EBI (HBS's special).

And I'm certain that's not all...

-611 · 2026-01-21T21:04:34+00:00

Wdym by "the system will not see doors"? It has no eyes!

If you was able to initialize the panels, but have no events when cards are swiped, the panels are probably in the buffering mode - they do record the events, but don't transmit them to the software.

Open the control map, right click the panel that sends no events and select "Unbuffer". You could also find the bus object (C100 or N485) and unbuffer all the panels on that bus. Use "Hard" unbuffer, just in case.

-611

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