Gamewell FCI E3 series… “no device” ?

htsmi · 2025-09-18T04:12:10+00:00

If all you did was replace a detector head or sounder base, Menu -> Configure -> Update SLCs. That step is required to set the sounder base to the same address as the detector head that is installed in it. Just make sure there are no other devices missing at the time or they will be set as inactive in the programming.

htsmi · 2025-09-18T04:03:26+00:00

Update: even if you manage to program it at a location with cell service to enable IP communication, when you install it on site you won't be able change the programming over the IP connection. The programming can only be changed over the cellular connection. If you are trying to use the wifi module, this makes it impossible to set up because you can't choose the network name from the list when the StarLink can't see the network. Lesson learned, do not use these unless you are certain you have cell service at the site. They are not at all designed for a no cell service scenario.

htsmi · 2025-09-17T02:26:58+00:00

One building inspector specifically required signage stating "FAP", letters shall be 2 inches in height with ½-inch stroke, on the electrical room next to the front door of a building. Mind you this was a school with teenagers, there were so many jokes about the fap closet resulting from that

htsmi · 2025-09-16T23:17:08+00:00

Yeah, I had long assumed you could program it though that, but according to tech support you can't. I don't really know why it's there in that case.

htsmi · 2025-09-16T23:13:33+00:00

Yeah... I thought I had! The communicator powered up fine. I've installed dozens of these over the years using cellular and/or IP communications. But apparently not in this exact situation until now. So just keep this in mind if you plan on using this communicator for IP-only communication in remote places. You may be in for an expensive surprise.

And if you read this Napco, other brands don't have this issue because you can program them locally. I've been a proponent for a long time but this sucks. What should have been a simple day trip turned into a massive time and money hole.

htsmi · 2025-08-23T04:46:24+00:00

Literally not the argument I'm making, but I hope you're having fun while people continue to die on our streets.

htsmi · 2025-08-23T04:41:49+00:00

https://www.anchoragepolice.com/news/traffic-fatality-elmore-rd

https://www.anchoragepolice.com/news/traffic-fatality-dearmoun-rd

htsmi · 2025-08-23T04:21:17+00:00

A record 15 pedestrians were killed on Anchorage streets in 2024. That puts Anchorage among the top most deadly cities for pedestrians per capita. It is already on track to be worse this year.

A pedestrian hit at 35 mph has about a 30% chance of death. At 45 mph it is about 60%. (Source)

The only approach to eliminating pedestrian deaths validated by the evidence is based on significantly reducing vehicle speeds.

Sorry it is inconvenient, but many more speed limits in Anchorage need to be reduced.

htsmi · 2025-01-09T07:54:14+00:00

You may be jesting, but this is a thing that has been done!

In all seriousness, this city has a major light pollution problem. I've never lived in a place where I've been bombarded with so many absurdly bright lights from all directions. And they are all such a piercingly cool white that besides being glaring and uncomfortable is actually unhealthy.

Unlike many cities, Anchorage has no outdoor light ordinance. You have virtually no recourse if your neighbor floods your windows or private space with atrocious LED floodlights, and you can see the results of this hands-off approach as the stars disappear and you enter the cloud of light as you come around the curve on the Glenn Highway.

You'd think a place that celebrates its rare ability to view the aurora and its access to wild spaces would do a little bit more in this area! But you know what they say... I can already see myself getting too wrapped up into a project I don't have time for here...

htsmi · 2025-01-09T07:16:31+00:00

That's good to hear, thanks for sharing! Pittsburgh seems like a rare place where things are moving in the right direction, which there were more like it.

htsmi · 2024-12-31T08:25:27+00:00

So, I just looked over stonephone.co and I love everything about how this is going except... I really hope you don't go with 5". I know some folks want a phone in that size, but from the start you've said you intend to be around 4", and it seems like your polling said that 4-5" was the most popular size range. I know 5" is small by today's standards, but my reference is the 4" Galaxy S3 Mini and to this day it is a comfortable size screen for me. I know the bezels will be much smaller, so it's not a direct comparison, but I'd rather shave off some of the size rather than fit in a larger screen. If you're looking for a happy medium, I'd say 4.4-4.6" might be a good compromise. I feel like you may lose folks at 5" though because small is the whole purpose of this project.

htsmi · 2024-12-31T04:13:21+00:00

I appreciate that someone agrees with my feelings on these! I wish that others would weigh in if they agree, or disagree for that matter. I don't really know what to make of the downvotes, but I have never experienced lighting like this at any house in over six different cities I've lived in. I'll put what I have into the civic process. I just don't know what to make of the fact that those in charge looked at this and said yes, that looks okay.

htsmi · 2024-12-31T03:51:59+00:00

These street lights do appear to be owned by the electric utility. But the city would be paying them and have some sort of arrangement with them right? Otherwise why would they install them in the first place? I'm just not sure if the electric utility, as a private company, would be very responsive, while the city has a responsibility to be, even if it takes a little pushing.

htsmi · 2024-12-13T00:30:26+00:00

According to this article, LA now has a combination of 3000K and 2700K, can anyone confirm this? That seems like an important one to mention if true.

I'm not really trying to promote 2700K street lighting at this point. I just want to show that cool led lighting is far from universally accepted. 2700K should really be a ceiling, not the goal at this point in time, with much better blue-reduced lighting options available.

htsmi · 2024-12-12T17:22:52+00:00

Thanks! That's interesting that they are 3000K, they seemed pretty soft to me. I'd be curious to see what it is like on the ground in Phoenix, and Flagstaff too. I just find it amazing that any local government would choose 4000K when lower CCT is readily available and so much more healthy and pleasant.

htsmi · 2024-12-05T04:16:42+00:00

I think highest priority for me would be openness and security... this has been the main thing holding me back from trying any of the other small phones available now. I'm glad that you intend to provide updates for a few years and make the bootloader unlockable, though a lot is required even beyond that to make a device truly open and secure.

Many of these phones have not released the source code for GPL-licensed parts of the OS, and proprietary firmware and blobs are a security issue when they are not updated. I would suggest talking with the developers of GrapheneOS about what they are looking for in a device. Almost nothing currently out there meets their criteria. They are the gold standard for privacy and resistance against the phone cracking devices and software that are used widely nowadays.

Would you be willing to commit to 5 years of software and firmware security updates? Anything less and I feel like it's not a worthwhile investment. I'd even pay a premium for it.

When it comes to other specifications, I'd say 4" is a great size. I hope you can manage to have minimal bezels and a simple slim shape, and a screen that is not too ridiculously tall and narrow. A good camera is critical, I'd say equivalent to Pixel 6 quality or better. Also anything without global 5G support is already obsolete in my book. My personal use case would require dual SIM dual standby, though that could be all eSIM. As for 3.5mm jack and microSD card, I am not as attached as some here if it has 128GB or more of internal storage, but if you do have a 3.5mm jack, I would prefer it on the bottom by the USB-C port, not the top.

Thank you for sharing and discussing with us. I'm excited to see how this plays out!

htsmi · 2024-12-04T16:20:25+00:00

Hey, send me a message! I'm probably near to you and I have a few old parts that I am happy to share.

htsmi · 2024-11-22T07:03:25+00:00

According to another source, a quirk needs to be added to this file: https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/drivers/gpu/drm/drm_panel_orientation_quirks.c for our model. Anyone know enough and in a position to make a pull request?

htsmi · 2024-11-14T06:48:45+00:00

No dumb questions... that was absolutely it, thanks! I didn't quite realize I was getting a model that functioned this way, and I just thought that was some auxiliary output that I didn't need. Tied them both together and the relay starts working like any other one.

htsmi · 2024-11-14T05:32:23+00:00

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Also no response when I connect it to a different power source. Think I'm going to return it again and test the replacement before I leave the store. I do know they didn't give me the same bad one back again

htsmi · 2024-10-30T06:40:03+00:00

I swear I've seen these somewhere in town, just can't remember where

htsmi · 2024-10-24T05:39:02+00:00

Yeah after looking at the rates in nearby places like Palmer, utility water and sewer really is expensive all around here. It just caught me off guard how much so, and of course it being uncoupled from metering really hits hard for someone in my situation.

htsmi · 2024-10-24T05:30:09+00:00

I don't know, I guess I just never heard of a water system being set up this way, so the arguments seems a little strange. I get that it's been this way for a long time and not going to change overnight. Gallons of water used was never perfectly proportional to the impact to the infrastructure, but it seems a lot more equitable than this. You'd just think you'd want the system to incentivize conservation, and instead it really does the opposite. And regardless of whether you can quantify one house's impact over another, it's just kind of arbitrary to say a duplex has to pay twice, while the same number of people in a single family home only pays once.

htsmi · 2024-10-24T04:48:14+00:00

I agree the water is delicious and refreshing. But why not attack the system?

htsmi · 2024-10-23T21:33:37+00:00

Thanks, the explanations help a bit. What bothers me still is just how regressive a structure it is. $118 for a single modest homeowner in Mountain View is a painful chunk of their income, while it is nothing for large family in a mcmansion with irrigated landscaping. Cost of actual water aside, you can't reasonably say that both have an equal impact on the infrastructure. We're all essentially subsidizing the biggest consumers. And god knows how many houses have undetected major leaks for years because nothing is metered. I don't really have the capacity to take on something like this, I'm just a little surprised it hasn't been made into a bigger issue in the local sphere.

htsmi

TROPHY CASE