CAT Alarm Technician Wiring & Circuits 3

Question 1

A normally closed (NC) contact connected across a zone loop WITHOUT an end-of-line resistor would cause the panel to:

Accepted Answer

Report a trouble condition

Answer

Without the EOL resistor the panel cannot distinguish between a resting NC contact and a shorted wire, triggering a trouble indication.

Question 2

What is the MAXIMUM recommended total loop resistance for most conventional initiating device circuits?

Accepted Answer

50 ohms

Answer

Most panels specify a maximum zone loop resistance of 50 ohms; exceeding this can prevent reliable alarm detection.

Question 3

Which cable listing is required for alarm wiring run in a plenum air-handling space?

Accepted Answer

FPLP (Fire Power Limited Plenum)

Answer

FPLP-rated cable has low-smoke, low-flame characteristics required for installation in air-handling plenums per NFPA 72 and NEC Article 760.

Question 4

When daisy-chaining motion detectors on a single zone, the technician should wire the alarm outputs in:

Accepted Answer

Series (NC contacts in series)

Answer

NC contacts wired in series form a continuous loop; any detector opening the contact breaks the loop and triggers an alarm.

Question 5

The purpose of a double-end-of-line (DEOL) resistor configuration is to:

Accepted Answer

Allow the panel to distinguish between an open, a short, and a normal alarm

Answer

DEOL uses two resistors of different values so the panel can identify three distinct states: normal, alarm (contact change), open, and short.

(CAT) Certified Alarm Technician Level I Practice Test