Wired Doorbell AVD1001 causes Friedland chime to ring constantly

[Bocasb]

I'm trying to stall this wired doorbell with and older Friedland chime.  The chime has 4 terminals.  The 2 front doorbell wires are connected to terminals 0 and 1.  The 16 VAC output of a transformer is on terminals 4 and 5.  I originally connected the Power Kit to terminals 0 and 1.  When I applied power, the chime rang over and over again (never stopped), suggesting a short across the original switch terminals.  I removed the Power Kit, and the constant chiming problem continued.  I then disconnected the Arlo Doorbell, and the constant chiming stopped.  I also tried disconnecting the original wires on terminals 0 and 1 (which are the wires going to the front door).  What Friedland terminals should be used for the Power Kit (0 and 1?)?  Why does the chime ring constant with the Arlo doorbell installed (even with the Power Kit removed)?  Thank you!!

[Bocasb]

Looks like this is a problem that was prevalent in Arlo wired doorbell systems 2 years ago.  I found many posts from 2019 and 2020.  I just discovered that my Friedland chime transformer is rated at 10 VAC, 5 VA.  That must be the problem.  However, the forum posts for this problem 2 years ago include some people says that their chime continuously rang, even after replacing the transformer with one with the 16-24 VAC, 10 VA requirement minimum rating.  Should I buy another chime, perhaps the one made by Arlo (to insure compatibility)?

[StephenB]

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@Bocasb wrote:

Why does the chime ring constant with the Arlo doorbell installed (even with the Power Kit removed)?  

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A traditional doorbell is just a push button that completes the circuit when pushed.

The AVD1001 by contrast is always drawing power, and that flows through the chime.  That can cause the chime to buzz or continuously chime.  The purpose of the power kit is to divert the normal power draw so it doesn't pass through the chime (preventing the ring).  But of course power will still go through the chime when the doorbell is pushed.

Not all chimes are compatible, and it is possible that yours is not.  Do you know the model number?  Often you can find install manuals for vintage chimes if you google for them.

 Most chimes have just three leads - one from the front doorbell, one from the back, and one return to the transformer.

[Bocasb]

Hi, StephenB!  Thank you so much for responding.  I have seen your many great comments in posts that go back a long time.  You have solved problems for many people, and I see (from prior posts) that you have addressed the "constantly ringing" problem in the past.  I found a small sticker on the Friedland chime box that has the number E851.  I used that to find a terminal definition on the internet, but I could not find a manual for that specific box.  I pulled the chime box away from the wall and found the transformer was directly behind the box.  The terminals are as follows:

When I looked behind the box, I can see that the 2 wires from the front doorbell go to terminals 0 and 1.  The output from the transformer goes to terminals 3 and 4.  

The transformer is a problem (according to your earlier posts for other people).  Here is a picture of its specs:

This enlarged photo shows that the rating is 10 VAC, 5 VA (obviously too low).  With a multimeter, I measured 15.8 VAC on terminals 3 and 4.  I originally thought that was OK.  That was before I pulled out the transformer and saw the rating.  I see that our local Home Depot has a 16 VAC, 30 VA doorbell transformer.  I'm going there this morning to try that.  Do you think that a proper transformer will stop the constant chiming?  This Friedland box seems different from some that you have commented about in the past.  It has 4 terminals and has the transformer output not obviously connected to one of the doorbell wires (to terminal 0 or 1).

I found the following diagram in a post for this same problem back a good while in time:

Someone (maybe it was you) said that this diagram is correct.  The Arlo people only "talk with respect to terminals" and never offer diagrams to show how the Power Kit is connected.  I happen to be an electrical engineer, but the absence of circuit diagrams has made this difficult to understand.  The Arlo people don't even offer much of an explanation of what circuit is actually inside the Power Kit.  According to this diagram, I should connect the Power Kit to terminals 0 and 3 ... right?  Or should it go to 0 and 4?  That might not matter.

Do you think that "changing the transformer" and "connecting the Power Kit to terminals 0 and 3" will stop the constant chime ringing and power up the Arlo doorbell so that I can proceed with the setup?  (Currently, with the undersized transformer, I see no power on the Arlo doorbell.)  Thank you so very much for communicating with me on this.   

[StephenB]

The battery slots are interesting, and suggest that the system can either use batteries or low voltage AC.

Not sure there is a good path here - upping the voltage to get to the range for needed for the doorbell could fry the chime.

[Bocasb]

Yes, it does look like this chime (which was installed by my long-passed father-in-law many years ago) can handle either batteries or low voltage AC.  

Your point about the potential frying of the unit is a good one.  Since I could not find a manual online for that unit, its tough to know its voltage limits.  They might have designed it with a low voltage transformer for a reason.  I'll take another path.  I'll use my Home Depot trip this morning to look at new chimes and try to replace the Friedland unit.  Is there a chime manufacturer or unit that you have found to be definitely compatible with the Arlo AVD1001 doorbell unit?  I would like to be sure that there are no questions about compatibility this time.  Thank you!!!

[Bocasb]

Oh, a few more questions ... Is the diagram that I sent accurate?  Does the Power Kit go from one of the doorbill wires to one of the transformer wires as shown?  What do you think about the fact that I measured 15.8 VAC on terminals 3 and 4?  The Friedland transformer is rated at 10 VAC, but is producing a higher voltage (without damage to the unit).  Since 15.8 VAC is really close to 16 VAC, I was originally thinking that I would be OK installing that 16 VAC 30 VA doorbell transformer I found at the store.  The mounting of the Friedland chime is rather unusual, and include a pretty big hole in the wall.  I might have problems covering that hole and structuring the box for a different chime unit.  So, maybe I should try the slightly larger transformer first.  If it unit is fried, then I know that I have to go through the hassle of a new chime.  Would still be helpful to know your recommendation for compatible traditional chime boxes.  Thank you!!!

[StephenB]

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@Bocasb wrote:

The Friedland transformer is rated at 10 VAC, but is producing a higher voltage (without damage to the unit). 

Odd.  Have you measured the voltage across the transformer outputs?

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@Bocasb wrote:

Would still be helpful to know your recommendation for compatible traditional chime boxes.  Thank you!!!

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I'm just another customer, so I don't have a list.

However, Ring does have one, and chimes compatible with Ring should be compatible with Arlo too.

• https://support.ring.com/hc/en-us/articles/209028546-Ring-Video-Doorbell-Pro-Chime-Kit-Compatibility...  

[Bocasb]

Yes, I checked at the transformer terminals also … 15.8 VAC. I have seen transformer outputs exceed the rating before, but I agree that this amount seems odd.
I installed a new 16 VAC 30VA transformer. Good thing is that the Arlo doorbell finally had a white light on. Bad thing is that the Friedland chime was constantly ringing. At least it did not fry. I watched for that. I installed the Power kit from terminals 0 and 3. Then I tried it between 0 and 4. Constant ringing in both cases (same original problem I had from the start) I opened the Friedland chime and found a rather large circuit board that must be sensitive to the current flowing through the Arlo doorbell. I’m going to buy another chime tomorrow and will get rid of the Friedland one. Thank you for the link to Ring compatible chimes. I’ll let you know what happens with the new chime. You are a very Arlo-experienced customer. Thank you for hanging with me on this.

[Bocasb · Accepted solution]

StephenB, thank you for all of your assistance.  I am truly grateful for your expertise and support.  You are not only a great Arlo customer, but I can tell that you are a good person.  

I now have the Arlo wired camera up and operational.  I had to ditch the old Friedland chime.  You were right.  It was a hopeless case ... definitely not compatible with Arlo.  The new 16 VAC 30 VA transformer I bought did not help the Friedland situation, but it works great with the new Hampton Bay chime that I bought.  So, I did not waste my money trying to get the Friedland unit to work with the Arlo camera.  I just wasted lost of my personal time.  I finally got the system working with Hampton Bay Model HB-7612-03.  The control unit has a different number stamped near the terminals (model # WL108-A).  Had to omit the diode that came with the kit (as recommended in some Arlo Community posts, but never mentioned in the official Arlo installation instructions).  Although the camera is attached to the Front terminal on the Hampton Bay chime (with the Power Kit installed, "Digital" setting on the Arlo camera, and Digital time setting in the Arlo unit at 10 seconds), the doorbell does a ding-dong.  Cannot get the many chime tunes to work.  Finally gave up on that and will accept the success of having a ding-dong (with no constant ringing) and a working Arlo camera.  That is far better than the constant ringing with the Friedland chime.

Through all of this, I learned that the Arlo folks did a pretty substandard job on writing installation instruction and doing their video.  My 35 years at with a large computer company taught me that installation instructions need to be far more comprehensive than the Arlo folks have done.  The communication to customers is critical.  They need basic circuit diagrams, a reference to the diode in some chime kits, a better discussion about the transformer, and just good all around discussion about some of the pitfalls that are common with all of the many chimes in the marketplace.  Arlo elected to not explain the Power Kit with much clarity and failed to even describe it basic circuit or even the specific terminals for all possible chimes.  They totally omitted the Friendland 4-terminal configuration (thereby causing me lost of guesswork and puzzlement).

Thank you, StephenB!  You were fantastic!!!  I would not have had success without your expertise, kindness, intellectual curiosity, and persistence.  Stan

[StephenB]

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@Bocasb wrote:

StephenB, thank you for all of your assistance. 

I'm glad I was able to help, and that you got everything running.