We always put the EOL's in the panel on the fire alarms we install using the same method.

Dang, you guys are allowed to do that? It's against code here on fire panels. We aren't allowed to bury the EOL though so it is always on a labelled wall plate.

Another trick on DSC; if you don't have the 16VAC available for some reason but want to power the panel up and run it from the battery - just take a couple of jumper wires and feed the 12VDC battery into the AC input terminals (1&2, polarity doesn't matter) for a couple of seconds. The panel will now run on the battery input.