I was wondering when your were going to post again
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Additions from 2023:
Siemens AS-MC-R-B
Wheelock RSS-2415C
Siemens SFM24-6A
Cerberus Pyrotronics MBDC-6-C
General Signal MB6-24
Siemens MS-51C
Simplex MS-301CB (received as part of a trade with Conor/CJ9899)
Unelco 470 (this pull station is NIB, although it’s unfortunately but unsurprisingly missing its original key and instructions)
Simplex 4251-20 (received as part of a trade with Conor/CJ9899)
Edwards 270-GAO
Siemens RL-4C
System Sensor 5601A
Edwards 281C
Mircom MIR-2400A
Mircom MIR-1400A
Edwards EC30U-3
EST 6616 (courtesy of Hunter/YouTube user Canadian alarms)
Edwards 6616-C801 (courtesy of Hunter/YouTube user Canadian alarms)
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Nice acquisitions Chupa!
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a General Signal-branded fire alarm device before! (I know they owned several companies including Edwards & Mirtone at one time, but I’ve never seen them put their own name on a device until now) Had no idea Mirtone rebranded System Sensor detectors either.
“Alright, hit the reset button!” (buzz) (RING) “Oh! Again?” (RING) “Uh-uh! Okay let me do it…” (RIIIIING) (buzz)
I think they’re common in Canada. Nic’s Systems and Electric got a bunch of em.
Thanks! The GS branding is certainly unique. My hypothesis is that they used the GS logo as it allowed these bells to be sold under GS’s different brands (EST, Edwards Signaling, and Mirtone) without requiring a different label for each brand. Per its packaging, this particular bell was sold under the EST brand.
I know exactly which video you’re referring to! I’ve been told that the “common control” cards are the Achilles’ heel of these panels. The one in this panel fortunately works perfectly—the panel goes into alarm, silences, and resets as it should. I’m very happy to have this panel as my elementary school had an identical 6616; this is the system that sparked my interest in fire alarms.
I believe they were indeed only sold in Canada, although they don’t seem to be particularly common—I’ve only seen these bells on perhaps 4 occasions in the last 17 years (and they’ve shown up online only a handful of times). They weren’t in production for long (circa 1996-2001), and the 439D-series bells were still commonly used at that time. The later Edwards MB-series bells (with the black label), on the other hand, are much easier to find.
Sure thing! Oh yeah: good thinking on General Signal’s part!
Glad you got the reference & that your 6616 is working fine (though I know the panel in said video is the bigger brother of the 6616, the 6632, instead. Still similar however including when it comes to the default zone & control card).
Odd if you ask me that General Signal wouldn’t just sell Edwards’ existing 439D-series: heck if it’s not a 439D-series bell who makes it? (unless General Signal themselves did)
Oh by the way: even though that ridiculously-rare Unelco-rebranded Standard 200177 is missing its key & instruction sheet a Standard key might work with it (& last I checked someone’s selling 3D-printed ones on Ebay).
Some other things I forgot to say:
That Siemens-branded bell sure is rare! Is it a rebranded System Sensor given the label design?
Ditto (rare) for the first two devices.
How is that MS-301CB reset if there’s no hole for a screwdriver? (I’ve seen ones like that before but never knew how they’re reset without a screwdriver hole)
Amseco is the original manufacturer of these bells (there’s an Amseco logo at the back of the base); they were also rebranded by Simplex. I think the main advantage of these motor bells is that they have a much lower current draw than traditional vibrating bells like the 439D. 439Ds are gluttonous, consuming a whopping 0.085A of current; this MB6-24, on the other hand, only draws 0.025A. The mechanism in these bells features a rather unique design, as shown in this video.
Fortunately, I already have some homemade keys that work well. I still wish I could find an original key, but I know they’re hard to find (and I’m certainly not the only collector who’s looking for one!).
I had always wondered who made those bells, and I never found an answer until I received this one. It seems that System Sensor is indeed the manufacturer: this bell features a quality control sticker with System Sensor’s logo at the back of the base. I see the Edwards- and Notifier-branded versions of these bells far more often than the Siemens-branded models.
Interestingly, this bell is a nearly perfect clone of an older Amseco design that was common in the '90s. The photo below shows the Siemens bell (at the left) next to an older Mircom-branded Amseco bell (the Amseco logo is visible in the upper right corner of the base). Despite the similarities, the gongs are not interchangeable due to a slightly different alignment pattern, and the motors/mechanisms appear to be different as the Siemens/System Sensor bell has a higher current draw and a longer striker.
The hole to insert a screwdriver is actually on the left side of the pull station. The mechanism in these pull stations is completely different from that of the current MS-401-style pull stations: pulling the front cover releases a spring which, in turn, presses down on a switch as it swings downward. This video demonstrates the operation of these pull stations.
Ah. I have two Amseco motor bells myself: a 24VDC MSB-6B-PV4, & a 12VDC MSB-10B-PV4.
Well that’s good.
Ah. Funnily enough I have a very similar bell in terms of design, but it lacks a label & anything else that would tell me the manufacturer & model (it might be an Amseco or System Sensor one though given the two you showed).
Oh, huh. Thanks for explaining that.