Yep you saw the title. These are officially now being produced by gentex.
That’s what I thought &/or hoped, but after HenBasket’s unboxing video I was quite disappointed to find that Gentex did not retain 4-wire capability & that the tones aren’t the exact same either. There’s also already a topic for the Commander 5-series already:
Gentex LED Commander 5 Signals - Fire Alarm General Discussion - The Fire Panel Forums
I still accept the Gentex Commander 5 either way regardless if it has the same tones a Commander 3 had or not.
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I honestly like the new tones, but I do still agree with you on the four wire though. Hopefully they are still just as durable and high quality as the old ones. I believe Wheelock/Eaton are now the only makers of four wire devices.
Two Wire definitely saves wire cost. That’s what makes the Commander 5s efficient.
I mean, I suppose I do too, but I’m still very disappointed in Gentex, especially since they were the last major NA manufacturer in North America to still make 4-wire-capable signals (in a very clever way compared to most others too), but now they’ve given in to the all-too-common trend that every other company has, so now there’s none left (except for Wheelock as aerhardt said, but that’s limited).
Yeah…(though even that may not last long for all we know)
That’s not the point: every Commander line up until the 5 has had the ability to be 2-wire or 4-wire by just flipping a few DIP switches, thus meaning that the same model can be used either way, which in particular cases like general signaling is important (& is definitely a smart way of doing so compared to having a separate model for each wire method, which saves cost, storage space, & potential installer frustration): will never get why Gentex didn’t continue doing this with the 5 given it reuses the already-4-wire-capable Commander 4’s base & it also has space for two additional connections on the circuit board & wire mode DIP switches as well.
Yes, but it’s good to have the option of four wire, as there are many situations where it could be needed.
I think System Sensor still makes the 4-wire xenon L-Series devices and Edwards still makes the 4-wire Integrity horns, but it is very unclear. I have not found any signs of a P4RLED being UL listed.
Also, Siemens still seems to sell the SL2MT for 4-wire applications, despite the ACEND series being used for 2-wire applications.
4-wire horn strobes can be replaced with a separate horn and strobe. It’s not an ideal arrangement, but it technically works.
Not only is it not convenient for applications requiring separate horn & strobe control, but so far the Commander 5 series shows no sign of having remote horn models (for whatever reason), so that wouldn’t be an option either (at least with the Commander 5).
I don’t think they have any intention of discontinuing the Commander2 remote horn, considering that they are reusing the Commander4 mounting plate. What I find odd is that they will be producing a Commander5 remote speaker instead of keeping the SSPK series.
No idea why, especially since they honestly should have replaced it with a Commander 3 remote horn when the latter was released so that everything was consistent, but you mean to tell me that even now they’re still going to be selling the Commander 2 remote horn even after it & all other Commander serieses have been replaced by the drastically-different Commander 5-series? That makes no sense at all (unless they plan on releasing Commander 5 remote horns later on).
I still wonder how long the 2, 3s, and 4s will last. Along with the other legacy devices like the WGE. To be honest I believe they’ll still get produced for awhile especially seeing how long the Commander 2 has lasted. I wonder if there will be a replacement for the GX-93 as well. And I wonder what the expander plates will look like
I hear you there – Gentex making an expander that works with more than just their speakers is long overdue. I just hope they make it in clear, not just amber, unlike their existing speaker expanders! (Clear + clear is a useful combo in ADA accessible apartments and hotel rooms, where one of the strobes is used for the main FA system while the other strobe is used to provide visible notification for the room/apartment’s local smoke alarms.)
It’s a terrible shame that your choices RN are between “horribly ugly but functional” (SAA and especially L-series expanders), “pretty and versatile but the LED version sadly isn’t available in clear, and Edwards doesn’t make the right widget for 120V use either” (Edwards Genesis expanders), or “why do you only make this in amber and only for speaker strobes?” (current Gentex expanders).
(Wheelock really needs to get with the ballgame on this and make an Eluxa expander strobe btw – RSSPs/WPs are a pain to source/get data on because they are verging on obsolescent.)
Well considering the GX-93 series is nothing like any Commander-series, I don’t really see any reason for Gentex to replace it, as it should work fine in its intended applications.
There aren’t many remaining applications of a GX-93 at this point, since low frequency sounders are required in most sleeping areas and public areas generally require strobes, and the Commander2/Commander5 achieve both of these.
Oh? Okay. Neither the Commander 2 nor the Commander 5 can make the required 520Hz tone though, so unless Gentex comes out with LED replacements for their current low-frequency line, the latter will continue filling that role. Mini horns like the GX-93 might still have their uses elsewhere as well.
Based on the UL listings it looks like they might be making new LED sounder strobes (but keeping the existing non-strobe sounders), but I’m not sure if they will officially be considered Commander5 devices.
Maybe, but it seems like they are slowly moving in a direction of being phased out. System Sensor makes compact L-Series devices that are suitable for replacing mini-horns (and they have a 3100 Hz tone), and as far as I know, Edwards no longer makes mini-horns. Also, since around 2003, the Wheelock MIZ has produced a broadband tone, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it is discontinued in the near future and replaced with the ELHN.
@TheCarson116 and @Mhgk:
Have you guys seen this yet?
No, but it is interesting. The Commander5 low frequency sounders will be significantly louder than the GHLF sounders.
It looks like National Time also posted the speaker strobe info, and these speaker strobes will have an output of 315-5000 Hz, which explains why they are releasing new Commander5 remote speakers instead of keeping the SSPK devices.
They seem to be really slim on the back according to the datasheet. Even slimmer than the EST LED speaker strobes.