Ah yours is a 1st generation model. They are much nicer than the newer ones since they have a brighter flash.
1st-generation models have to be rare given they’re the first generation (& thus would have come out the earliest/the longest ago). I have three other strobe 2903s, all of which are 2903-9102s (front mount, smaller circuit board with potentiometer), along with two light plate versions (2903-9001).
Brighter flash huh? Any idea why?
I guess the components on the older ones are better which allow for it to flash brighter. The newer ones use cheaper designs that arent as effective. They also seem to not last as long.
Yeah, sadly that seems to be the case with most products as they continue to be sold: sooner or later the manufacturer will start skimping on quality.
I am simplex guy on YT.
Believe it or not, i actually bought 3 more of those rare es horn strobes today. They are also early generation models that only do the horn tone. They do look exactly like speakers/chimes since the bodies are the same which is why some enthusiasts forget these exist.
New toys!!!
Got some new fire alarm lots this week i wanted to share.
The first lot i got consists of 3 more of those wheelock ES-DL1 horn strobes. Like the one i already have, these advertise having 3 tones but only do the horn tone.
The second lot may look like your typical old simplex/ibm horns. However these are both ultra rare Honeywell rebranded devices. Numbers are too long to type so ill show the labels. The 4037 has terminals oddly enough.
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So its been a few weeks since my last update. Got a bunch of new devices and panels. Will show some of the devices that are worth posting about later on. However i have aquired 3 new control panels as well as new parts for one of my other panels.
First off here is my Simplex 4005 now in full working order. Had to replace the power supply, power distribution board as well as the CPU. (which arrived this morning) Now the panel is fully operational. The new CPU even had the default codes so i was able to reprogram the entire thing rather quickly and get it normal.
Heres one of the new panels i bought from a former community member. This is a simplex 4001. Standard 4 zone single nac panel from 1988.
The second panel is basically a 4001 on steroids. This is my simplex 4002. Didnt have any expansion modules, just 8 zones and 2 nacs. Really love this thing. Probably my new favorite panel. This is also a rare model with the ESP programmer chip in it.
And lastly, we have another simplex 2001 panel. This is a smaller 2001-3080 which is a single row repack unlike my other one. This panel came fully functional unlike the -8023. Using some of the cards in the larger 2001 to test what still needs to be worked on. It has been determined that the motherboard needs to be worked on. Luckily i may be getting a fully working one with march time jumpers soon which will hopefully get it operational.
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Wow! Congratulations! Those are all very good panels to have! (aside from maybe the 2001 as they are somewhat hard to use) Glad to hear you were able to fix the 4005 & program it too!
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What a neat collection! It certainly has a very vintage/retro feel to it.
Clearly, you are quite interested in Simplex equipment. What a chad!
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Lol. Thanks. I am a huge simplex nut. Ive grown up with simplex systems essentially. My high school has 90s simplex mechanical horns all through out the building running off of a 4100U. Definitely cant beat the amazing sound of those things.
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Congrats on the new panels. As a Simplex crazy myself I would love those panels for my collection. Maybe someday with some patients.
Thanks. Yes with some time you’ll find them. I got both 2001s this year and have seen a couple of others as well as a decent amount of 4001s and a 4002 over the course of this year pop up. Your chances are probably even greater than most having the ability to grab systems that are due for replacement.
I missed out on getting a 2001 last summer when I was told they would be reusing the 2001, but replaced it the next time I was at that job. I already have a 4001 (and love it), I own half of a 4002, but am unwilling to pay the absurd amount some are asking for a complete unit as I’m sure I’ll have the opportunity in the future to get one for next to nothing.
So its been a couple of months. Got some new devices, some of which i wanted to share here.
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Simplex 2001-8023 update: Got another motherboard for this thing. This one is actually functional and came with jumpers configured for the march time card. I am borrowing cards from my smaller 2001 for the time being as certain cards on ebay are outrageously expensive. I would like to possibly get a smoke power card as i have some 4 wire bases i could use but as for the 3 zone cards on the bottom, those may just be swapped for blanks once i get my hands on some. But im super stoked to finally get this beast up and running.
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Simplex 4003 VCP: Ive wanted one of these for a SUPER long time. I absolutely love the tones and messages this thing has. They have been super hard to find nowadays and have been super expensive when they pop up. I managed to get this one for about 70% off of the original listing price which i was not expecting the seller to take.
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Simplex 4906-9137 multi tone horn strobe: I typically go for older devices, but i do occasionally collect modern devices if they are rare enough. These are not common at all. Definitely paid a lot for it but it was worth it.
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1st generation simplex 2901-9806: Got this from a trade. Has a dual projector as well. You can tell its a 1st gen by the shorter label. The newer models have longer labels.
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Simplex 2904-9003 Dual bulb lights: Got a crap ton of these out of a local abandoned building i went to a couple times over the summer along with a bunch of other goodies. These were definitely the rarest of the devices in that building. Will definitely be going back until I get them all out so if anyone has something of equal rarity and is willing to trade, PM me. I also have them for sale granted they are expensive.
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Fire Light light: No idea what the model of the light is but the horn is an HD. This horn actually came from my early gen AV32 since the original horn had its leads cut too short. (It was a 12V B1) One of the lenses cracked in shipping which was unfortunate but I did manage to get this big guy working again.
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All great acquisitions, especially that rare-as-heck Fire-Lite “wedge light”!
I’m glad to see that the 2903-9005s aren’t completely extinct. The only other people I know who has these besides you are Simplex Guy, Fire Alarms of Northeastern Kansas, who happened to announce the existence of the dual-bulb 2903, Tots 16, and ME.
I am simplex guy. Lol 
. NY fire alarm tech and a user here by name of Nick also has one.
Oh! Sorry, I just thought you’d have picked a 2903-related name since you have so many and love them so much. And yes, I do know Fire Alarms of Long Island, NY (Nick) has one, too. I just forgot.
I’d also like to let you know a secret…
Lol all good. Not many people recognize me here. But yeah its nice to see more and more people with these plates. They are definitely in the RAF category beyond the 4050-80 series
My secret is that I sold you the first 9005 you have.