My Simplex Fire Alarm Control Panels

[4903-9222 (49er🌴)]

So this is sort of a follow up from a post I made a couple years ago now showing my panels and some of my rarest alarm devices. I have decided, since I have acquired a lot of new panels since then, that I would make a new post showing everything. This is solely going to be control panels as I am honestly too lazy to rummage through my collection to pull devices out.

1. Simplex 4100+
   This was my most recent panel build project I took on in the beginning of last fall. I bought all of the parts from eBay and through the help of some very knowledgeable people, I was able to get this thing up and running with the ability to program. This project is not entirely complete yet as I am trying to hunt down parts for a voice bay that I hope to put in.

2. Simplex 4020
   Despite how much of a pain these panels can be as far as programming goes, 4020s have always been a bucket list panel of mine because of their ability to work with 4003 voice panels over RUI. Since I have a 4003, I am going to try to test out the spoken walk test feature once I program it in. Similar story to how I got the 4100+ where I had to buy the parts from eBay. You will notice this panel is in a 3 bay cabinet. I never knew 4020s came in 3 bay configurations until I saw this one a buddy got from a system upgrade and was nice enough to give it to me.

3. Simplex 4100U
   Another build project I’ve kinda pushed off to the side. I’m honestly not too crazy about newer simplex panels. Don’t get me wrong, they’re cool, but I prefer the older ones. No cabinet just yet, hopefully soon. Has a voice bay to go along with it

4. Simplex 4010ES
   Got this panel from a friend who saved it from scrap. This thing was actually never installed in a building and is in mint condition. Unfortunately, the CPU is having issues and will likely need to be replaced. Hopefully I can find one for a good price soon so I can get it working. It is an IDNAC model which is nice.

5. Simplex 2001-8001
   Some of you may have seen the recent post I did on this guy. If you did, you will know the interesting history behind it. It has 4 AC bell circuits in it so I can use either AC or DC powered horns with this system which is pretty cool.

6. Simplex 4208
   Also made a post about this one too a while back. Long story short, this particular panel is special because it is technically new old stock. Was never installed before and sat on a shelf its entire life. Is a little dirty on the outside, but the inside is pristine and includes the original manual. 1 zone and 3 AC bell circuits.

7. Simplex 4002-8001
   I’ve had a few 4002 panels over the years. This one is my largest one being a 4 unit model with 3 bays. Has 20 zones and 4 nacs.

8. Simplex 2001-8023
   This was my first panel build project I began in the spring of 2022. Took me a while to find all of the correct parts and get a working motherboard but it is finally finished. You will notice a few blank modules missing in the corner, those will be put back in. Set up with 14 zones and 4 nacs.

9. Simplex 4246 and 4247
   Manufactured in 1965 and 1969 respectively. The 4247 is the dual supervised version of the 4246 and also happens to have an aluminum board instead of an asbestos board. With the 4247 being newer, it also has a series of switches and lights on the door as opposed to a single reset button in the 4246. The 4246 is an “SU” model. Not sure what it stands for but it does feature an adjustable auto silence timer which is missing in the 4247.

10. Simplex 4003 voice panel
    Pretty self explanatory. Will be using this with my 4020 in the future because of the 4020s ability to communicate with this over RUI which allows for easier message programming and spoken walk test.

11. Simplex 4010 (classic)
    My first fire alarm panel. Thats probably the sole reason I haven’t sold this one. 4010s are a beast but there are just so many better options right now so there isn’t really anything special to say about it.

(THE FOLLOWING PANELS ARE EITHER FOR SALE OR HAVE BEEN SOLD. THEY ARE INCLUDED BECAUSE THEY ARE STILL IN MY POSSESSION FOR TYE TIME BEING)

12. Simplex 4005
    Recently sold this to a friend. This is the panel I had to revive from the dead a few years ago due to its original components taking a lightning hit. Works like a charm now and will be in good hands.

13. Simplex 4002
    Just a smaller version of what you saw above. This one only has 8 zones and 2 nacs. No expansion cards. Will be posting this for sale soon.

14. Simplex 2001-3080
    This is the one I salvaged from an abandoned building 2 summers ago. Simple 4 zone 2 nac panel. Has some surface rust on the outside but works great. Also has been set aside for a trade.

15. Simplex 4208AX
    This panel is currently for sale on my eBay store. Very similar to the larger one I showed above only it is half the size and was pulled from a system. Still has its original diagrams and even has a spec book for some of the devices used.

I may post other things here eventually like annunciator panels and maybe some rare alarms worth showcasing but for now that’s all.

[TheCarson116]

Dang…I do believe you’re the #1 owner of Simplex panels in the community at present! Not sure I know anyone with a 4246 or a 4247 either! (is there a reason the 4247 has two switches & lamps marked “TROUBLE” though?)

The 4100+ & 4020 you have are remarkably similar at first glance aren’t they? (heck at first I was unsure if those were two separate photos of each panel. I can’t imagine how heavy they were when you swapped them out for those photos)

[Alex_Robbins]

Pretty neat collection of panels you got there. Now, I’m not usually one to ask, but how much do you think you’ll sell that small 4002 for?

[dewpoint8900 (Nicholas)]

What a nice collection of panels! I stick with the smaller stuff, but those older panels and the 4100U/4100+/4020 panels are awesome. The 2001 is definitely a bucket list panel for me. The 4100s and ES panels are cool too; if only they weren’t so heavy and/or a pain to program.

Owning a bunch of Simplex panels, I guess that’s a minor criticism I have with their panels (being large and heavy). I recently acquired a bunch of Notifier panels, and although many are used in large heavy cabinets, many have a smaller/lighter alternative package which is helpful for storage and handling. Simplex will always be a good company to me, but I’ve grown to like Notifier and their smaller cabinets for panels.

[4903-9222 (49er🌴)]

Yep simplex is notorious for their massive panels. I don’t think any other company rivals them at least nowadays. I believe they do it mostly for backwards compatibility to make retrofitting easier but yeah, very clunky for sure

[4903-9222 (49er🌴)]

Operational power and supervisory power. The 4247 has supervision for each that’s why there’s 2 lights/switches.

And yea those 3 bays are pretty heavy. The 4100 is probably about 180 pounds. Once you add the voice bay with the microphone and amplifier it’ll probably be closer to 200. The 4020 isn’t too bad. About 120. Still clunky.

[4903-9222 (49er🌴)]

Don’t know yet. I’ll see what the offers are.

[Nicholas]

It’s good to see things like these in the hands of collectors rather than being thrown out/parted out - it happens way too often.

Congrats on saving that 3-bay 4020, those are very uncommon - especially since Simplex usually opted for the 4100 in larger installations that would have necessitated a 3-bay cabinet.

I’ve also been wondering what happened to that 2001-8001….I’m relieved to see it in the hands of someone who will take good care of it.

Nonetheless, very impressive collection as always.

[Modulator]

what Notifier panels do you have?

[4903-9222 (49er🌴)]

Yeah I never really saw the purpose of the 3 bay 4020s as you it can only accept 2 extra I/O boards and 4 mapnet cards, all of which will fit in a 2 bay cabinet. I have seen a newer 4020 with the 3rd bay used to house smart sync modules but on the older ones before smart sync, there’s really nothing you can put down there aside from modules. And yea typically a system of that size would generally just have a 4100 installed instead so there’s room for expansion as a 4020 of that size is pretty much maxed out.

When I saw that 2001 pop up on eBay, I recognized it right away. Those AC bell modules in the 2nd bay are very unique to it. I remember seeing photos of it a couple years ago from its previous owner who bought it from that school and was wondering what happened to it because I know it’s changed hands a few times since. Looks like a reseller got a ahold of all of his old fire alarm stuff. But it’s in good hands now, and it appears that it was originally uninstalled very carefully as everything looks to be in place which is good because those harnesses are next to impossible to figure out.

[dewpoint8900 (Nicholas)]

4x System 500s (one is an ADT rebrand), System 5000, NFW2-100, SFP-10UD, and SFP-2404. I also have AFP400 and AFC600 CPU boards.

[Modulator]

I might be getting my hands on a 2-bay 4020 soon, so if possible could you put me in the right direction for programming that would be awesome.

[4903-9222 (49er🌴)]

Well, due to the software being proprietary and the download cable being on back order all around the world due to supply chain issues, you would have to send me the cpu board to program

[Modulator]

ok I’ll let you know if I get any updates.

[Modulator]

also, would it be possible to connect a Simplex 742-690 to it?

[4903-9222 (49er🌴)]

If that part number is referring to the 4100U/ES display which is what I’m getting at, then no. It’s a 4020, not a 4100.

[Modulator]

oh, then I must have typed the wrong thing in, sorry about that I am really bad with Simplex model numbers.