Prototype LED horn strobe

[firefreak57]

@harrison

The BG-12 style pull stations work well but are too big and ugly for my taste. That’s why I designed something new, that has all the same advantages:

[list]

[*]Can be opened without setting off the alarm.

[*]Resets quickly with a key.

[*]Can be re-addressed from the front.

[*]Has a poll/status LED to show that the signal is received by the panel.

[*]Can be tested without breaking glass.

[/list]

Plus the address setting is visible from the front, the pulled state is very noticeable, it is compact and fits on any single-gang surface box, and it is just low-profile and pleasant looking. I will consider adding arrows to the “PUSH” and “PULL” however.

Would there be a conventional option that’s similar or is this design only addressable?

[htsmi]

@firefreak57

Would there be a conventional option that’s similar or is this design only addressable?

Since we’re only talking in hypotheticals right now, sure, there can be a conventional version. Just subtract the LED and addressable module and windows. The vast majority of systems I install are addresable, and I’m not a fan of conventional systems for anything reqiring more than 3-4 devices, but conventional pulls still have their place.

I’ll make a modified version and post it in a little bit.

[El_Chupacabra (Samuel)]

@firefreak57

Well I think it depends on the installation. Once I saw LED Exceders in a restaurant that had reclaimed wood walls, and when I first walked in and saw that they had an ANN-80 and BG-12LX’s I was at first confused because I didn’t see any NA’s and thought they didn’t have any. I looked around and eventually spotted them, but it was really hard to tell there were any NA’s there. They’re pretty low profile to me (I have an LED Exceders in my collection, and it’s only slightly larger than my hand). I don’t think there will ever be any ‘true’ unnoticeable NA made because these NA’s have to be pretty noticeable during an emergency situation as well as to alert the hearing impaired (and maybe even wake them up at night). I just remember that fire alarms are fire alarms and are designed to be noticeable, not to improve overall building aesthetics. My school has the super boxy 2903’s and 4903’s from the 80’s-90’s and after a while, while they’re definitely not low profile, you don’t seem to notice that they’re there once you get used to the building. So I think there’s upsides and downsides to both low profile alarms and very noticeable alarms.

I definitely agree with the fact that the way a device is installed can make a major difference in its appearance. I just find it somewhat disappointing that the wall-mount Genesis, using a traditional xenon strobe, still manages to keep a lower profile (and has much less backbox intrusion) than the LED Exceder/Genesis, which is a newer device using a much smaller LED strobe.

I own both a normal Genesis (G1R-HDVM) and an LED Genesis (GL1RF-HDVMC), and while the difference in size isn’t major, it’s still noticeable. Nonetheless, the overall profile of the LED Exceder/Genesis remains quite low compared to pretty much any other strobe available on the North American market.

[kcin556]

@El Chupacabra

I just find it somewhat disappointing that the wall-mount Genesis, using a traditional xenon strobe, still manages to keep a lower profile (and has much less backbox intrusion) than the LED Exceder/Genesis, which is a newer device using a much smaller LED strobe.

It’s interesting to note that the bulk of the space used up in the Wheelock LED Exceders is for the horn circuitry and piezo. With the exception of the large capacitor on the rear of the device, the footprint of the LED strobe is very small.

It’s almost as if, while everyone has been distracted by the size of the strobes, Edwards has perfected the design of a low-profile piezo horn. Wheelock, on the other hand, focused most of their design effort on making the LED strobe a viable product, resulting in the design of the horn itself being neglected.

This is all speculation of course, but it makes me wonder how small a device utilizing a Wheelock LED Strobe and Edwards piezo horn technology could potentially be.

[El_Chupacabra (Samuel)]

@kcin556

It’s interesting to note that the bulk of the space used up in the Wheelock LED Exceders is for the horn circuitry and piezo. With the exception of the large capacitor on the rear of the device, the footprint of the LED strobe is very small.

It’s almost as if, while everyone has been distracted by the size of the strobes, Edwards has perfected the design of a low-profile piezo horn. Wheelock, on the other hand, focused most of their design effort on making the LED strobe a viable product, resulting in the design of the horn itself being neglected.

This is all speculation of course, but it makes me wonder how small a device utilizing a Wheelock LED Strobe and Edwards piezo horn technology could potentially be.

That’s a very interesting remark; I hadn’t noticed that the Exceder’s horn occupied so much space. Indeed, using a smaller piezo unit (such as the one from the Genesis) in a device similar to Harrison’s prototype could perhaps create a horn/strobe that has both an extremely slim profile and minimal backbox intrusion, therefore allowing the LED strobe’s small size to be used to its full potential.

[indianafireguy]

Already a company in China making something similar and one in the US. Getting through UL is going to be difficult. They are working on and have been changing the LED based strobe requirements. Pulse duration and other factors are impacting getting to market.

[OscarAtlas]

Nice idea!!