Nice detectors especially the Sears. Glad it was removed as that is way beyond its service life and would be no good up on the ceiling if there was a fire. Nice for a collection though. It looks like it has been through alot with those heavy nicotine stains but honestly I would trust that detector (with the awful high pitched squeal they made) over the ones of today. That looks like the one my parents had in their old out it was the Fyrnetics rebrand.
I told you I’d make a video of me testing my Probe 202, which has a different horn from the one 7002t has:
More 1769ACIs (2 available)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191912994584?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
The other 1769ACI is sitting in the post office just down the road from me, awaiting delivery tomorrow.
Neat. I really like the “alarm” LED, much like a system smoke.
And on a side note: The mailman dropped of yet another box on my doorstep, That NiB BRK 1769ACI
with my 2824 system smoke for comparison:
Your Probe 202 sounds almost like the fire alarm in my grade school did. Very neat buzz and that is a very low tone one as well. Also for it being from 1986 is very rare as well. Must have been one of the last ones to feature electromechanical horns
I was thinking about getting the 1769ACI since I remembered seeing it in a friend’s house we went to years ago thinking it was a system detector. BUT I found something else to bid on…
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-NOS-Sears-Early-One-Fire-Alarm-Smoke-Detector-WITH-LIGHT-in-Box-1970s-/112045628490?hash=item1a16709c4a:g:wDAAAOSwOVpXeAGC
SUPER rare Sears SA120 rebrand, just like FireAlarmFan’s but in a different box and it has its light lens still attached 
Neat that Sears SA120 rebrand says it is from the 1970’s so it wouldn’t likely have a piezo but the horn on the detector isn’t a brass squealer? Also in one other pic is says 9/78 so would that be that date the detector was made (September 1978). I never recall piezos being around that early. I thought the SA120 first appeared around 1980. That does look super rare and I hope you do get it. It is so amazing how many rare alarms are out there.
Hi, I have one of this Honeywell TC49A hardwired and it started chirping last night. On the cover, it says, “To silence open cover”. I tried pulling and turning but couldn’t have it opened. If you know how, any help/instruction (with pictures) will be appreciated. Thank you very much!
A TC49A shouldn’t chirp unless it’s malfunctioning since there’s no battery back up. If you look near the LED you’ll see “pull here to remove cover”
All you do is gently pull on that tab and the cover should easily come off no need to twist. If you’re planning on removing it if it’s still installed, obviously kill the power going to it before doing so.
As 7002T said, you can pull out then down on the area to the right of the LED on the unit. TC49A’s only chirp when they are first powered up, or when the cover is replaced. And if you’re replacing it, I’d be interested in it.
I unfortunately did not win the Sears SA120 rebrand, I bid 4 times and was outbid instantly on all 4 tries, and the price went up to $57 which is ridiculously expensive, even for a rare smoke detetctor.
Smokegard 907A2s anyone? (not mine)
Thanks so much 7002t! Yes I was able to get the cover off finally. It was indeed not the TC49A chirping but my carbon monoxide detector chirping which I couldn’t tell from the proximity and spent a good 15 mins cleaning the TC49A and about to call in the electrician! :roll:
Thanks again for your help!
Thanks benson41011! I actually first found your YouTube video but still couldn’t figured out how to open the cover and it seems you can opened it with such ease.
If I replace it, I will for sure let you know. This device was installed since 1977! Believe it or not after some digging, I actually found the user manual which the previous owner saved!
I was the original bidder. I saw it about 3 days before and threw my hat into the ring. If I had known you were eyeballing it, I wouldn’t have bid, and you were not too far away from outbidding me. No hard feelings 8)
It arrived today, so here it is:
If you look under my finger you’ll see the LED lit up which lights steady like the emergency light. The piezo does a rapid beep
with my 462.57351 (Gateway Scientific rebrand)
Cool Sears rebrand. What year would that be from? (very early 1980’s?). Never realized many Sears units had piezos but since the SA120 (first alert) had a piezo this one would as well. That emergency light is extremely bright too.
If I had to guess on a year I’d say 1980, since by 81 Sears switched to Gateway Scientific.
Also on a side note: Since quite a few of the rare smokes we find were once installed, often in households with smokers. So what do you do when you get a nicotine stained smoke and would like to clean it? Isopropyl rubbing alcohol (I used 90%, happen to be what I had on hand), some paper towel, and a bit of elbow grease. Before anyone mentions it, the alcohol will not make the plastic brittle as it evaporates quickly. Also make sure there’s plenty of ventilation for obvious reasons.
Here’s that Sears 350.57045 I got a few weeks ago. I stopped half way through to show a before/after.
The smooth part came clean with little effort except for those spots which did take a bit more scrubbing, the textured part is proving challenging, but using an old toothbrush and very gently scrubbing seems to be working.
Oh okay I used to think piezos were alot newer. Never realized they went as far back as 1980 ( I was 7 at the time ). I only ever heard units back then that had squealer horns. Wow that is amazing how the stains came off the cover of that other Sears unit. That is probably what the unit looked like when it was brand new nearly 40 years ago. After it being up on the ceiling for 35 plus years it sure puts up with alot.
I thought piezos were more mid 1980’s. But Im guessing by 1987 smoke detectors with squealers were no longer being manufactured. I could again be wrong on the last part.
Its okay that you got the Sears, I’m glad another collector got it. I did notice however that it has the red label like my SA120 with the red horn. I just thought that was a bit different.
Also piezos have been used since around 1981 which is the earliest we know they were first used. FireX was still making the FX1020 with the mechanical horn until the late eighties from what I’ve heard, not sure if that’s right.
Oh okay still I didn’t never realized piezos were around that early. Im guessing it was Sears (Gateway scientific models as well as this one) that was the first to use them. Also too didn’t some early piezos make a solid noise instead of a pulsing one?