Is this common? I’ve seen Wheelock AVS and even System Sensor on Simplex but when a Simplex system is gutted they remove the Simplex AVs with it
Yeah: Simplex systems often have Wheelock notification appliances on them: no idea why since Simplex makes their own NAs (there was a time when they didn’t make outdoor/weatherproof appliances so Wheelock’s were needed there, but nowdays there’s no real reason for there being Wheelock devices on a Simplex system).
It’s strange to see Simplex AVs on a EST system, most likely originally a 4003 that was recently ripped out
I remember seeing a video of a 4903 speaker going off in a hotel that was connected to the same system that was in the Homewood Suites video by HenBasket, which is an EST I don’t know about. I’m not sure if the 4903 Homewood voice evac video is still around as I only saw it once, in 2019.
It is strange but it saves a lot of money when you don’t need to replace the existing devices. If the existing signals work and comply with code, they don’t need to be replaced.
Its usually a design thing, I think. In one of the high schools in the district, they replace Simplex 4903-9101s + 2901-9806 Combos with Wheelock E50s since they look similar in design. (They upgraded to a 4100ES Addressable Voice System)
It is interesting that Simplex offers the option.
Still makes no real sense if Simplex has their own devices that they can use on their own systems.
Wheelock may have paid Simplex to market their devices, the same way many Honeywell brands have datasheets for Wheelock products. I don’t think the newer products are being marketed by either company, which might be why System Sensor devices are becoming more common.
Maybe, but regardless it otherwise makes very little sense if Simplex literally makes their own NAs: if they do why would they need ones from another company? It just doesn’t logically add up.
Simplex did previously rebrand some Wheelock devices using their own model numbering scheme, including the 4903-9235 and 4903-9247. This might be some form of backward compatibility, similar to how Silent Knight continued rebranding Hochiki devices until a few years ago.
Wheelock products are also important for Simplex because they do not manufacture a complete line of outdoor products. For example, there is no outdoor TrueAlert remote horn, speaker, or speaker strobe.
In addition, I have seen some drill videos of System Sensor AVs hooked up to a Simplex 4100U.
Yeah, no idea what’s up with that either.
Maybe as it is voice and just 70v speakers and strobes, it can work with the EST panel. All you need is a speaker output from a CC1 module, and then separate circuits for the strobes and done.