Hello there. My 12 year old
son is a fire alarm enthusiast. He recently was gifted the panel pictured from a technician. We have little idea what we are looking at. Can anyone help?
son is a fire alarm enthusiast. He recently was gifted the panel pictured from a technician. We have little idea what we are looking at. Can anyone help?
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Welcome to The Forums! That is a very old and rare Simplex panel that I don’t know much about, but I’m sure someone else on here can help you. I did want to say that you should be careful not to damage that black plate that everything is mounted to, as there is a high chance it is made of asbestos.
Yeah, what aerhardt said: that’s some kind of old, probably 1950s or 1960s-era, fire alarm control panel. I for one have no idea if it’s specifically a Simplex one since most from that era look very similar, but it’s not really ideal for a first panel as they’re somewhat-difficult to use (especially since most output currents other than 24VDC).
I unfortunately cannot provide much help, but please do make sure your son is cautious as those panels have 120VAC as its standard rate without any step down, so any contact over two parts could result in shock. I would recommend a different first panel due to the voltage as most modern devices are designed for 24VAC.
It is a wonderful and rare panel, but be careful.
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Yes, not to mention the fact that the circuitry is largely exposed, which of course is another electrical shock hazard.
I would recommend the same. If you wanted to sell it, I’m sure another enthusiast would buy it for a good price to help you towards buying a newer panel.
If you look at the ammeter, it has a Simplex logo.
Bruh I’m so jealous for your son. Nobody gets that as a first fire alarm
I’m honestly not sure I would be in comparison considering how difficult those really old panels are to use, how potentially dangerous they can be if you’re not careful (mainly because of all the exposed circuitry & how limited it is design-wise), & the fact that most output something other than 24VDC. They’re definitely good to preserve, no doubt about that, & they definitely also make good display pieces, but they’re not exactly ideal for the average enthusiast demo setup.
go to oldschoolfirealarms.com and ask your question there under the contact page. in fact, the guy behind that site is active on here under the name @SpockKirk-1701
I can identify this panel as a Simplex 4200