Yay! There are still some electromechanical alarms that haven’t been junked yet! 
There’s been a SpectrAlert Advance weatherproof horn/strobe mounted outside the middle enterance. As far as I know there are no others in or out of the school. My assumption is that it’s a sprinkler alarm for when sprinklers ever get activated. Or it’s outdoor notification, but they could’ve just used a speaker/strobe.
It’s red with FIRE lettering/clear strobe; it’s outside the building with the new MNS system.
Sprinkler alarm
The lone Simplex clock in one of my school’s classrooms started buzzing (making a really deep drilling sound) randomly earlier this week. Every other clock is a larger Sapling or Dukane brand. It went off at 11:00, and the time stopped for about a minute before it ran again.
The clock model number is 804-100. It is the only simplex-branded clock in the school afaik
Do you know why it went off randomly and what happened after it stopped?
[quote="Simplex 4051" post_id=83211 time=1551136655 user_id=18]
Do you know why it went off randomly and what happened after it stopped?
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Old bell time maybe? I’ve never heard any clocks buzz before that day. The buzzer (I assume is mounted inside the clock because all the classroom clocks are put on wall PA speakers) sounded really dead and I thought it was coming from outside the classroom for a split second.
At least it tells me that Simplex used to dominate my whole school before Cerberus Pyrotronics stepped their foot into the ring. That horn plate from earlier was most likely a 40xx series horn.
[quote=idontwannaknow post_id=83206 time=1551069939 user_id=3956]
The lone Simplex clock in one of my school’s classrooms started buzzing (making a really deep drilling sound) randomly earlier this week. Every other clock is a larger Sapling or Dukane brand. It went off at 11:00, and the time stopped for about a minute before it ran again.
The clock model number is 804-100. It is the only simplex-branded clock in the school afaik
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I got curious because I do not recognize the number 804-100 as a clock model number. A search turned up a clock for sale on Ebay under that same number. Luckily there was a picture of the back of the clock. 804-100 is the number for the schematic drawing of the electronics in the clock. Everything at Simplex has a number, including drawings. 804-### drawings apply to clocks like 841-### drawings apply to fire alarm equipment.
The schematic shows an electronically corrected clock with an internal buzzer. It is operated by adding an audio frequency to the power circuits. Different frequencies are used for clock correction and buzzer operation.
Without any more information about the clock system I cannot give any more of an explanation of what is happening. I don’t know if the system is using Simplex correction timing and if it is an electronic system. It is possible the insides of the clock has been modified to operate on another brand of system.
Did anybody do anything about the buzzing or did you all just ignore it?
[quote="Simplex 4051" post_id=83218 time=1551209199 user_id=18]
Did anybody do anything about the buzzing or did you all just ignore it?
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We just ignore it. It actually happened again, and it just seems to happen every day at 10:58 CST. The clock itself stops for a minute after the buzz and then runs again.
So does it run a minute behind since it loses time for that period?
[quote=idontwannaknow post_id=83220 time=1551241782 user_id=3956]
We just ignore it. It actually happened again, and it just seems to happen every day at 10:58 CST. The clock itself stops for a minute after the buzz and then runs again.
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Now we have a fact I can explain. Every hour at X:57:54 the master clock activates the correction coil on the right side of the clock movement (see picture below) with an 8 second pulse. That triggers a 1 minute mechanical correction cycle in the movement. The coil may audibly buzz during the 8 seconds. If the clock is in exact synchronization with the master clock nothing will be seen at the wall clock.
However, if the motor is dragging the clock may loose a little time. In that case the second hand will stop while the 1 minute mechanical cycle runs in the movement. At X:59:00 the minute hand may be seen to jump forward to the 59th minute. There may be an audible click as the correction mechanism completes the cycle and releases the second hand. The wall clock is in sync with the master clock again.
At 5:57:54 AM and PM the master clock sends a 14 second pulse. That engages a second phase of correction that will cause any clock more than an hour slow to catch up those hours. A clock that was behind more than 1 hour will be a few minutes behind until the next hourly correction at 6:57:54.
Thank you so much! This explained everything,
Its really cool that the clock was configured to do that! That is very neat!
Caught this once-in-a-lifetime picture.
The new addition at my school is being constructed, and with it came this outdoor study/hangout area. The space had two holes for notification and each space was fitted with two Siemens weatherproofed speaker/strobes! I thought this was really cool, the worker screwed in the appliance and they tugged at the mounting box to make sure the thing wouldn’t be vandalized or fall off.
Theres a fourth floor/rooftop space that is also planned to have stuff and will EVEN HAVE A FIREPLACE! They’re doing a really good job at making the extention homely- oh back on topic theres a speaker/strobe mounted up there too.
Wow it sounds like your school is really getting a comfortable upgrade!
[quote=idontwannaknow post_id=83236 time=1551391120 user_id=3956]
Theres a fourth floor/rooftop space that is also planned to have stuff and will EVEN HAVE A FIREPLACE! They’re doing a really good job at making the extention homely- oh back on topic theres a speaker/strobe mounted up there too.
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Excuse me, this is a high school you’re talking about??
I thought my high school was luxurious but only because it was a Career and Technical High School…
[quote=EdwardsFan post_id=83292 time=1552439695 user_id=85]
[quote=idontwannaknow post_id=83236 time=1551391120 user_id=3956]
Theres a fourth floor/rooftop space that is also planned to have stuff and will EVEN HAVE A FIREPLACE! They’re doing a really good job at making the extention homely- oh back on topic theres a speaker/strobe mounted up there too.
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Excuse me, this is a high school you’re talking about??
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Yep. I’m not going to reveal the school name due to privacy’s sake but its up there with the highest ranked schools in the US.
Anyways to update, the old Simplex alarm removal process has been going very smooth. There are no more Simplex horn/strobes, pull stations, smoke detectors, etc in the hallways, It’s all Siemens now. They had just finished up with the 8000s [third floor]. The first strobes in some classrooms and bathrooms are finally being removed and covered after a semester and a half. It looks weird to see my 8th period math class have nothing on the wall lol.
[quote=cerbpyro post_id=83151 time=1550445697 user_id=3654]
[quote=cerbpyro post_id=82002 time=1539479591 user_id=3654]
I have been singing professionally with a church choir in my area for just over a month now, and we had a fire alarm test last week during and after rehearsal, so here’s the system. The church is one large building made up of four distinct structures, all of which were recently connected to form the one large structure. By far, the notification appliances are the most interesting part.
System Control—Full Campus
-Simplex 4100ES—Main Control Panel (probably in a boiler or electrical room somewhere)
Simplex 4100-9607+4100-1292—4100ES Remote Command Center w/ Voice Capabilities (Main Vestibule)
Simplex 4603-9101—Remote Annunciators (I’ve seen three scattered around the campus)
Initiation Devices
…
Christian Education Wing+Small Chapel
Simplex 4251-20 Pull Stations
Simplex 4098-9788+4098-9601 TrueAlarm Conventional Smoke Sensors (probably replacing older sensors)
Notification Devices
…
Christian Education Wing+Small Chapel
Simplex 2901-9838+4903-9101 Horn/Strobe Plates
Simplex 4904-9101 Remote Strobes
Temporal 3 Coding, Strobes Flash Continuously
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UPDATE
As of this weekend, the music and administrative wing have had a full upgrade.
System Control
Simplex 4100-9607+4100-1292—4100ES Remote Command Center w/ Voice Capabilities (Entrance to music department—replacing a 4603-9101)
Initiation Devices
Simplex 4099-9004 Pull Stations
Simplex 4098-9792+4098-9714 TrueAlarm Addressable Smoke Sensors
Notification Devices
Simplex TrueAlert 4906-9153 Speaker/Strobes
Simplex TrueAlert 4906-9101 Remote Strobes
All AT and System Sensor devices in this part of the campus have been removed*
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UPDATE 2
Welp…the part of the upgrade I hoped wouldn’t happen is finally happening. I stopped by work today and SimplexGrinnell was there in force. I walked into the vestibule of the Christian Ed Wing+Small Chapel and I saw a SimplexGrinnell tech sticking an address label on a brand new Simplex 4099-9004 pull station. The new pull is replacing a 4251-20. I walked into the first floor hallway and saw the new TrueAlert speaker/strobes on the walls. I looked up on the wall next to me and the 2901-9838+4903-9101 that had been there was gone and the backbox was covered. I started looking around and realized all the old signals and devices were gone and new, shiny TrueAlert 4906-9153s, TrueAlert 4906-9101s, TrueAlarm 4098-9792+4098-9714s, and 4099-9004s are either in their places or surface-mounted in new places.
Oh well… 
Yeah that is something that does suck so I feel for you.