Does anyone remember that old TwoPlyBoy video where there’s an Edwards Adaptahorn going off in short chirps and then a red SpectrAlert Classic horn is shown going off in short chirps above a red fire engine? It’s a very nostalgic video for me. Reply if you remember it!
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I might, I used to watch a lot of his videos as a kid–including those on a high-rise apartment building with a Mircom FX system and some government facility (local city hall) with a French voice message.
I don’t remember that at all, but I do remember a video where he was doing testing at an ice rink that had a 4001. The system, as you might expect, had bells with no visual signals whatsoever, but somewhat-unexpectedly it also had a security system who’s siren went off once he activated the fire alarm system! (which is illegal according to twoplyboy)
Really wish some of these could be watched again somehow (also wish twoplyboy would not only come back but also re-enable comments on his videos).
I remember the video with the Adaptahorns in the fire station. The panel was an Edwards 6500 Mk II, and it was configured for two-stage operation (20 pulses per minute for first stage and 120 pulses for second stage). It’s rather unusual to see two-stage systems in buildings of such a small size.
One of my favourite videos from his channel featured a school with a Simplex 4002. The pull stations were bilingual 4251s, and the signals were flush-mounted 4051 horns. The horns sounded fantastic in continuous.
Coincidentally, that’s my local city hall—I was there just two days ago as I regularly park in the underground garage. The bilingual evacuation message on that system is certainly unique. I don’t know whether the panel has been upgraded since those videos were filmed (it was a 4100U at the time), but the devices on the system remain the same; the only change I’ve noticed is that ceiling-mount Wheelock RSS strobes have been installed in certain elevator lobbies.
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Funnily enough I know of a video very similar to that one, only the horns are some other kind of Simplex mechanical horn & pulse in temporal 3 (& then sound in Temporal 7, Temporal 4, etc. after twoply sets the 4002 in walk test mode, though maybe it was in walk test from the start: had no idea that the 4002 has pulsed walk test actually). Here it is (I know there was once a first part where he walked around the building, showing off the horns, which also showed what they were, which is why I don’t know what they are exactly: wanna say 9838s judging by the sound in the part that still exists):
I wonder if that’s that one video I remember where he plays a bilingual English/French testing message over a system’s speakers. I distinctly remember him walking out to one of the speakers (which was seemingly a standard tan/brown-colored ceiling speaker rather than a red or white fire alarm speaker) from the panel room after activating the message, & that the French portion started with “Attention, attention” before continuing in French that I couldn’t understand (& that by the time that part started twoply had his camera pointed directly up at the speaker).
have you been to some of the buildings that he filmed?
Off the top of my head, I can only think of three other buildings that I’ve visited:
- The first one is the mall featured in these videos—I’ve been going to that mall since I was born. It underwent a renovation a few years ago, but the fire alarm system is the same as it was when the videos were filmed.
- The second one is a large recreation complex that was shown in a video that is no longer available. The system was a two-stage EST3 with a mix of Genesis and Integrity horn/strobes.
- The third one is a train station that was featured in one of his bell test videos (no longer available). It had a Secutron MR-2900 system with Wheelock MT horns and Mircom MS-401 pull stations.
There are a few other buildings that appeared in his videos that I recognize but have never visited (the building shown in the Edwards 8500 bell test video, for instance).
I remember the first part of that video. The horns were indeed 9838s (12901-9801s). The video started in the school’s gym; if I recall correctly, there were about eight horns in the gym.
The panel seems to be set to zone coding (or simple coding, as the 4002 manual calls it). Here’s how it’s described in the manual (and here’s a demonstration):
a. If “simple coding” is programmed in your system to identify the zone where a fire condition exists, a zone code repeats on the alarm signals until the alarm is silenced.
b. If a Walk Test is being performed, a zone code sounds once on the alarm signals before the panel automatically resets itself.
This was indeed from the same system—there were a few videos showing it in action, notably a three-part bell test where the system was heard in alarm. The building mainly uses a mix of round 8” speakers, like the one you described, and Simplex-branded Atlas speakers.
Really? Well how about that…
Ah, yeah/okay.
Ah. Really does stink that so many of these classic videos are no longer available to watch (you don’t suppose enough time has passed since they were initially posted that twoply could un-private them without the building owners complaining again do you? (especially since a lot of them don’t really show too much as far as I know/remember).
Another part of that video I remember is the very end of the message (can’t remember the rest aside from maybe “Attention, attention, we are now testing the fire alarm system”): “Thank you for your cooperation”.
By the way Chupa, do you remember the aforementioned ice rink video? (another one that I thought I’d mention was at a supposed exercise place/gym with, you guessed it, more bells! No idea if this video is still up or not, but I remember it semi-well)
Yes, I remember it well. The system had bilingual Simplex FM950 pull stations and 2901-9720 bells. I found it interesting that the panel was a traditional 4001 rather than the smaller ULC model (which may have been released later).
So do I: kinda wish I could watch it again.
Yep: distinctly remember those Simplex-rebranded “tab”-style pulls (no idea who makes them originally though).
Oh yeah…
(forgot to say this the first time/originally) Just goes to show how much Edwards is a cut above the rest!
What about that exercise place/gym video I mentioned as well?
There was a video that started in an area with an indoor track and fitness equipment. Is this the one you’re thinking of? That building had an Edwards Custom 6500; the signals were mainly 6” Adaptabels (a defective bell appeared at the beginning of the clip) that sounded in continuous.
Although I’ve never been to that facility, I recognize it—it was a large private athletic club in my area. It opened in 1976 and closed in 2020 due to the pandemic (it has since been converted into a warehouse). The system was upgraded after that video was filmed, as photos of the facility in its later years of operation show an EST QuickStart panel and Edwards MB6-24 bells.
Yep, that’s it: I distinctly remember the track right in front of the camera at the beginning, along with I think monitors & treadmills off to the left & a wall of mirrors & one of the bells to the right.
Ah. Oh yeah: I remember a video where twoply used a screwdriver to tap the gong of a non-functional bell to confirm it wasn’t working (not sure if it was this same one though).
Really? Huh, interesting.
Heh, how about that: even though it was upgraded the signals stayed bells!
I know in Grand Bend, Ontario, the OPP detatchment has an Edwards 6500 MK II, and it is a very small building.
The last one I saw in service was a condo building we do, installed in 1990, unfortunatley died in 2022. It would have been replaced this year had it not died anyways. I took the 456 annunciators, but didn’t bother with the FACP, it kept sending false alarms out.