Old Cerberus Pyrotronics voice systems?

Does anyone here know anything about old Cerberus Pyrotronics (pre-MXL) voice systems?
I can’t seem to find much information about them.
I’m particularly interested in what they look like, and the tones/messages.
Here’s a video I found (Edit: this turned out to be an older MXL): https://twitter.com/JennaWennaxo/status/863297830764654592 (this system has mini-horns in the rooms too, but they aren’t sounding, probably because only the speakers were being tested, so they disabled the NAC’s to make it less annoying. This also explains why you don’t see any strobes flashing in the hallways. There was a lot of construction ongoing when this video was taken.)
I can’t seem to find much information, other than a model number for a standalone voice panel: CPV-90.

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To the best of my knowledge, Pyrotronics didn’t offer voice evacuation until the launch of the XL3 system around 1982, which used a card-based system to trigger speaker circuits (which may have actually been controlled by an external VECP–I’m not sure). The first standalone voice system that I know of was the CPV-90, which was introduced sometime in the mid-late 1980s and sold alongside the System 3, 3000 Series Conventional Panels (RARE AF) and INS platforms until the VoiceCom systems launched alongside the IXL, PXL, and SXL platforms in 1992-1993. MXL, FireFinder XLS and Cerberus PRO//Desigo Modular systems have always had integrated voice capabilities available as a field-installed option. The VoiceCom carried on until Siemens began explicitly rebranding the SAFEPATH systems, which have ultimately been phased out in favor of Cerberus PRO and Desigo Integrated Voice functionality built in to their 252/504 point addressable panels.

From what I have seen in the field and gathered from documentation, ALL of the standalone voice panels have been OEM’ed by Wheelock, even while Siemens//Cerberus Pyrotronics was using Faraday signals. A while back, there was a Cerberus Pyrotronics DV-100 message card for sale on eBay. This would have been sold as part of the VoiceCom during the Faraday era. Interestingly, the manuals in the packaging had both Cerberus Pyrotronics AND Wheelock brandings on them.

The Twitter video sounds exactly like a MXLV system. If only we could actually see the signals :expressionless:

The Disney video sounds like it could be a newer MXLV or a FireFinder XLSV system. Again, if only we could get a good look at the signals. Interestingly though, most of the newer, non-voice systems at Disney World (Orlando) use Gentex signals. The voice systems use Siemens or Cerberus Pyrotronics branded speaker-strobes, both of the Faraday and Wheelock varieties.

The DV-100 is a rebranded Wheelock message unit that was used in conjunction with the MXL until 1998, and mounted in an external cabinet.
randomperson Fire Alarms on Instagram: "Cerberus Pyrotronics MXL". The DV-100 is the smaller black panel.
https://youtu.be/ju7oHhIFQWE (message plays 3 times, then slow whoop until silenced.) The other systems described here continuously repeat the tone(s) and message.
The VoiceCom seems to be an original Cerberus Pyrotronics product and looks different, and uses a different message module.
The buildings in the videos in the original post are too large for a VoiceCom.

This video is at Walt Disney World’s Wilderness Lodge resort main building - Copper Creek. (built 1994)
Pull stations are MSI-10B’s.
Detectors are ID-60P’s.
Signals are Wheelock E-7070-WM-24 speaker/strobes. (and GX90 mini-horns in the rooms, but the original post explains why they’re not sounding.)

In 1998, the DMC-1 message card was released. It mounts as a card in the MXL enclosure.

[quote=randomperson post_id=87108 time=1590824374 user_id=3878] [quote=cerbpyro post_id=87105 time=1590800952 user_id=3654] A while back, there was a Cerberus Pyrotronics DV-100 message card for sale on eBay. This would have been sold as part of the VoiceCom during the Faraday era. Interestingly, the manuals in the packaging had both Cerberus Pyrotronics AND Wheelock brandings on them. [/quote]

The DV-100 is a Wheelock voice panel. My school has one rebranded by Cerberus Pyrotronics. It does a different message, in a different sequence. (message plays 3 times, then slow whoop until silenced.) The other systems described here continuously repeat the tone(s) and message.
Here’s a photo of my school’s panel setup. The DV-100 is the smaller black panel. (yes, there’s an MXLV too. It serves different areas. The comments explain the rest of the panel setup. My school has a very odd system.)
The VoiceCom seems to be an original Cerberus Pyrotronics product and looks a bit different.

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I’m going to see if I can reach out to some Siemens experts (chris+s, for example) and confirm, but I’m almost willing to put money on the internals of the VoiceCom being made by Wheelock.

[quote=randomperson post_id=87108 time=1590824374 user_id=3878]

The buildings in the videos in the original post are too large for a DV-100 or VoiceCom.

This video is at Walt Disney World’s Wilderness Lodge resort main building. (1994)
Pull stations are MSI-10B’s.
Detectors are ID-60P’s.
Signals are Wheelock E-7070-WM-24 speaker/strobes. (and GX90 mini-horns in the rooms, but the original post explains why they’re not sounding.)

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If the building was built in 1994 and is addressable, it’s either a MXLV or an IXL with a standalone audio network. XL3 was already NLA by then. Could the voice panel be a CPV-90? Also, the tone and message could very well be custom-spec’ed by Disney. For the life of me, I can’t remember the Cerberus Pyrotronics model number for those speaker/strobes (SS70–SVMT maybe?).

[quote=randomperson post_id=87108 time=1590824374 user_id=3878]

This video is from the BoardWalk resort at Disney. (1996)
Pull stations are MSI-10B’s once again.
Detectors are ILP-1’s.
Signals are Gentex SPK4 speaker/strobes. (and GX90 mini-horns in the rooms, but the rooms that overlook the plaza are very well soundproofed.)

[/quote]

Built in 1996? MXLV or IXL//MXL-IQ with standalone voice. No question there unless the head end was upgraded to a FireFinder XLSV or Cerberus PRO Modular with Voice. It wouldn’t surprise me if the tone/message is a custom-spec for Disney.

[quote=randomperson post_id=87108 time=1590824374 user_id=3878]

This system is definitely not newer. For at least 19 years, Disney has used code-3 on their systems, whether retrofit or new construction.
For instance, here’s an MXL at Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House. (2001.)
(The tones and message in this video are the same ones that the MXL at my school does.)
Devices are the same as at the BoardWalk, except that the detectors are FirePrints. (also, this time, you get to hear the mini-horns, too.)

Also, the XLSV slow whoop sounds like this, and the default message is this (it’s a different voice from the BoardWalk’s system.)

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I’m familiar with both the MXLV and FireFinder XLSV tones and messages. The new Cerberus PRO voice systems (both 252/504 point and Modular) use the FireFinder XLSV tones and messages. Also, the SAFEPATH SP-40S panels (Wheelock rebrands) they offered for a while had Siemens tones/messages instead of the default Wheelock fare.

Just looked it up and Cerberus Pyrotronics rebranded the Wheelock WM speaker/strobes as the
Cerberus Pyrotronics “SPKM-7025R”

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Disney doesn’t customize their messages. Safety comes before show.

[quote=randomperson post_id=87111 time=1590856396 user_id=3878] [quote=cerbpyro post_id=87109 time=1590847004 user_id=3654] Built in 1996? MXLV or IXL//MXL-IQ with standalone voice. No question there unless the head end was upgraded to a FireFinder XLSV or Cerberus PRO Modular with Voice. It wouldn't surprise me if the tone/message is a custom-spec for Disney. [/quote]

Disney doesn’t customize their messages.
I was at the Beach Club (built 1990, upgraded 2011 according to a Notice of Commencement filing) when the system was being tested. (XLS with the usual initiating devices, but old non-ADA Wheelock speaker/strobes, and Gentex GX90 mini-horns in rooms)
It did code-3 and the XLS default message.

I’d say an IXL is looking likely in both cases. Do you have any photos or data sheets of a CPV-90, or whatever voice system would usually be used with an IXL?

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I don’t have any documentation for the CPV-90, but I know from reading the IXL manual that it was the only Cerberus Pyrotronics voice system approved for use with it. The IXL used the INS-EVI module (which was specifically designed to connect to the CPV-90) to interface with it and activate up to (I think) 8 or 10 individual CPV-90 inputs.

I will say though, the 1996 system could very well be using a VoiceCom panel.

[quote=randomperson post_id=87115 time=1590861642 user_id=3878]

Also, I remember peeking into a service corridor at the BoardWalk and seeing several large black cabinets - one looked like an IXL. (at least from the limited viewpoint)

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Ahh okay. The IXL cabinet is definitely distinctive from a MXL cabinet. As for the voice panel, I checked data sheets using the Wayback Machine, and it appears that the VoiceCom launched in 1995. It very well may be a VoiceCom-MML, which is a large-enclosure VoiceCom system with 100 watts of amplifier power onboard. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were some VoiceCom panels (or Wheelock/third-party) set up as booster amplifiers.

I just realized, though, that an IXL can only support 240 initiating devices. Would that be a big enough panel for the building?

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There were also what looked like some System 3 cabinets - and there’s an amplifier module that’s compatible with the CPV-90 and mounts in System 3 cabinets.

[quote=randomperson post_id=87117 time=1590868501 user_id=3878]

There were also what looked like some System 3 cabinets - and there’s an amplifier module that’s compatible with the CPV-90 and mounts in System 3 cabinets.

[/quote]

Ahh okay. That means it’s one of two things:

  1. IXL with a CPV-90 in a System3 cabinet (most likely)
  2. MXLV with a full complement of EL-410D amplifiers in a System3 cabinet
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[quote=cerbpyro post_id=87105 time=1590800952 user_id=3654] The first standalone voice system that I know of was the CPV-90, which was introduced sometime in the mid-late 1980s and sold alongside the System 3, 3000 Series Conventional Panels (RARE AF) and INS platforms until the VoiceCom systems launched alongside the IXL, PXL, and SXL platforms in 1992-1993.

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The College I went to had a whole ton of the Cerberus Pyrotronics System 3s (rebranded Honeywell), mixed in alongside some old Edwards systems and whatnot, as they added on wings and buildings throughout the years. One of my professors, who worked for Honeywell, helped replace that entire mess of systems with a NFS-3030 network system. When I went there for my Fire alarm course, they showed us around too all the panel rooms, and all the System 3s are now scrapped out and used as junction boxes.

[quote=EdwardsFan post_id=87122 time=1590956536 user_id=85] [quote=cerbpyro post_id=87105 time=1590800952 user_id=3654] The first standalone voice system that I know of was the CPV-90, which was introduced sometime in the mid-late 1980s and sold alongside the System 3, 3000 Series Conventional Panels (RARE AF) and INS platforms until the VoiceCom systems launched alongside the IXL, PXL, and SXL platforms in 1992-1993.

[/quote]

The College I went to had a whole ton of the Cerberus Pyrotronics System 3s (rebranded Honeywell), mixed in alongside some old Edwards systems and whatnot, as they added on wings and buildings throughout the years. One of my professors, who worked for Honeywell, helped replace that entire mess of systems with a NFS-3030 network system. When I went there for my Fire alarm course, they showed us around too all the panel rooms, and all the System 3s are now scrapped out and used as junction boxes.

[/quote]

System 3’s rebranded by Honeywell?? I never knew Cerberus Pyrotronics had any Honeywell connections. I gotta see pictures of this…

A shopping center near my house has an MXLV system (installed in the mid-to-late 1990s) which can be heard in this video. The slow whoop tone from the Wilderness Lodge video is almost identical to the tone used at this shopping center, albeit slightly raspier. This leads me to believe that it could indeed be an MXLV, as Steven suggested.

On a semi-related note, it appears that Cerberus Pyrotronics also rebranded voice evac products that were initially manufactured by a Montreal-based company named Electro Vox. I recall reading that Pyrotronics acquired Electro Vox (or Electro Vox’s line of fire alarm products) in the late 1980s, although I have doubts regarding the reliability of this information.

I unfortunately have little information about these Electro Vox/Pyrotronics voice evac systems. Modules from these systems show up on eBay from time to time.

Here’s a grainy photo showing a System 3 paired with what appears to be one of these rebranded Electro Vox voice evac systems. The voice evac setup shown in the picture contains a VM-310 speaker selection module, a VM-301 microphone and a VA-330A trouble module (I believe these are the correct model numbers, but I’m not 100% sure; the three photos and information regarding the model numbers are from past eBay auctions).

The picture shown above is not mine, as evidenced by the watermark in the lower left corner. It was originally posted on the urban exploration website UER, but I’m unable to find the original source.

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[quote="El Chupacabra" post_id=87125 time=1590962606 user_id=2572]

A shopping center near my house has an MXLV system (installed in the mid-to-late 1990s) which can be heard in this video. The slow whoop tone from the Wilderness Lodge video is almost identical to the tone used at this shopping center, albeit slightly raspier. This leads me to believe that it could indeed be an MXLV, as Steven suggested.

On a semi-related note, it appears that Cerberus Pyrotronics also rebranded voice evac products that were initially manufactured by a Montreal-based company named Electro Vox. I recall reading that Pyrotronics acquired Electro Vox (or Electro Vox’s line of fire alarm products) in the late 1980s, although I have doubts regarding the reliability of this information.

I unfortunately have little information about these Electro Vox/Pyrotronics voice evac systems. Modules from these systems show up on eBay from time to time.

Here’s a grainy photo showing a System 3 paired with what appears to be one of these rebranded Electro Vox voice evac systems. The voice evac setup shown in the picture contains a VM-310 speaker selection module, a VM-301 microphone and a VA-330A trouble module (I believe these are the correct model numbers, but I’m not 100% sure; the three photos and information regarding the model numbers are from past eBay auctions).

The picture shown above is not mine, as evidenced by the watermark in the lower left corner. It was originally posted on the urban exploration website UER, but I’m unable to find the original source.

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I definitely suspect that the system is, in fact, a MXLV. By 1996, Cerberus Pyrotronics was starting to phase out the IXL. Also, for a hotel/resort installation, asking an IXL with 240 points to monitor pulls/smokes/sprinklers, run sounder bases in every room, trigger a smorgasbord of strobes and booster panels, AND trigger a voice evacuation panel is a bit much. Don’t get me wrong, IXL’s are excellent panels (as long as they’re installed properly and not abused), but the MXLV was specifically designed for applications like this one.

Concerning the Electro-Vox rebranding and buy-out, I’ve personally never seen any documentation to back it up. I’ve never heard of Electro-Vox, actually. Were they exclusive to Canada?? It would make sense though, especially given the pictures here. I wonder if that Electro-Vox panel is what ultimately became the CPV-90…

[quote=cerbpyro post_id=87128 time=1590972287 user_id=3654] I definitely suspect that the system is, in fact, a MXLV. By 1996, Cerberus Pyrotronics was starting to phase out the IXL. Also, for a hotel/resort installation, asking an IXL with 240 points to monitor pulls/smokes/sprinklers, run sounder bases in every room, trigger a smorgasbord of strobes and booster panels, AND trigger a voice evacuation panel is a bit much. Don't get me wrong, IXL's are excellent panels (as long as they're installed properly and not abused), but the MXLV was specifically designed for applications like this one. [/quote]

I’m pretty sure you’re right about the BoardWalk’s panel being an MXLV. The slow whoop tone at the BoardWalk (3:50 in the second video in my original post) sounds exactly like the higher-quality version in the Rideau Centre video that El Chupacabra posted. (also, I believe the restaurant where the BoardWalk video was taken has Wheelock E50’s rebranded by Siemens. This probably explains the better sound quality.)

As for the raspy tone at the Wilderness Lodge, it’s probably related to the older speaker/strobes. I’m pretty sure the panel is also an MXLV.

(there are no sounder bases in either of these hotels. The rooms have individual smoke alarms, and mini-horns. The hotels are still large buildings - too large for an IXL.)

[quote=cerbpyro post_id=87128 time=1590972287 user_id=3654]

Concerning the Electro-Vox rebranding and buy-out, I’ve personally never seen any documentation to back it up. I’ve never heard of Electro-Vox, actually. Were they exclusive to Canada?? It would make sense though, especially given the pictures here. I wonder if that Electro-Vox panel is what ultimately became the CPV-90…

[/quote]

I haven’t come across any documentation about this acquisition either, which leads me to question whether Pyrotronics actually acquired Electro Vox; I’ve only seen people mention this online on a few occasions. Unfortunately, information about Electro Vox is nearly impossible to find. I’m pretty sure, however, that there were at least some ties between the two companies.

Most Electro Vox/Pyrotronics voice evac parts I’ve seen on eBay were sold from the US, suggesting that these products were not exclusive to Canada.

[quote="El Chupacabra" post_id=87135 time=1591010757 user_id=2572] [quote=cerbpyro post_id=87128 time=1590972287 user_id=3654]

Concerning the Electro-Vox rebranding and buy-out, I’ve personally never seen any documentation to back it up. I’ve never heard of Electro-Vox, actually. Were they exclusive to Canada?? It would make sense though, especially given the pictures here. I wonder if that Electro-Vox panel is what ultimately became the CPV-90…

[/quote]

I haven’t come across any documentation about this acquisition either, which leads me to question whether Pyrotronics actually acquired Electro Vox; I’ve only seen people mention this online on a few occasions. Unfortunately, information about Electro Vox is nearly impossible to find. I’m pretty sure, however, that there were at least some ties between the two companies.

Most Electro Vox/Pyrotronics voice evac parts I’ve seen on eBay were sold from the US, suggesting that these products were not exclusive to Canada.

[/quote]

Hmm…I bet the CPV-90 was all just rebranded Electro Vox equipment. I’ll have to do some digging and see what I can find out about them. Also, I just looked at that picture of the System 3 and realized that it appears to be an older CP-30 system, but with the later Cerberus Pyrotronics braidings/logos. Also, the beige cabinets match the XL3. Does anyone on here know when the CP-35 replaced the CP-30? I know it had happened by 1991 at the absolute latest, but I’ve never found any CP-30 documents with dates on them.

I just came across some Pyrotronics-branded Electro Vox components on eBay. Unlike the parts featured in the photos I previously posted, these Pyrotronics-branded parts are all black and feature some very slight differences with respect to the indicators and controls.

Here are a few of the components:

  • VM-321 voice/tone control module (I believe this module can be seen at the right of the voice evac system’s cabinet in the photo I previously posted)
  • VA-300A trouble module (looks like I was wrong about the model number in my initial post)
  • VMN-301A microphone (once again, the model number in my initial post was wrong)
  • VM-310A speaker selection module
  • Telephone module
  • WPN-301 warden’s page module
[quote="El Chupacabra" post_id=87185 time=1592222113 user_id=2572]

I just came across some Pyrotronics-branded Electro Vox components on eBay. Unlike the parts featured in the photos I previously posted, these Pyrotronics-branded parts are all black and feature some very slight differences with respect to the indicators and controls.

Here are a few of the components:

  • VM-321 voice/tone control module (I believe this module can be seen at the right of the voice evac system’s cabinet in the photo I previously posted)
  • VA-300A trouble module (looks like I was wrong about the model number in my initial post)
  • VMN-301A microphone (once again, the model number in my initial post was wrong)
  • VM-310A speaker selection module
  • Telephone module
  • WPN-301 warden’s page module

[/quote]

Thanks for these links! I’ve never seen those before.

All of these components look like they’re built to fit inside a System3 cabinet. Lord, if only we could find the data sheets…

[quote=cerbpyro post_id=87109 time=1590847004 user_id=3654] The new Cerberus PRO voice systems (both 252/504 point and Modular) use the FireFinder XLSV tones and messages.

[/quote]

The wording is the same but the voice is different.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ARSRmwr-jpk