I've started a fire alarm collection!

Today the college Fine Arts building staff let me have a couple of alarms out of their box of old fire alarm parts! (They also have an old Simplex clock there, but it was broken.) Here is what I have so far, and I plan to soon add more to the collection once I have the money. And I only plan to display them, not set them off (like TrueAlertSS and Firefly usually do).


Faraday 6020 horn. This is the same kind of horn as the Simplex 2901-9833. It is rather old, and has a bit of paint chipped too, but I’m sure if I tested it, it’d sound fine.


Tag on the horn.


Unusual retrofit plate of some sort. It may be a Simplex model, but it could be Faraday’s knock-off of the 4050-80. It’s the same size as a 2903 light plate, and would apparently mount the same way too (it was broken when I got it, though.) Maybe it was actually meant for bells or something.


Here’s one way a horn can be mounted on it.


The other method for installing it. Looks rather awkward this way. I can’t picture any of these having been in the Fine Arts building or whatever.


My favorite alarm in my collection so far: a Simplex 2903-9001 light plate!


The back, which reveals it is the light version.


The tag info.


Both retrofit plates next to each other.


The light plate with a Simplex 2901-9833 on it (a.k.a. my Faraday 6020 horn.)


Side view.


An alternate variation, where I popped the lens out of the light plate, then popped it back in the other way around!

Any comments?

Thats a pretty nice starter! I bet ur happy to have those items, as you are a Simplex fan.

As for my collection, I sadly won’t be expanding it anytime soon due to limited budget.

Nice. I hope to hear how it sounds soon.

Cool, I can’t wait to see what else you add to it! I’m surprised the school didn’t give you any Standard horn/lights. Are there any of those left slated to be removed? :wink:

I’m afraid not. :frowning: The only building with any left is the Student Union. But they have newer strobes retrofitted onto where the lights once were.

congrats on the new alarms. Looks like your 2903 was never installed as the leads look untwisted.

Got a few more tidbits…

Another Simplex 2903 light plate, a Simplex 4050-80 light plate (with replacement lens and no light circut on the back, the one pictured I put my old Faraday 6020 horn on it), a Simplex 2098-9536 smoke detector base and another one of those mysterious light plates with another Faraday 6020 horn on it.

If anyone’s interested, I may be selling one of the 6020 horns and a 2903 light plate. PM me if interested.

It turns out these are meant to be scrap and should be thrown out in the future, so I managed to salvage some of these just in case. I’m sure they won’t mind in THAT case.

Could you please snap a picture comparing the backs of the mystery plate and the 4050-80?

I could, but like I said; the light circuitry is missing on the back of both of them.

I dont care… can you do it anyway?

Can and done!

And while I’m here, here is a picture of the strange retrofit plate and the 2903 light plate together… they both seem quite similar. Hmm…

Whoa damn the 4050-80 has a much simpler design than my 4050-84… doesn’t it kinda look like the light could be installed in a backbox with a Decora (R) style coverplate, to make a remote light? As for the strange plate, I now want one lol, but I know I probably can’t have one.

Maybe you could, if you unscrewed the light circuitry from your 4050-84 onto it, but it would be a hassle to switch between alarms. But then again, it’s just screwing (I think.) I could sell you one if you are interested. Since you already have two 2901-9833s, then you don’t really need a Faraday 6020.

That and I don’t want another 9833! My 4050-84 was actually dual bulb but one light burned out so I converted the signal to single bulb. I still have the lampholder though so all I would need is another lightbulb…

Those lightbulbs are pretty cheap and can easily be found at RadioShack. In fact, it uses the same bulb as the 2903 and SAE AV32.

Got some more new bits for my fire alarm collection, courtesy of an old throwout box in the Humanities building (good thing the custodian said they were planning on getting rid of these!)


I got three of these Simplex 4251-20 pull stations! Hopefully I can try and get a B-key so I can pull and reset these as I like!


I also got a Standard 200177 pull station! The back is missing though, but not a big deal for me, as I only like to display these. VERY tough to pull (I can see why they’re replacing them at my college!)


System Sensor 2451TH smoke detector. I like this because of how I see quite a bit of these at the college and at the office my psychologist works at!


Faraday retrofit strobe plate. You’ll notice I put one of my Faraday 6020 horns on it. If I’m not mistaken, this used to be in the Humanities building along with several others with the Simplex 4051 horns retrofitted onto them before the building was renovated. They still have one like this at the Administration building with a 4051 horn on it.


My alarm collection so far.

I now have a Simplex 2901-9806 fire horn in my collection! (I traded thesdx one of my Faraday 6020s for it.)


2901-9806 on my 4050-80.


On my 2903-9001 light plate.


My alarm collection so far now.

It looks cool when placed on the 4050-80 plate, although it looks more “at home” when you put it on the 2903 plate.

Got a few more things for my fire alarm collection recently…


Simplex 4255 heat detector. I got this from my college’s Fine Arts building, since the technical director kindly saved it for me (they replaced it with a new System Sensor/Notifier smoke detector.)


Close-up of the tag info. I think Simplex rebranded these from the 1960s up until probably the early 1980s.


The heat detector on its side.


I also now have a Simplex 4251-30 pull station in my collection, thanks to TrueAlertSS! Here it is next to one of my 4251-20s.


Both pull stations opened. Some things are different from the 4251-20 and some things aren’t.


Now my alarm collection is REALLY growing!

Nice heat detector, I think twoplyboy on youtube has some video of one that was in a fire (and didn’t make it out “alive” :frowning: )