The Big Green's Fire Alarm Collection

Here’s my fire alarm collection. I started collecting since July 2011 and it has become quite a collection!
While it’s not as big as Andrew’s or Destin’s, I still think there is a bit of diversity here.

I will be displaying the devices in the order I received them.

Wheelock 34T. I bought it as a 7002T, but the strobe did not work for some reason. I took it off, and I still have the strobe body. It runs unpredictable and choppy on 18 volts DC, but smooth and ultra-loud on 30 VDC.

Simplex T-bar. This is the conventional version, and I had to get the key separate. It’s a pretty trim pull station, but my only complaint is the terminal strip. It’s golden and is shaped like a “Y” wit the two ends being the screws. It’s super annoying to hook up, and one of the screws broke off!

Space Age AV32. I got this from none other than Andrew himself! It has a built-in flasher circuit, which makes it blink even on continuous voltage. This one does not have a terminal strip, probably so it could be screwed in with the horn. BTW, this is my favorite alarm!

Gentex SHG. At this time, it is broken. The thin wires that attach the piezo to the circuit board broke off, and the only way to fix it is to solder it back. I’m just too busy to fix it. The strobe is super bright, and it was made in 1999. It is super loud on 9 volts alone, but it a bit quieter on 30 volts. Maybe it’s the same decibel rating for any voltage. Maybe I should check the data sheet.

Fire Lite BG-12. In my opinion, every fire alarm collector should have this pull station. It’s super simple to hook up, and is very appealing in appearance. If you’ve never seen any of these before, shame on you. They are everywhere.

Edwards heat detectors. I got these from a friend. I have not activated these yet, and probably never will until a grand finale or something. In fact, I think one of them is already activated! It might be the one on the right.

Fire-Lite BG-10. I have two of these. Very simple to activate, but challenging to reset. The hex terminal on one of them is stripped, and I will probably key it. The terminal strip is okay, and it has a place for a break rod.

Air Products key switch. The company that made this also makes duct detectors. This would probably be its companion. The PILOT and ALARM LEDs are wired separately (unlike an annunciator, where you need a panel to make it work) and it contains a key. I don’t have a key, but I’ll probably make one soon. I have two of these.

System Sensor MASS. This is the older one due to the older FIRE lettering. The strobe is moderately bright, but the previous owner lost the jumpers so I can’t change tones. I’ll probably solder switches to the circuit board where the previous jumpers were.

Wheelock MT. Surprisingly, this was going to be my first alarm. But I couldn’t get it because the sale ended. It doesn’t use jumpers, instead it uses a dip switch to change tones. It’s really loud and really bright.

Whew, that took longer than I expected.

Any comments?

Your heat detectors have not been activated.

If they say 281B or 282B you’ll be fine, those are Fixed / Rate Of Rise. Just be careful heating them so you don’t melt the fixed sensor.

If the rate of rise sensor activates, the disc in the center bends slightly to trip the alarm, then when it cools, bends back into position.

If the fixed sensor activates, the disc in the center would fall out completely.

Wait, so you’re saying if it’s Rate of Rise, I can activate it over and over again?

Thanks for the info! :mrgreen:

Yeah! Also, you can push up on the disc to trip it manually.