External Sounder and Strobe Units

Transcription

1 Texecom Product Profile External Sounder and Strobe Units Products: Odyssey Series: Odyssey 1, Odyssey 2 & Odyssey 3 External Sounder and Strobe Units Description of Use: Intended Market: The Odyssey Series is a revolutionary range of external sounder and strobe units. Each incorporating twin piezo sounders, powerful stroboscopic light, strong 3mm-polycarbonate construction with triple tamper detection and IP65 sealed advanced microprocessor electronics. Including amongst a host of exceptional features a unique patented safety engineer hold-off facility to aid installation and servicing. Any residential, commercial, light industrial or industrial premises. World-wide patents pending 1

2 Product Background: External sounder and strobe units (or bell boxes as they are commonly known) have long been used to externally signal an alarm by producing a high volume sound and a visual indication of an alarm occurring. Bell boxes also act as a deterrent to would be thieves as they indicate that the premises have a security system installed. Because they are located on the outside of the premises, bell boxes have to cope with adverse weather conditions and, due to their relatively easy accessibility, an increased risk of tampering. The current solution to adverse weather conditions consists of coating the electronic circuitry with a silicon based seal in an attempt to waterproof, this combined with an inner cover surrounding the electronics to limit the amount of water that can come into contact. The disadvantage with silicon coating is that it cannot seal metal contacts such as connection terminals because the seal would have to be applied after the electronics had been installed. No inner cover designs completely seal the electronics, particularly around the exposed terminal connections. With being exposed, the terminals are likely to corrode and lose conduction, especially in coastal areas where the water will contain a greater amount of salt. Due to the increased risk of tampering, bell boxes always have some form of tamper detection and are self-activating. This means that on detection of a tamper, bell boxes sound an alarm irrespective of the alarm control panel. Bell boxes also include an internal battery and will sound an alarm if the power supply from the control panel is removed, for example, if the wire connections were deliberately cut. Because there are no methods for deactivating the tamper arrangement, bell boxes have the common problem of being difficult to service by bona fide engineers as the alarm sounds when the outer cover is removed. The only option for the engineer is to open the bell box and remove both the power from the control panel and from the in built battery in order to silence the alarm. As bell boxes generate a high volume alarm, this will cause damage to the engineer s hearing and may cause dizziness and nausea which can be dangerous, particularly whilst using a ladder. 2

3 Product Brief: To design a range of innovative high quality external sounder and strobe units that overcome the problems of weatherproofing and servicing whilst being easy to install, have a high sounder volume, a highly visible strobe, low cost and be fully tamper proof. Product Solution: Each Odyssey fulfils the product brief by containing the following unique features: 1. Completely Sealed Electronics. Each Odyssey contains completely sealed electronics, fully complying with IP65. The unique terminal block cover allows easy access to the terminals and seals around each individual wire. As access into the inner cover is not required, the Odyssey Series remains easy to install whilst completely sealing the entire electronics module. Because of the weatherproof design combined with the high quality 3mm polycarbonate construction, the Odyssey Series are the only bell boxes that come with a 5-year guarantee. 3

4 2. Unique Patented Safety Engineer Hold-Off Mode. Each Odyssey uses advanced microprocessor technology to control the functionality of the bell box. A unique engineer hold-off system allows an installation engineer to install and service the bell box without setting off the alarm, disabling the self-activation on tamper function. Most control panels have a method for the engineer to test the siren and the strobe. An engineer can use these panel outputs to communicate with an Odyssey in order to invoke the hold-off mode. Alternatively, if the control panel does not have these facilities, the signals can be generated manually from inside of the control panel. In either respect, only a bona fide engineer can cause an Odyssey to enter hold-off mode because the panel output signals can only be produced after the engineer has entered the engineer code into the control panel. The Odyssey Series are the first and only bell boxes that have this communication facility and can allow an engineer access without diminishing the tamper security of the system. Unset Panel Remove Bell Box Front Cover Danger! High Volume Alarm Danger! Bell Box Self -Activates Danger! High Voltage Strobe Remove All Power Sources Figure 1: Standard Bell Box Servicing Routine Service Bell Box Unset Panel Enter Odyssey into Hold-Off Mode Open Odyssey Front Cover Figure 2: Odyssey Servicing Routine Service Odyssey 4

5 3. An Unrivalled Specification. As well as overcoming the problems all other bell boxes currently encounter, the Odyssey Series boasts an outstanding overall specification. A 1W strobe combined with a specially designed multifaceted lens creates a powerful visual indicator. All strobes produce hazardous voltages. As well as having the electronics completely sealed, each Odyssey includes dual circuit safety interlocks. When the strobe is deactivated, a final flash is invoked to discharge the high voltage. Back-up circuitry guarantees discharge of the high voltage within three minutes. For tamper detection, high quality microswitches are used to detect lid, screw and wall tamper. The wall tamper uses a unique diving board mechanical solution. The dual tamper microswitch sits on a plastic lever that is screwed to the wall. If the unit is pulled from the wall, the lever causes the microswitch to open causing the tamper to be detected. This method allows for secure, easy installation because the tamper lever is adjustable and can account for any uneven wall surface. 5

6 Twin piezo sounders are fitted as standard for a high volume alarm. They are both fitted onto designated acoustic cones that channel the sound waves for increased volume. Each Odyssey can be used as a self-contained bell (SCB) if the option is selected. In this mode the unit draws the majority of its sounding current from the built in nicad battery rather than from the control panel, allowing for the connection of multiple Odyssey s to the one control panel. Summary: A breakthrough in bell box design, the Odyssey Series is unique in design, concept and performance, being the first interactive bell boxes with full environmental protection. The communication facility to activate the unique patented hold-off feature is a brand new technology developed wholly by Texecom for use in this application. Nothing like this has previously been seen in the security industry. The Odyssey Series are the first bell boxes to contain full environmental protection and can be used in the most extreme of climatic conditions. 6