System Sensor has done a complete redesign of its Voltage Drop Calculator. Developed as a standalone application that users download to their computers, this new, user-friendly tool enables users to quickly plan and model notification appliance circuits (NACs) using the entire line of SpectrAlert Advance notification appliances and legacy devices.

The application’s simple step-by-step format makes it easy for users to create NACs from a variety of devices to meet nearly any application requirement. The three main steps involved in creating a circuit can be done systematically or independently, and updates/changes are done as users move through the program.

In Step One, users create a panel or list of panels. The panels are generic in nature, but have defined characteristics such as DC or FWR power supplies. Step Two is where users create and name each NAC connected to the panel. In Step Three, users select the devices to add to the circuit from a series of product categories in a drop-down format.

The step-by-step process allows users to accurately calculate the voltage drops along a NAC by analyzing each device on the circuit and determining if enough operating voltage is available at each device location. This is clearly visible as changes or adjustments to the criteria are entered. The “Used Amps” bar, for example, graphically shows how much power is being used by each circuit.

The Device Listing and Device Ruler visually produce the NAC as it evolves. Users can move devices by dragging and dropping them to the preferred distance from the previous devices.

The tool calculates voltage drop based on wire resistance, circuit distance, filtered vs. unfiltered panels, device settings and distances between devices. It enables users to build a NAC that can be printed or e-mailed, for review by a co-worker, for submission to the Authority Having Jurisdiction or for the job file. The printing feature accommodates multiple types of submission forms. In fact, there are five different print options: Print the entire page, or print a particular panel or circuit with all the wire gauge possibilities or only selected wire gauges.

The new Voltage Drop Calculator is loaded with powerful and useful features. One feature of particular interest is that each project can be saved individually and shared as needed. Users decide how files are handled: They can start fresh with a New Project, or go to an Open Project (saved project). Job details and user preferences can be saved for each project, and all design work is accessible on one page.

Finally, to keep the tool up-to-date with the most current System Sensor device data, this Adobe Air-based application automatically searches for updates every time it is opened or any time users click the Check for Updates button while connected to the Internet.

The Voltage Drop Calculator can be quickly downloaded at www.systemsensor.com/volt/.

New notification devices and control panels are part of a much-needed upgrade for a luxury Florida condo building.

A complete renovation of the fire and life safety systems was needed for a Sarasota, Florida, condominium building built in 1976. The Lido Surf and Sand Condominiums building, located on Lido Beach on Florida’s Gulf Coast, had numerous problems with substandard wiring, inferior workmanship and outdated equipment, stemming from a previous retrofit. A new system, consisting of Silent Knight fire alarm control panels and System Sensor notification devices, brought the building and its residents to an entirely new level of protection and life-safety readiness.

Located on one of Florida’s best beaches, the Lido Surf and Sand, just short of the 75-foot threshold for high-rise code, is a luxury condo building that includes 106 residences and all the amenities. A large number of the building’s residents are seniors, so consideration had to be given to adding a voice evacuation feature with a crisp, clear transmission to the notification package. In addition, the system needed to be heard over the high ambient noise levels resulting from its oceanfront proximity.

For many businesses, the temptation to hunker down and wait out the downturn will be difficult to resist. In fact, you probably see it happening with many of the businesses you interact with.

During its history, System Sensor has seen plenty of ups and downs in the market, and we are prepared to weather economic changes. But we’re not sitting around waiting for the economy to turn around. We believe waiting until the market improves is a trap and a waste of time. In fact, we’re moving full speed ahead with new product developments that will further improve functionality, installation and maintenance, while providing first-rate service that you can count on. This is what our customers are calling for, especially in these challenging economic times.

For example, look at the Advanced Multi-Criteria Fire Detector featured in this issue. This unique detector, with its unprecedented accuracy, can save businesses money by meeting the needs of challenging applications in which nuisance alarms can cause serious financial damage. Or check out our SpectrAlert Advance Speakers and Speaker Strobes. These plug-in devices virtually eliminate costly and time-consuming ground faults at installation. And as part of the SpectrAlert Advance line, they benefit from a wide range of accessories and online tools that increase their application versatility and simplify their specification.

System Sensor proves day after day that the best fire and life safety products also make great economic sense by ultimately protecting valuable property and invaluable lives.

Kate Crawford

Director of Sales

System Sensor U.S.

The International Code Council (ICC) has published new requirements for carbon monoxide (CO) detection and revised requirements for smoke detectors. These provisions are covered in the ICC’s International Residential Code (IRC) for one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses and occurred when the ICC membership overturned two recommendations of the IRC committee.

The ICC implements the IRC as a model code regulation, which is proposed, debated and created for adoption and implementation in municipalities, counties and states that enforce building code regulations. The ICC codes are rapidly becoming the “code of choice” for state and local governments that adopt and enforce building code standards.

A new System Sensor online Mounting Options Tool simplifies the SpectrAlert^® Advance application design process. There’s no guesswork involved — it promptly matches devices and mounting locations with a variety of back boxes and A/V accessories for all SpectrAlert Advance notification appliance installations.

The Mounting Options Tool, designed to be intuitive, helps users quickly choose installation characteristics appropriate for their applications. The first step is selecting installation details, including device type such as a horn strobe, mounting location (indoor or outdoor), back box options (sizes compatible) and required or optional accessories, from a series of drop-down lists. The application automatically limits subsequent available options based on the user’s previous selections. For example, an outdoor location will limit back box and accessory options to those specified for outdoor use. Then, as users select options, the application returns an exploded view drawing of how each piece fits together.

“System designers and installers can use this powerful tool to quickly identify mounting options for any product in the entire SpectrAlert Advance line,” says Christa Poss, System Sensor product manager. “No matter what type of installation, they can get the information they need to know in just a few easy steps.”

Try the new mounting options tool at www.systemsensor.com/mount/.

Speakers have been particularly susceptible to ground faults because they take up more room in the back box, sometimes forcing installers to crush or pinch wires when pushing the wired speaker into the back box to be mounted. The plug-in design of SpectrAlert Advance reduces ground faults and associated costs by enabling installers to pre-wire mounting plates and dress wires before connecting the speakers. To further reduce ground faults, the speakers have a protective cover that eliminates exposed speaker components and prevents nicked wires. In addition, a shorting spring on the mounting plate tests wiring continuity to provide instant feedback to installers during the installation.

SpectrAlert Advance Speakers transmit the clear, intelligible messages needed during emergency situations. The SP line of high-fidelity speakers can be selected for crisp, clean signals, and the SPV line of high-volume speakers can be chosen to command attention in environments with high ambient noise levels.

Like all products in the SpectrAlert Advance line, Speakers and Speaker Strobes include all the innovative features that make SpectrAlert Advance the broadest, most versatile audible/visible notification appliances in the industry.

For example, field-selectable candela settings and 12- or 24-volt operation make a single device adaptable to a wide range of applications, simplifying inventory, specification and installation. In addition, SpectrAlert Advance Speaker Strobes offer the lowest current draw available on all candela settings, with measurable savings especially on the high candela models. This enables more appliances to be installed on a single circuit, reducing installation time and project costs.

Following are features available throughout the SpectrAlert Advance product line:

• Plug-in design
• Electrical compatibility with legacy SpectrAlert products
• Field-selectable candela settings on wall and ceiling units
• Universal mounting plate fittings for both wall- and ceiling-mounted units
• Compatibility with System Sensor synchronization protocol
• Automatic selection of 12- or 24-volt operation at 15 and 15/75 candela
• Inclusion of an optional tamper-resistant Torx head screw

Fire detection has always been a balancing act. Detector technology must be sensitive enough to detect fire at its earliest stage, yet not so sensitive as to cause nuisance alarms. As a result, the development of fire detection technology has always been constrained by the need to balance sensitivity and detection speed against nuisance alarm resistance.

For most applications, traditional smoke detection technologies such as ionization and photoelectric have met and exceeded standard requirements. Other detection technologies have performed admirably in applications with more specific requirements, such as HVAC ducts or large, open rooms (see the sidebar for an overview of several detector technologies and their ideal applications). These technologies have provided exceptional life and property protection capabilities by maintaining an ideal balance between these two competing constraints.

However, current detector technology has struggled to maintain this balance when deployed in challenging environments.

Specifically, some applications such as kitchens, boiler rooms and paint shops will likely have persistent conditions that mimic some aspect of actual fire and lead to nuisance alarms. In other applications, even sporadic nuisance alarms cannot be tolerated. For example, in healthcare applications, nuisance alarms can endanger patients, staff and expensive medical equipment. Or, in organizations such as financial trading centers, laboratories, telecommunication networks, energy generating plants, traffic control centers and manufacturing plants, false alarms can interrupt crucial daily activities and lead to significant business losses.

In these types of applications, when set at sensitivity levels necessary to provide escape times sufficient to maintain life safety, traditional detector technologies often cannot provide adequate nuisance immunity. As a result, persistent nuisance alarms can lead to distrust in the fire detection system and apathy to fire alarms among staff or other occupants of the building. This apathy can slow appropriate action to protect life safety or assets — even in an actual fire situation.