Backup Horn Speaker (on CC488)
Hi All,
Firstly, thanks to all that have posted useful info to the forum in the past - there is some awesome reference material here.
I have a Bosch CP488 panel, which is working great. My only concern is that the external horn/stobe box is sitting pretty low (~2.7m off the ground). I’ve left the tamper off the box due to reliability concerns.
I’m thinking to have a second horn in the roofspace in case the bad guys knocks off the horn speaker/strobe box as their first move. Plan is to enable horn speaker monitoring (Loc 436, Option 2) to counter this.
If I wire the second horn (12v/8ohms) into Output 1 as well, will the horn speaker monitor still indicate if one of the two horns becomes disconnected?
Any guidance would be appreciated, cheers.
-batb0t
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No it won't. The horn spkr monitor looks for a supervision current in the horn circuit. That current will still be there whenever a horn is connected. What you could do is leave the outside one as is & connect a 12V siren to the onboard relay where your piezo is connected. The horn spkr only operates on O/P1 , you cannot program O/P2 to operate as a horn spkr O/P. You can program it to mimic the horn spkr O/P ( event code 1/15)
batb0t (16-06-11)
Thanks watchdog - that makes perfect sense given its monitoring for a supervision current. I will go with the onboard relay option just in case I want to use O/P2 for a fire alarm in the future.
Thanks again
Aren't all siren covers required to be tampered, as part of compliance with Australian Standard AS2201? I've been using the Bosch tamper switches that come in their kits for over 10 years, and never had any problems with them.Originally Posted by batb0t
BTW, these switches are also useful as a single-piece reed switch on the hinged-side of metal door jambs.
I left it off because when I took the old siren cover down the tamper was seized hard. No idea how long it had been there thou. I also read an imaz forum thread (i dare not link it) where there was some debate over the value of siren box tampers on domestic installations.
But if the bosch kit ones seem reliable enough then I will definately wire it in as a 24hr tamper to give the siren box some physical integrity.... with the added bonus of complying better with the standard.
cheers for pointing that out
It is not just the Bosch ones - they are ALL crap. If you haven't had one fault in 10 yrs then I would guess you don't look after many installations. If you locate the siren box properly then most of the time they are not neccessary. Switches on the hinge side of a door is bad practice
noRbackwards (26-06-11)
Please read my post again closely - I said I haven't had any problems with the Bosch tamper switches I install. This switch is not the "old style" type that relies on a spring-action to touch two bits of metal together to close a circuit - it uses a fully sealed NC reed switch, and has a magnet in the plunger which pulls the switch in. In fact, I make a good living servicing other company's installs where the "old style" reed switches have played up (I always replace the faulty switch with a Bosch type, never take them out of circuit).
What's so bad about using this single-piece reed switch on the hinged-side of a door? The door only needs to move about 50mm for it to unseal. It also comes with a spacer, to allow for wider hinge gaps, and has a built-in air gap around it, so it is ideal for use on steel door jambs. It is also fully concealed.
I have had many failures over some 30 years on the job.
I live and work close to the beach area's S.E. Qld and find salt air a huge problem.
The best invention so far is the plastic boxes ridding us from the rusty metal.
I find most clients " regardless of brands " require tamper switch replacements every 2 to 4 years. The only way around is the use of reed switches.
Yes, wire up tamper switch's (good quality type) on externals and program as instant on a domestic so only working while armed. Allows owners to stop the activations when the switch fails (close to sea obviously have harder conditions for the ext siren) and get you to repair during the day. Also allows the lid to be removed for painting etc. Makes servicing so much easier too! Ext sirens down low are always a worry, saw a Chubb siren here in NZ mounted at head level, no ladder required (wtf).
That's an interesting suggestion, although you'd need to be sure not to run afoul of relevant standards suggesting tamper be monitored 24x7. Also, you'd need to ensure that the monitoring station entered it correctly, or modify the codes sent by the panel, to ensure the monitoring centre correctly prioritised and handled the signal as tamper and not burglary or 'other'.
This thread has me thinking about the question of tampers on sirens in general. Once upon a time, crooks might try to disable a siren to avoid drawing attention to themselves. These days, how many people even pay attention to a siren? I do however think a waterproofed reed is a good approach compared to a mechanical failure-prone device. Pity most 'kits' would come with the latter even though I expect a reed is about the same price to manufacture.
Now we need to discuss using magnets to defeat reed switches on sirens.
Or not....
Last edited by downunderdan; 24-06-11 at 12:25 PM.
Never had a problem with the tamper switch being instant type zone. I supply a zone list to monitoring if even monitored. The activation of a tamper switch could actually be a burglary in progress. The EXT sirens with reid switches are more reliable and I wouldn't want to be a burglar trying to defeat one with a magnet.
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