| The addition of a new universal fixing plate to the 'Type A' VAD is intended to make life even easier |
Innovative electronic fire and security products manufacturer, Elmdene International Limited - a subsidiary of Potter Electric Signal, LLC - confirms that it has secured LPCB (Loss Prevention Certification Board) approval to mount a smoke or heat detector base on its recently launched EN54-23:2010 Visual Alarm Device (VAD). The addition of a new universal fixing plate to the 'Type A' VAD is intended to make life even easier for those seeking to combine an indoor strobe with a suitable detector by reducing the number of device points required on a ceiling.
Considering the stand-out features of Elmdene's Visual Alarm Device, it is built around low power consumption LED technology with an operating current of only 46mA and has an input power range of 18-30V DC (24V DC nominal). This is not only used to power the device but also to synchronise multiple devices, without the need for any additional synchronisation or pulse circuitry, so avoiding potential issues associated with epilepsy. In addition, having the same coverage as a standard smoke detector (15m), which can be fitted to the supplied mounting plate, means that the Visual Alarm Device offers the installer a simple design method by matching devices within an area, which, Elmdene stresses, is vitally important in these early stages of implementation.
According to Elmdene, the Visual Alarm Device (FBC100-3-15) provides coverage in line with EN54-23 to C-3-15, which means it is a ceiling device with a maximum ceiling height of 3m, providing a 15m diameter cylindrical volume covered by the light radiated from the built-in strobe. The thinking behind Elmdene adopting the C-3-15 configuration is, the company confirms, to ensure that the design of an EN54-23 compliant solution is as straightforward as possible. For smaller areas or where current consumption may be limited there is added flexibility to switch the beacon to C-3-12 coverage if required (from 15m to 12m), reducing the device's current consumption by 10mA. As well as a fixing plate to offer the option of attaching an approved detector, an aesthetic blanking plate is supplied should the detector not be an installation requirement.
Says Ian Moore, Managing Director at Elmdene: "We are delighted that our Visual Alarm Device has achieved LPCB approval in line with EN54-23, including most recently for a universal detector mounting plate. In fact during testing it actually surpassed our claimed C-3-15 coverage. Basically, with the Visual Alarm Device we are keen to simplify things for specifiers and installers when it comes to deciding how many strobes they should fit to satisfy the minimum light coverage requirements of EN54-23; which cannot be done with 'Open Class' strobes as every manufacturer's strobe coverage could be different. The reality is that this is still proving to be a challenge as the industry becomes acquainted with the standard so, in my view, anything that can address this has to be welcomed."
In addition to meeting the requirements of EN54-23:2010, the Visual Alarm Device is ROHS compliant, CE marked and comes with a three-year warranty as you would expect from an Elmdene product.